If you’re thinking about hiring a birth photographer, you might be worried that the photos of one of your most intimate and vulnerable moments will suddenly become public. I can’t speak for all birth photographers (though I’d really hope that most would agree), but I’m here to tell you that, as a professional birth photographer, I never share a single photo without consent.
When I get invited into a family’s home to document their life with a new baby, it’s nothing short of an honor. But when that same family asks me to come back to capture their family growing again, I feel humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me for a second time.
My goal for each time I photograph a newborn baby and their family at home is to document not just the tiny details that make up this big moment of life, but to really capture how it feels to be living it. I strive to create artful photos that transport parents from their future lives right back to the fleeting days when they first met their baby and could stare at him for hours on end, learning every detail and taking in the newness and profoundness of it all.
Maybe my favorite days, though, are ones like the day shown below — when I was welcomed into a beautiful bungalow in South St. Louis County for an in-home newborn session with Finnegan and his wonderful parents. The living room was bright enough, with several windows, but not so much direct light that rays of sunshine created overly bright spots. There were beautiful neutral tones in the furniture and decorations, accented by warm wood floors and accents. It was a really nice place to start photographing this sweet new family of three.
On my drive from my first newborn session over to this family’s home, the sleet and snow started falling. By the time I arrived, there was a dusting of white on the grass outside. But despite the cold and overcast day outside, the photos we made together inside this lovely family’s home were rich with warmth and color and love. Check out this beautiful family (doggo included) and the magic we made together.
This is the exquisite story of the homebirth of Asa Louise. She was born tiny, but mighty, into the hands of a skilled and intuitive midwife. Her mother labored instinctually in and out of the birth pool through the night. Her siblings excitement was palpable as they woke in the wee hours to find that the time had come to welcome her. And as the sun rose, her father made a wise and knowing suggestion that quickly brought her earthside.
It’s always such an honor to use my camera to document a birth story through photos and film. But words can be powerful glue that help to weave that story together. When Jeanne agreed to write her birth story, I was so excited to hear it all from her perspective. I just loved getting to read this birth story, in the words of this strong mama who worked so hard and found surrender. Seeing it next to my documentation is just so amazing.
Having an opportunity (and a deadline) to go through my body of work and choose an image or a handful of images that are technically correct and objectively powerful is a practice that really pushes me as an artist. It truly fosters individual growth as an artist and as a professional. And all of that is true no matter the outcome of the competition.
Even in the midst of a global pandemic, with new restrictions on how and where I could do my job, 2020 was my busiest year yet as a birth photographer. I was able to capture so many beautiful, transformative moments of connection, endurance, vulnerability, strength, and love as each family welcomed a new baby into their lives.
