Why I Became a Birth Photographer
If you have ever had a conversation with me, you know I love a good story, and I definitely don’t spare the details. My journey into professional birth photography has been building for years and is influenced by my four births and work as a doula. The journey has formed my values and left an imprint on the type of service I provide, so if you also like details and a good story, you are in the right place.
Being a birth worker is 100% my thing, and like many birth workers, my own experiences with childbirth have influenced the way I care for families. The first birth I attended as a doula was in June of 2015. Just months after my first VBAC and the support I had from my doula inspired me to provide that type of support for other parents. It was an easy and quick decision; I dove into an online training and was hired by my first clients relatively quickly. Since then, I have had two more babies and have been providing birth doula support for parents in Utah (and a few virtually in other states and countries).
My first child was born via unplanned Cesarean. He was a failed induction due to severe preeclampsia at 36 weeks pregnant. I had been talking to a birth photographer to document my birth story, but when it became apparent that we were not going to have the beautiful “natural” hypnobirth I had dreamed of, I brushed off the idea of having a photographer at the birth.
My first birth didn’t go as planned, not even close. The journey was messy, complicated, and so many confusing things, but it is mine, and not having good quality images to remember it still makes me tear up. But of all the things I wish would have happened differently at that birth, having a birth photographer there definitely tops the list.
My first family-of-three photo is terrible. No, really, it is. Only a few people have even been allowed to see it until this moment. I am two hours out of a C-section, had been pumped full of IV administered magnesium, and look so exhausted and swollen. Having a professional birth photographer there wouldn't have changed how I looked but having someone there to document the journey and who knows the nuances of documentary photography would have helped me remember parts of the story that are long gone. It would have given me multiple images from different perspectives through the whole story instead of leaving me with just one picture that I am in that I haven't dared share publicly until now, nine years later. Here it is…
See what I mean? Photo cred to a cheap Nikon Coolpix point and shoot and my sweet mother-in-law.
My second child was the perfect birth for me. My VBAC baby was born at home, in the water, surrounded by people I love and a birth team that included two midwives, a doula, TWO birth photographers, and a videographer. I was determined to have every second of my story documented, no matter if it went the way I wanted it to or not. I have an amazing collection of photos and videos that perfectly document the day. Here is an image from that birth taken by Jessica Lott with Jessica Dawn Photos.
Here are two of several first family-of-four photos, also by Jessica
I felt the same in my last two births and have photos and videos of each. I made partial trades, sold a bunch of stuff on Facebook, baked and sold bread in my neighborhood, everything I could think of to make sure I had the money I needed to put towards having doulas and photos/videos of my births.
Baby #3
Image by Clarissa Stagg Photography
Baby #4, my oldest cut the umbilical cord!
Image by Danielle Wilstead with Wild Oak Birth
I am a firm believer in documenting significant events in life.
Having a baby is one of the biggest days of someone's life. Ever since that first birth I attended as a doula, I have always taken my phone out at the moment of birth and taken pictures of the first few minutes after the baby is born. I believe that every parent should have a picture of the first time they meet their baby.
Keep in mind that these are cell phone pictures. I have much better training and some good equipment in my bag now, but here are some images I have taken over the years (as always, shared with permission).
It’s fun to look back at births I have attended, and my doula clients have always been grateful for the cell phone pictures I had taken when a birth photographer wasn’t in the plan for them. I always wanted to get better at taking pictures but never felt like I could do much about it until a year ago.
I had been thinking about adding birth photography to my services or switching from part-time doula to full-time birth photographer for a while. After having lunch with a great friend who is also a doula-turned-birth photographer, I finally decided to start making the switch. I found a great deal on a used NIKON D750 on eBay and was determined to learn everything about photography.
Many of my doula clients let me document births; it was a bonus of having me as a doula in 2021. My first birth photography experience was in March, and it was everything I wanted it to be, an amazing VBAC after 3 Cesareans. VBAC is special to me as a three-time VBAC mom and doula. That birth felt like coming around full circle but also the beginning of something amazing!
Many parents who had a Cesarean for their first birth missed the significant experience of holding their baby skin to skin right after birth and meeting them in a warm and welcoming environment. Working with VBAC hopeful families, one of their top priorities is usually holding their baby right away, soaking up ALLLL the skin to skin, and being able to breastfeed their baby as soon as they are ready. They missed those things the first (or second, or third) time, and getting to experience them is more important to them now more than ever.
Documenting those first moments after a vaginal birth when a mother realizes she actually did it and capturing all the moments of skin to skin, newborn exams on the parent's chest, and baby’s first latch are perhaps, the best part of what I do. I remember those feelings from my first birth, and capturing and preserving them forever for others, as my photographers did for me, is what moves me and keeps me going. Everyone deserves to remember those moments forever.
Here are my top ten reasons I love birth photography:
Birth is powerful. Our bodies can do amazing things, and having it documented so you can see and remember how magnificent and strong you are is worth more than words can say.
Newborn babies change so fast! The little details like wrinkly feet, squished faces, and matted-down hair disappears in just a few hours. Soaking up those details is what I am all about.
Each birth is as unique as the parents on the journey. Every story is different, unmedicated, induced, Cesarean birth, at home, in a hospital, with an epidural, with a room full of support, or just you and your provider; your journey is unlike any other and has its own twists and turns. There is so much beauty in each birth's uniqueness and surrounding context.
Birth is a significant life event; not many days are as substantial as when you bring a baby into your world. Capturing that day is just as important, if not more so, than your wedding day.
High-quality photographs from a skilled photographer are valuable. Remember the photo from my first birth? That was the most in-focus photo. There are three others that are fuzzy and out of focus. No more fuzzy pictures for you! I know how to navigate low-light and other environmental challenges and how to compose pictures in a fast-moving environment.
I am a birth doula by heart and a holder of space by nature. Nothing is more important than the sacredness of the birth space. Being there to support growing families is what I do, and when I am not busy documenting the journey, I am able to support, encourage, and strengthen the birth process.
Speaking of support, the other members of the birth team get to focus 100% on the person giving birth instead of worrying about getting pictures. It’s one less thing for you and your partner to worry about.
I love capturing the fun and intimate moments between parents and the other people supporting the birth. With me as a birth photographer, everyone gets to be in the photos, which is much better than having your partner stuck behind the phone or camera.
Birth is empowering! Documenting birth
The moment of birth is fleeting but photographs last forever. Every year on my kid's birthdays, we watch their birth video and go through their birth photos. It is such a special time, and all my kids know how important and celebrated their birth days are. We go through what we have with my oldest, but it is still a big regret that I didn’t have a professional photographer there. We have so much fun reviewing the photos and video of him helping his other siblings be born on their birth days, too! He is a natural-born birth supporter.
“But wait?!?! Are you not going to be a doula anymore?”
No, but also, YES! I will always have room on my calendar for repeat doula clients. So, if that is you, please reach out. I have a special package available for you. Moving forward, my primary focus will be on birth photography and videography. My available doula support packages include having me as your primary birth photographer AND your doula. You can find more information on my packages page. However, these spots are very limited, so I highly recommend booking as soon as possible to ensure there is space for you.
If you are interested in connecting with me to support you in your birth journey, please shoot me a message. I would love to meet you!