Birth photography is the latest trend in professional photography, with photographers once specializing in photos of families and children now moving into delivery rooms, homes and birth centers to capture a baby’s first moments.
Despite the increase of budget digital SLR cameras, filters and insta-everything, birth photography is on the rise. There are several factors driving this growing trend. Birth and labor are unpredictable and can be tricky to capture. Lighting may be dim and planning can be difficult. Laboring moms should be able to depend on their birth partner to be there for her needs, not trying capture once in a lifetime shots or worry about camera settings and lighting. If a birth partner is taking photos or video, they can’t be present in the moment and they can’t be a good support. More importantly, they can’t be in the pictures!
Birth photography does have its skeptics. Birth evokes dramatic images, mostly drawing from Hollywood blockbusters and dramatic soap opera birthing scenes. It was only in the early 1970s that men were even allowed into delivery rooms, a previously elusive place where women disappeared, shrieked and writhed in pain, and tiny babies emerged. Even today, modern birth can be painted as something to fear. Women gather in social circles, telling “top-that” horror stories. It’s not often that beautiful birthing stories are shared, and certainly not images. Professional birth photography allows for those stories to be heard.
Birth photography is a relatively new idea for most people, so here are five things to
consider when choosing a birth photographer:
1. Get personal. Interview several birth photographers and understand their philosophies. Once you’ve found a match, meet with your photographer several weeks before your due date to review the birth plan and discuss the photographer’s approach. Your photographer should want to get to know you well to understand your needs.
2. Set limits. Be clear in discussing what you do and do not want photographed. There’s a misperception that “crowning” shots are the only frames birth photographers shoot. Birth photography should be about telling a story, and a majority the time that’s from the mother’s viewpoint, so behind the birth partner’s shoulder is often a great place to achieve great images. Either way, moms dictate what is captured.
3. A good birth photographer should be a fly on the wall during labor. The photographer should be as least distracting to the delivery experience as possible. Oftentimes, the photographer is able to be the eyes for a mother during labor and capture things she never even knew happened.
4. Protect yourself. Images should only be shared online with your explicit permission. Trust is important in the birth photographer/client relationship and that’s one reason why choosing the right photographer is critical. Ensure that your photographer has the right tools like password protected galleries and other privacy measures in place.
5. Know what you’re paying for. Currently, birth photography is less expensive on average than wedding photography. Discuss your photographer’s on call schedule, the number of hours they shoot during the birth and what type of editing to expect.
If you or someone you know is considering birth photography, browse images online to become familiar with different types and styles of birth photography. Take the time to meet with local birth photographers in person to determine if birth photography might be for you. Be sure to ask questions and share concerns. Birth photography is not for everyone, but how cool would it be to have photos from when YOU were born?
Colette Hoekstra of Coco Photography (www.oregonbirthphotographer.com) is a
Portland-based photographer who specializes in births. She is a member of the International Association of Birth Photographers and Professional Photographers of America.
