“Quick! The baby’s crowning! Did you get a picture?!”
That’s not a direct quote from me. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything worse than having a camera in the delivery room, recording every ‘precious’ moment. But according to a recent article in The New York Times, there’s a growing trend for expectant parents to hire a birth photographer for the delivery room.
You may not have heard of ‘birth photographers’ however they do have their own association – the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (a group started by a Texas photographer who was inundated with inquires from women across America seeking photographs of their monumental occasion). The Association has approximately four hundred members, including fourteen photographers based in Australia.
If you’re anything like me, I quickly accepted the concept of birth photographers and moved on to the nitty-gritty. For example, where does the photographer stand? If a good photo is all about angles, you can be darn sure that delivering a baby is ‘not your best angle’! (The answer to this one is the photographer stands near the mother’s head, unless she has requested a crowning shot.)
Next on my list was wondering just how long the photographer has to hang around to get the winning shot. My first labour was over twenty-four hours long – if photographers are working on an hourly rate, that could get pricey. Plus, I wouldn’t have needed a visual record of me sucking ice-chips and pressing on my TENS machine. Apparently the rule-of-thumb is to start snapping once a woman is approximately six centimetres dilated.
Lastly, I’m keen to know what you actually do with the photographs once you have them – screensaver? Christmas card? Framed for the grandparents?
I can’t resist including a quote from the original news report on birth photographers – a mother said that now that her son is a teenager, she’d love to have photographs of the birth to look back on, however, her son would probably disagree. “He doesn’t even want his picture taken now,” she said. “He’s not going to want one on the way out of my vagina.”
All that said, take a look at some of the stunning images on the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers website and in photographer Lynsey Stone’s gallery…. It’s making me wish I had captured those first few moments!
Would you hire a birth photographer?
9 Comments
I am a birth photographer – and the initial reaction I get from people is “errr…..no, that is not for me”. I have uploaded 2 (shortened) videos to my website and direct people to watch those so they can understand what it is all about. Most people who watch it wish they had this record of their birth. There are no crowning photos in these slideshows – I do take them, but will not put them in a slideshow unless requested. Birth photography to me is so much more than capturing the actual delivery. There are so many emotions to capture and it is truly the most amazing job. I don’t talk to the parents, I remain discreet and I definitely don’t use a flash (as eluded to in the pictures above). This is the parents moment and I am merely there to document it in a tasteful manner.
With my husband, the lovely midwife with the direction of my obstetrician I have blow by blow photos of the birth of my little girl. Thing is I don’t think anyone should see them. It was a bit gory! But I am glad I have them – otherwise I not sure how much I would remember. If you’re thinking of getting them done, I say go for it!
if i wasnt so “loud”in labour then yes, i honestly think id scare the photographer away lol but i did miss out on those very 1st photos because hubby had to hold my hand at all times lol!
We are planning one for this birth. Our second midwife is a professional photographer and she took such beautiful and precious images from our last birth, it gave me a chance to reflect on those fleeting precious minutes just after the baby is born and see it from a different persepctive (ie., not the one just having given birth!). The photo where I have just picked my daughter up for the first time is, to me, just magical!
I am the founder of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (www.birthphotographers.com) and I would like to invite you to understand the truth about birth photography:
http://birthphotographers.com/?p=1032
THIS is birth photography https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151026081610202
I absolutely love this idea! I was a photographer myself (in a past life!!) and wish I had a better photographic record of the birth of my little darling girl! Whilst the photos my hubby took at the time are ok, they are not to my ‘standard’ and there are only a couple! If I had my time over again, I would definitely have someone there taking piccies (gory ones as well – just for me) so that I have a record of what was actually going on at the time of the actual birth and the emotions around the event! I sure don’t remember everything of that event – except the clock hands on the wall, taking F O R E V E R!! to move – it would be wonderful to have photos to look at that are tasteful, professional, and representative!!! What a great idea!!
God no! I couldn’t imagine anything worse. The only plan I had with the birth of my girls was to get them out without drugs.
I think it’s a great idea. I have had two caesarians and one of the midwives took photos during both of them (as my husband didn’t want to be down the “pointy end!”). They volunteered to do it and we happily took them up on the offer. Some of them are a bit gory but I’m glad that they got snap happy in the theatre because they are wonderful, amazing photos.