3 Reasons to Hire a Professional Birth Photographer
1. Your birth matters!
Your body has sustained a life! You are now bringing into the world your baby, who you have nurtured and loved. You aren’t just a vessel in which your baby enters the world - you are showcasing the most powerful thing your body can do - what it was made to do! You have become a mother! This is a BIG DEAL. You deserve to be celebrated on one of the most monumental days of your life. And the impact doesn’t stop with you - it reaches far beyond. I’m a big believer in normalizing birth and releasing fear, and the most profound way to do this is by telling birth stories - and images will make your story that much more powerful.
You most likely have photos from other major life events, like your graduation or walking down the aisle on your wedding day. Why not also document the first time you meet your baby face to face? You can’t take a rain check on birthing a baby. You’ve anticipated this day for so long and having it photographed will help you remember and relive every precious moment.
2. Your birth partner/team can focus on you
When you hire a professional birth photographer, their sole purpose is to document your birth as it happens. You have chosen your support person(s) and your care providers with careful consideration, and having a photographer there means everyone you’ve hand-picked to support you can do so with undivided attention. They don’t need to think about grabbing a camera or asking a relative to step back. A professional photographer knows how to get the shots you’ll love while being mindful of everyone else’s duties in the room. Of course, any photos you get of your birth are to be treasured, even if it’s just a few iPhone shots. But having a professional photographer who has a keen eye for capturing moments and knows how to handle any type of lighting and environmental situation will give you images to look back on that are unparalleled.
3. You can experience everything you didn’t see
You are about to experience something miraculous, mama. This is an experience you will look back on for the rest of your life. It isn’t just over in a matter of hours. It’s healthy to process your birth - what you loved, what challenged you, what went just as planned and what was unexpected. Your photos can help you do this. They will allow moments and emotions to surface that might otherwise be drowned out by the rush of the experience and your steady concentration. You’ll be reminded of things you remember, and you’ll see for the first time what was happening outside of your line of sight. The look on your partner’s face, the encouragement of your care provider, the position your body knew it needed to be in to usher your baby into the world…you’ll see it all.
Speaking from experience, the photos I have from my birth allow me to see so many things. I see my baby crowning and am amazed at what my body was able to do! I see how hard I worked to meet my baby and it reminds me of how strong I am. I see her resting her little hand on my chin, and I can feel her tiny fingers on my bottom lip every time. I see how calm and steady my husband was, and I see the tears in his eyes as he held our daughter for the first time.
There’s nothing like it, mama. You, your baby, and your birth is more than deserving of being photographed and you certainly won’t regret it.
