Birth photography, wouldn’t that just be the husband, or whomever else is in the room grabbing the camera to snap some photos quickly? You would think so. However there is a new trend starting it seems, where you hire a birth photographer to be there to capture the big moment for you. To be honest, I kind of really like this idea.
After Everly was checked over to make sure she was okay. We did not get a photo the first time I held her.
I kind of wish that there had been someone else in the room to get the special little moments when we had Everly, we had moments that were missed because of the craziness that happened during Everly’s birth. Jason and my Mom were both busy helping me so the camera was not grabbed until after the fact for several moments. Also, the lighting is not that great so it can be extremely difficult for someone who does not know what they are doing to get a good photo.
Why am I even intrigued by this, why would I want to hire a birth photographer? Well, we have already been thinking about the future when we have more children. We would love to add to our little family, but we know the new time around will probably be even more difficult to pick up a camera. My family will probably be watching Everly, which means Jason will be very busy helping me through the labor process, and he definitely would not be thinking to grab the camera.
I kind like the idea of having someone else take photos, someone who knows what they are doing. It would have to be someone I connect with though, and trust, because birth is such a special, intimate moment. I would probably want to find someone who is experience in childbirth, and understand what happens in the birthing room, and knows the terrible lighting. These are things that would all come into play for us in making a decision towards selecting someone to photograph a future birth. We would love to see almost a documentation of the day our child is born. I want to be able to show each child the story of the day they were born, not just tell them. Photos of the first look, first kiss on their little cheek, the very first moments of a little ones life. All those moments would be there to remember visually. Instead of being behind the camera, my husband would actually be in photos, and be able to fully support me.
From looking into some photographers that do this type of photography, it is something you need to be prepared to invest in. The photographer is basically on call for you around your due date. So you almost need to compare it to the pricing of wedding photography it seems. Prices do range all over the place depending on the photographer and what you are looking for. Some photographers also only take a certain number of bookings for birth photography per year. I actually have two photographers I’d be torn between selecting if this is the path we decide to take in the future.
Has anyone had a birth photographer there for the birth of their little one?
I’ve thought about it. Briefly.
For me it’s not worth spending the money on great photography if I’m not going to display it. And I am certainly not going to put pictures of all that goes on in there on my walls! And remembering all those tiny details isn’t important to me.
But I love looking at the photos that others get. They are special and a great thing if that’s what you want to do.
I too have seriously considered doing this. However, it’s a lot of money and I prefer to spend the money on quality family shots AFTER the birth that can actually be hung up on the wall. We were much better about making sure we took pictures this time during the actual labor process despite only my husband being there.
It’s true that those moments are so precious and it would be nice to have the captured ‘properly’ 🙂
I think this is a wonderful idea. Although thinking back, I looked awful after giving birth and even though the experience was priceless … I agree with spending the money afterwards on quality shots of baby with the family.
I’ve never thought about it. It’s a cool idea, but not for me because I don’t want anyone else in the room while I’m giving birth and I definitely don’t want anyone else to see my birthing process lol.
The nice thing about birth photographers is they ask what you want and are looking for, so if you don’t want gyno shots you wont be getting that. If you want them to enter the room once baby is there so its more of an instant new born photo shoot, you can have that. There are lots of possibilities.
After looking through a bunch of different photographers works, you can and do get beautiful photos that are wall worthy. I think part of why this is just becoming popular is because most people instantly go “yeah no, there wont be any pretty photos”. Definitely lots for us to keep researching and thinking about. Who knows maybe I will demand my hubby to grab the camera more.