“There is only one sun. We can’t all claim to only have one way to use the light, but we can REDEFINE how we choose to express it. “
Why are you passionate about photographing births?
I don’t think it’s that I’m passionate at births… I think I am more passionate about showing women how strong their bodies are. I want women to see their partner’s love for them. I am passionate about the “quiet moments” (as my sweet friend Erin Monroe put it), and how they play their role in a families birth story. I am incredibly passionate about life in general, and one of the biggest moments in a person’s life is the birth of their child(ren). I am lucky to have a few (non-professional) photos from the birth of my children and I can feel what it was like at those particular moments when I look at those photographs.
When did you first realize you liked this topic?
I actually had a friend that was expecting her second baby shortly after I had my third, and had taken a beginner’s photography course. I had asked her if she’d let me photograph her birth just so I could “try it.” I remember walking out of the hospital thinking, “So, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.”
You photograph more than just birth photography but what makes them so special?
Everything. I typically get to know my birth clients pretty well before their baby’s birth day, so we have a relationship. It’s a totally different experience documenting a client’s birth who you have little to no connection with other than that they paid for a service compared to documenting a birth for someone who I have an emotional connection with.
What are the tips you would share with anyone shooting one for the first time?
If you’re shooting a birth for the first time, my biggest piece of advice is to know how to shoot in manual. Use the light and shadows to your advantage, and be familiar with a speed light just in case you have no available light (and mom is okay with the quick flash of light). Never aim the speed light at your subject during birth, bounce it. You don’t have to be photographing the entire time you’re with a client, be patient and really watch what’s happening, some pretty amazing moments present themselves when you slow down.
