Instagram post: "Yay! I get to photograph a birth today!"
I came home from that first birth, and before I even starting editing, I added a "Birth" tab to my website because I knew in my heart I wanted to continue doing this. I launched myself into learning more about birth. I connected with other birth photographers, and asked lots of questions. I ran a model call to get more experience. I watch documentaries and read books about births.
On-Call life has lots of challenges. Just a few of these include: always having your camera gear prepped and ready to go, taking your camera gear with you everywhere (including the grocery store) and needing to be able to drop everything on a last minute notice. Once, I left a marriage retreat to photograph a birth! Thankfully, my husband is incredibly supportive of my business and we have a strong marriage and it really wasn't a big deal, I made it back the next day and didn't miss out on much but it still makes me chuckle every time I think about my husband attending a marriage retreat by himself. #he'sthebest
Birth is unpredictable. You never really know when the baby will arrive. The baby could be born 15 minutes OR 15 hours after you arrive. So you have to have a flexible and willing schedule to just drop everything.
Birth work is hard, and it takes a special person. So why in the world would any photographer want to commit to something so unpredictable? For me, the answer is easy. I just want to be there. I am passionate about it! I want to cheer you on from the sidelines and celebrate with you! I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHING BIRTHS. I joke with my photographer friends about showing up at the labor + delivery ward just to see if any stranger would let me photograph their births!
There is something special about being present the moment a baby enters the world, and I can't get enough of it. I see the new family addition and I recognize that the family just changed in a drastic way. As a photographer, a historian at heart, I have an innate need to help preserve the memories for people. I see so much love and transition happening at a birth, and truly have a desire to document it.
