What draws me consistently to this subject matter is simply that it's such a human experience, genuinely photojournalistic, undirected, raw and real emotions -- as real as anything my accessible subject matter can get. No expectations, no copycatting, no Pinterest board requests. Just a pure and honest desire to capture what really happens. I'll share my photographer's perspective here following my first "birth story", and give some artistic insights should The Reader be someone considering coverage for such a beautiful occasion.
I am very, very blessed to have been available to photograph my first live birth in 2013. Any time someone requests birth coverage from me, I feel blessed. It's such a huge thing. My main takeaway from the experience is that if you are a nostalgic-minded individual who just adores remembering those first short-lived moments of the very first joy you encountered seeing your child for the first time ever, you just can't afford not to have these moments captured. You'd be missing such sweet, genuine, poignant, emotional photographs the hospital photographer simply cannot give you. Every time I remember the day my son was born, I wish and wish I would have had someone there to capture real emotions, not snapshot images by family. Sorry, family -- they just aren't the same! The emotion is not there.
Firstly, I must thank Mrs. Jessica Flores-Washington (a previous client) for giving me the opportunity to photograph she and her husband, Ben, on the day their son, Benjamin, was born. As soon as she invested her confidence in me to be there on birth day (around my other bookings, God willing), I had my bag packed, backup batteries charged and family members notified that I was on call for the job. I was prepared to shoot at weird hours and be there for however long I was needed. I hoped to be available during birth Prime Time: active labor, delivery and emotions shared first meeting baby.
Artistic considerations. My telephoto lens worked great: I was distant enough from the action, but so close for emotions. Black and white: this may just be me, but reflecting on black and white feels so nostalgic. Hospital rooms aren't blooming with color, nor is fluorescent lighting particularly wonderful or dramatic. Other than a red little newborn with his pink tongue lashing, sometimes removing color draws due attention to emotion. It's a preference I'd leave up to the client in the end. Lighting: this is up to the mom-to-be obviously, but if she chooses to have room lights off at nighttime, lighting from doctor's workspace casts a wonderfully dramatic glow on faces rather than the fully lit fluorescent room. This is up to preference. I would never use flash during these moments; I would hide my presence completely.
I am very, very blessed to have been available to photograph my first live birth in 2013. Any time someone requests birth coverage from me, I feel blessed. It's such a huge thing. My main takeaway from the experience is that if you are a nostalgic-minded individual who just adores remembering those first short-lived moments of the very first joy you encountered seeing your child for the first time ever, you just can't afford not to have these moments captured. You'd be missing such sweet, genuine, poignant, emotional photographs the hospital photographer simply cannot give you. Every time I remember the day my son was born, I wish and wish I would have had someone there to capture real emotions, not snapshot images by family. Sorry, family -- they just aren't the same! The emotion is not there.
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| Watching through the overhead mirror. |
Firstly, I must thank Mrs. Jessica Flores-Washington (a previous client) for giving me the opportunity to photograph she and her husband, Ben, on the day their son, Benjamin, was born. As soon as she invested her confidence in me to be there on birth day (around my other bookings, God willing), I had my bag packed, backup batteries charged and family members notified that I was on call for the job. I was prepared to shoot at weird hours and be there for however long I was needed. I hoped to be available during birth Prime Time: active labor, delivery and emotions shared first meeting baby.
I don't think I'd be comfortable with this subject matter if I hadn't already given birth myself. I think many mothers-to-be feel it's an odd time for professional photography (also feeling their least photogenic), or that they simply don't want items of graphic or personal nature photographed. To each her own. But in my design, the most graphic image covered is a slimy baby fresh out of the womb.
Birth photography is not about the anatomy of birth, it's about life happening, that brief moment in which a parent first sees his and her offspring, a moment which very rarely is captured, and can never again be reenacted.
I always had in mind to design birth photography not graphiccalle but emotionally. My focus is never the specifics of how the baby enters the world, it's the emotions which parents and families share surrounding the occasion. Those are priceless, priceless captures. Seriously, I cried when I saw this happening in front of me. I cried when editing these images. And also while proofreading this blog post! Faces, reactions, expressions, hands clasping, fingers touching, brand new family connections made. Fathers looking at babies wondering who this baby will become as he grows. It's so new. It's so raw and so real. The best part is that I'm purely an observer, and these emotions are authentic and tear-jerking without me having to direct someone to turn and face each other and "give me this feeling!" That's what the birth story is all about. That's what I love about it!
As a photographer mainly versed in weddings, birth photography is a breath of fresh air. I love the opportunity to be more personal with clients, to hang with their families and to photograph events with unsure outcome. Wedding photography has a lot of expectation (particularly those I term "Pinterest weddings", if you know what I mean). Being such a commercialized business nowadays, the wedding expectation can be creatively demanding. Birth photography is the exact opposite so far as I've been exposed, and I do hope [Pinterest doesn't screw it up!] it remains a wonderfully discreet, private niche and doesn't get over-commercialized.
Birth photography is not about the anatomy of birth, it's about life happening, that brief moment in which a parent first sees his and her offspring, a moment which very rarely is captured, and can never again be reenacted.
I always had in mind to design birth photography not graphiccalle but emotionally. My focus is never the specifics of how the baby enters the world, it's the emotions which parents and families share surrounding the occasion. Those are priceless, priceless captures. Seriously, I cried when I saw this happening in front of me. I cried when editing these images. And also while proofreading this blog post! Faces, reactions, expressions, hands clasping, fingers touching, brand new family connections made. Fathers looking at babies wondering who this baby will become as he grows. It's so new. It's so raw and so real. The best part is that I'm purely an observer, and these emotions are authentic and tear-jerking without me having to direct someone to turn and face each other and "give me this feeling!" That's what the birth story is all about. That's what I love about it!
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| Dad's first look and son's first look at dad. |
As a photographer mainly versed in weddings, birth photography is a breath of fresh air. I love the opportunity to be more personal with clients, to hang with their families and to photograph events with unsure outcome. Wedding photography has a lot of expectation (particularly those I term "Pinterest weddings", if you know what I mean). Being such a commercialized business nowadays, the wedding expectation can be creatively demanding. Birth photography is the exact opposite so far as I've been exposed, and I do hope [Pinterest doesn't screw it up!] it remains a wonderfully discreet, private niche and doesn't get over-commercialized.
Some things I learned in the labor and delivery room. Many hospitals have restrictions for photographers, such as no admittance in c-section rooms, or only one person in the room with mom during epidural or drug administration. Many hospitals nowadays are trying to commercialize newborn in-hospital portraiture, but these services do not cover labor and delivery, nor are they as personalized. There are lots of nurses present during delivery, and I found it challenging to peek through their activities without getting in their way. If mom goes for an epidural, she may enjoy the experience much more and therefore give me plenty of big grins!
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| Mom's first kiss. Gosh, how can you miss a moment like that! |
Artistic considerations. My telephoto lens worked great: I was distant enough from the action, but so close for emotions. Black and white: this may just be me, but reflecting on black and white feels so nostalgic. Hospital rooms aren't blooming with color, nor is fluorescent lighting particularly wonderful or dramatic. Other than a red little newborn with his pink tongue lashing, sometimes removing color draws due attention to emotion. It's a preference I'd leave up to the client in the end. Lighting: this is up to the mom-to-be obviously, but if she chooses to have room lights off at nighttime, lighting from doctor's workspace casts a wonderfully dramatic glow on faces rather than the fully lit fluorescent room. This is up to preference. I would never use flash during these moments; I would hide my presence completely.
I have extremely high respect for birth clients. I've designed a policy to keep all images completely private for them. Any images I publish (such as these), I ask individual consent per image. There are no Facebook sneak peeks unless the family decides they'd like one.
I'd love to do more birth stories! Reaching this stage in my career has certainly matured me as a photographer. I love being a pure observer, a true photojournalist. I love being the one who can record these private emotions for families. I love that they can look back on birth day and revisit in-the-moment emotions no snapshot can convey. I love the atmosphere of love and concern which surrounds the bringing of a child into this world. I love the way new parents look at their newborn in the delivery room, an expression which truly only happens at that moment, the moment they look at their baby for the first time and say "Look what we did, we made this! He's here!"
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| Benjamin Caleb Washington III - born October 5th, 2013. |
