Bellies
Brand New
Babies
Posted on December 28, 2011
I didn’t realize how hard it would be to choose just TEN images from the whole year until I started going back through my archives! To be honest, I probably could have chosen ten per birth for this particular category – each birth experience is so different and the images truly tell the story of a woman’s journey to bring her baby into the world.
Birth Photography is an intimate specialty. Not only do you have to be well versed in different lighting situations and maneuver quietly and stealthily in a hospital or home environment so as not to disturb the laboring mother, her support team, and the staff (if in a hospital), but you also have to read body language and cues well. After photographing births for nearly 2 years, I feel as though I know when to take a step back and put the camera down and when to keep the camera in my hand because things are going to move quickly. It’s a delicate balance between knowing when to snap that perfect moment’s photo and when to allow for privacy or modesty.
But the emotion captured in the images from births takes my breath away. There is something so raw and so deep about the moments surrounding the birth of a child…and being privileged enough to witness and capture it? Priceless. Enjoy my top 10…okay, 11…favorite birth images of 2011.
And I had to add this one of last week’s Christmas birth. It isn’t often that I am allowed or able to capture this moment, so when I am, I take full advantage!
Posted on December 14, 2011
I was contacted by this little guy’s grandmother just a few weeks before his arrival. My family travels out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I was not sure that I would be able to return to Virginia Beach in time to capture his birth, but told her I would be on standby for the big day. Turns out, I was able to make it just in time to capture her scheduled c-section and the slideshow of his birth is below. Please take a moment to watch after you sigh at his beautiful newborn portraits. He was such a great model for me!
& Click here to watch the Birth Story of Gregory
Posted on November 30, 2011
Today, I had the privilege of being there to welcome a new life in the world. This mommy & daddy are both so brave – he is in the Marines serving our country and has most recently been, literally, on the front lines in Afghanistan. She has been bravely waiting for his return so that they could love this baby together! The new grandma was there, too, to lend her support on the big day. Enjoy this peek into Gregory’s birth day:
Posted on November 16, 2011
When one of my best friends asked me to be there to photograph the birth of her third child, I was so thrilled. Her first baby came via c-section, after a long and hard labor. We actually met right before she had her son, I had just given birth to my daughter. We became friends, bonding over scrapbooking and photos. Then, when I told her I was pregnant with my second child, she let me in on the fact that she, too, was expecting! Our children, both sets only a few months apart in age, have played together over the past few years and we have developed a wonderful friendship. Welcoming this third child into the world, the second VBAC for her, was such an honor. Being able to laugh with family members, capture the intimate moments, and even shed a tear or two in joy with them makes this much less a job and much more a privilege.
Enjoy the birth story of Susan Gemma by clicking on the link below. Turn up the volume and grab some tissues – you may need ‘em!
Susan’s Birth Story
Posted on June 13, 2011
It’s a GIRL!!
There are so few surprises in life anymore – I always get a *tinge* extra excited when I hear that a client is waiting to find out the gender of their child when he/she is born! And then being asked to photograph the moment of their birth becomes that much more exciting. I’d like to give you a peek into the home birth of Alaina Lee, welcomed into the world at home by her strong mama, one of the most supportive birth partners/husbands I’ve seen, and the capable midwives at Seven Cities Midwifery. Her big brother, Malachi, got to meet her just a couple hours after she was born, too. I’m honored to share these moments with you.
