It is interesting that on the day I am making changes to my website to highlight the direction that my business is going into, my newsfeed is going crazy with “Birth Photography” messages.  Yesterday there was an article on the CBC about Birth Photography.  It focused on sharing photos of births and the ‘new trend’ of having a birth photographer present at a birth.  I think it’s great to see people talking about this!  I have to say I disagree with one of the interviewees that it’s “silly” to have a professional take photographs at a birth (obviously, I’m of a different opinion!)  There are many people are commenting negatively on the story, saying it’s ‘too gory to document’, ‘it’s embarrassing’, it’s ‘too much sharing’.  I think that these comments are interesting in that they speak more to our society’s perceptions of women and birth in general in my opinion.  I, for one, am glad to be able to help document births to show women in such powerful moment… unashamed of the hard, physical work of birthing.  I want people to celebrate birth!  Each person’s comfort level is different, so we respect that.  Each person’s desire to share those special moment’s is going to be different, so we respect that.  For those who wish, Birth Photographers offer an invaluable service to start to collect real family images and event memories. To be able to capture the beauty of birth, and yes it is beautiful, is such a privilege.  My recent experience photographing Miles’ birth was natural.  It wasn’t awkward.  It was wonderful. Being present to capture the memory of the first time he took a breath was an honour.  Photographing the first time he opened his eyes and latched them onto his gorgeous mother and father was connection at it’s finest.  Witnessing the love exchanged in the blink of an eye, and photographing that for a family to have forever, is amazing.

I wonder how many of the people commenting negatively have had the opportunity to actually see birth photos of someone they care about.  I know many people I spoke to when I said I wanted to get into Birth Photography (especially in my parent’s generation) were a bit cautious.  Now that they have seen the actual photos, and can see how beautiful it can be, they get it.  So many people I’ve talked to wish that they’d had good photos of the real-life moments of their child’s birth. I am so thankful to Kaelyn and Adrian for letting me document little Miles’ arrival into the world… and letting me share the pictures that show the raw beauty of birth!