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I see you there. Yes, you. Lurking through my birth photos and reading my blog posts. You know you want photos of the day your newest little addition is born, but maybe you're still on the fence about hiring a birth photographer. You already read my last blog post, and you know hiring a pro is totally worth the investment. (Okay, okay... if you actually haven't read that blog post yet, you can find it here) There's a part of you still wondering though... Will it be weird to have a stranger in the room taking photos? If this is your first baby, let me be the one to tell you: there are likely going to be strangers present at your birth whether you hire a birth photographer or not. You might have an OB present that isn't your normal doctor because you go into labor during on-call hours. You'll have at least one nurse for yourself and one nurse for the baby. There could also be a number of other people there for various reasons depending on how your birth progresses. No one ever bats an eye at having any of those "strangers" present at their birth though because they are professionals - there to do a job. Well, guess what? It's the same thing when you hire a professional birth photographer! I'm there to do my job. You are not the first woman I have ever watched in labor and yours is not the first birth I've witnessed through the lens of my camera. Plus, all of my birth clients have a consultation with me prior to the birth, and we'll keep in touch some throughout your pregnancy. I promise we won't feel like strangers by the time your baby is born! Ok... but can't my husband/mom/friend/doula/insert-whatever-person-you-plan-to-have-present-at-your-birth-here just take photos? Valid question and one I understand very well because I thought the same thing! I thought I could have my support people take photos, and I would just use my photo editing magic to make them into what I wanted. Although I absolutely cherish the photos that I have, this plan just didn't work out for a few different reasons: 1) Even if one of your support people is a skilled photographer, births are a whole different bear with unpredictable lighting and circumstances. Having someone who has knowledge and experience with birth itself and knows their way around a birth space will help you get more of the photos you really want. 2) Your support people will be emotionally invested in you and your baby. More than likely, they will get caught up in the moment and forget to take photos. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to be reminding people to take photos (if you're even in the mental or emotional state to remember yourself). When my son was born, I was constantly blurting out, "Oh! Someone take a picture of that!" It wasn't fun for me and honestly, it was probably annoying to everyone else. 3)This last point is an important one - If one of your support people is in charge of taking pictures, who will get pictures of them supporting you? If your husband has the camera, who takes a picture of him when he sees his baby for the first time? If your mom is in charge of taking pictures, who will take a photo of her comforting you through your contractions? I think this is one of those circumstances where a photo really is worth a thousand words. I'm going to show you some examples of the photos my support team took during my births and compare them to photos that my clients have received from me. Up first, labor and c-section prep My personal photos:
Just a sample of my clients' photos:
Family/Friends/Support People Personal photos: *I have almost no pictures of my mom, husband, or doula from either of my births because they were always the ones taking photos! Pretty much all of my birth photos are just me and don't tell the whole story of the day.  Client Photos:
Mom and Dad Meeting Baby My photos: *Another note - I do not have any photos of my husband meeting our first baby because I was still in the OR while he was in the nursery with the baby. Just another reason to hire a pro! Make sure you don't miss anything!
Client Photos:
Baby Details My little ones:
Client babies:
So there you have it - the difference between just having a friend taking photos and hiring a professional. I have never met anyone who regrets hiring a photographer for their birth, but I know there are others like me who regret not hiring one.
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