Winston Salem Birth Photographer

Let me start this post by saying that investing in birth photography is some of the best money I’ve spent in my life. The photos of those (many) hours of my labor are as special to me as my wedding photos and I will treasure them forever. When my birth didn’t go quite as planned (read my birth story here and here), these photos were what got me through those months of learning to accept my birth story. These images make me smile and cry every time I look at them. As a Winston-Salem birth photographer, I want to give you the same gift that my birth photographer gave me. If you’re expecting a baby, please keep reading to learn more about birth photography.

Many times when I mention the phrase “birth photography,” people look at me confused or disgusted. They wonder why anyone would opt to have photographs of such a vulnerable time. Some of the responses I’ve gotten include, “Why would I want photographs of myself in pain?” or “I definitely don’t need a photo of my baby coming out of my ‘you know what.'” While I completely understand these concerns (they were among some of mine when I first heard about birth photography), I want to address them and explain to you how incredible this investment can be.

It’s because of those types of responses that I decided to write this blog post. I want to really explain what birth photography is all about and how truly incredible it is. So I’ve put together a list of misconceptions and reasons why you should consider birth photography:

1. It’s not about photographing your pain.

   Those moments when you’re in the throws of labor are very vulnerable and yes, painful, but images of these moments are empowering and serve as a reminder of how incredible a woman’s body is. Women were created to create life and give birth to that life. Images of a woman working through labor portray that incredible strength so well. My goal as a birth photographer is to empower women by showing them how incredibly strong they are. I want their birth images to remind them of this amazing thing they did – they brought life into this world!

2. I tend to keep it “PG” unless otherwise requested.

   In general, people don’t want crowning shots and I respect that. Some women will want me to capture that, and I’m totally okay with that, too! It’s all about what you want. If you want to be able to share every image on Facebook, I can do that. In most cases, I can use my creative eye to crop out certain things and still capture the moment. My biggest priority is capturing the emotion of the day and that moment when you meet your baby, which leads me to my next point.

3. I focus on the emotions.

   As I mentioned above, I make sure to capture your emotions during your labor and delivery. I want to the tell the story of you and your baby’s journey to meet each other. I’ll tell that story through little moments – your husband’s hand on your back, your doula talking you through a tough contraction, your hand on your belly while you comfort your sweet little one who is yet to join you in this world. These are the moments that may become foggy over time when looking back. These are the moments that your little one will want to hear about when they ask about how the day they were born. These are the moments I love to capture.

4. It’s literally the very moment you meet your new baby.

   This may not be your first child, but it will be your first moment with this child. You can’t get this time back and all you mommas out there know that “babies don’t keep” so capturing these fleeting moments is so incredibly important! If I had to give one reason why you should hire a birth photographer, it would be to capture that very first moment. Your little one’s arrival will be unique and life-changing so really the question is “why wouldn’t you want to capture the birth of your child?”

So please get in touch if you’re on the fence about birth photography. I’d be so excited to talk to you! You can contact me at lauren@laurenjollyphotogaphy.com or by filling out my contact form HERE.