The Job of a Birth Photographer

As I grow as a birth photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to aspiring birth photographers about their journey. I’ve been honored to meet so many other birth photographers who are passionate about capturing this beautiful moment. What’s my biggest piece of advice to these aspiring birth photographers? Learn as much as you can about labor and birth!

Understanding the process is so important when you’re being welcomed into such an intimate space. I had the benefit of starting to photograph births when I was pregnant, so I was already researching EVERYTHING I could about birth. But I’ve also continued to read about and learn more about pregnancy and birth since my son was born. It’s become a passion for me and I think it’s made a world of difference in my business. I’m able to have intelligent conversations with my clients about their pregnancy and birth plan, I’m able to give (non-medical) advice when needed, and I’m able to relate to what’s happening during the labor process and know how to best document all of it. As birth photographers, I believe it’s part of our job to understand the birthing process very well.

Here are five reasons it’s important to understand the labor process as a birth photographer:

1. You’ll know when to head to the hospital, birth center, or client’s home.

This is probably the number one question I get when photographers are figuring out the logistics of photographing a birth. It’s also a very important piece of the puzzle that can cause a lot of stress if you don’t know when to leave for a birth. My general rule of thumb is to leave my house when I know the client is in active labor. This is generally around 5cm-6cm dilated. The “problem” arises when clients opt to not have cervical checks during labor and there’s no doula to assess the situation for me. Because I know a lot about the process of birth I know that when my client can’t walk or talk through contractions and they’re coming around every 5 minutes, there’s a good chance she’s in active labor.

2. You’ll be better equipped to support your clients throughout pregnancy and labor.

Knowing the process of labor and birth very well will help you to support your clients. Often times my clients don’t hire a doula which puts me in the position of a second support person (along with their partner). While this can’t be my main priority when photographing a birth, and I always recommend hiring a doula, I’m honored to help my clients when they’re in labor. No matter what, you are there to document their birth, but also to help create a supportive environment. It may just be a few encouraging words here and there. But it may be helping them understand what’s happening and that it’s normal. Knowing what the process looks like will help you be able to encourage them and give them confidence.

3. You’ll know how best to document everything.

Knowing what birth looks like and knowing the different stages of labor will help you know how to document it. You wouldn’t go into a wedding without knowing the timeline, what you need to capture, and generally what a wedding looks like, would you? Well, birth shouldn’t be treated any differently. We should be prepared as we enter our client’s birth space in order to know what to document and when it may be best to put your camera down.

4. You’ll be viewed as a professional.

Being able to converse with your clients about birth will put you a step above another birth photographer who can’t. As I mentioned above, often times my clients don’t hire doulas. Because of that, they may end up texting me with questions or concerns throughout their pregnancy. While I don’t have a medical degree, I know enough about the process that I can often answer their questions or help them with their concerns. Being able to walk alongside them through this journey is invaluable and your clients will thank you for it!

5. You’ll be more confident overall.

Knowing what you’re walking into will give you more confidence in your job and your art. You won’t be second-guessing when to go to the hospital. You’ll be able to understand some, if not all, of what the nurses are talking about during your client’s labor. You’ll feel more comfortable knowing that what you’re documenting is normal and nothing out of the ordinary, even if it seems overwhelming. Labor and birth are intense and it’s always best to know what to expect when being invited into someone’s birth space.

If you need somewhere to start when researching birth, here are a few resources:

www.evidencebasedbirth.com – lots of evidence-based research on birth options

www.birthwithoutfearblog.com – birth stories from women from different backgrounds with completely different experiences

www.birthbecomesher.com – birth stories with images and other resources for birth photographers