Birth Photography

[moonlightblonde]

Any one have any experience with this? I am starting to consider it.

TIA

[schellebo]

U mean having a professional photographer there during birth? I have had that twice. It is so nice to have the pictures and I didn't have to worry about it!

[umphreysmommy]

No past experience but I am doing it for this birth. I am 37 weeks today so can update ya on how it goes once it happens.

[stevensmom]

I want to do this for mamas (take their birth pics). It's a great memory. I'm sad that we didn't get it for our kids.

**I do know how to spell...my iPod on the other hand does not**

[moonlightblonde]

Originally Posted by schellebo U mean having a professional photographer there during birth? I have had that twice. It is so nice to have the pictures and I didn't have to worry about it!

yes that =) my doula took some pictures last time and I LOVE them..this time I'm not having a doula.

Originally Posted by umphreysmommy No past experience but I am doing it for this birth. I am 37 weeks today so can update ya on how it goes once it happens.

Looking forward to an update!

Originally Posted by stevensmom I want to do this for mamas (take their birth pics). It's a great memory. I'm sad that we didn't get it for our kids. **I do know how to spell...my iPod on the other hand does not**

Too bad you aren't near me, another fluffy mama would be awesome! (as in cloth..)

[McMandy]

I have a photographer friend who does birth photographer for her friends only (not for people she doesn't know). So, I MAY have her here during our birth. I'm just really private, so.. I'm not sure whether I'll call her when I'm in labor, or after the baby is born. I don't want anything (or, more specifically, anyone) hindering my progress!

We shall see!

[firefighterwife]

I think it is a really awesome thing - even for super private people like me.

That being said, I had 2 different colleagues (professional photogs in my area) on stand-by to photograph my birth, but ended up just having my friend take them (I set my camera up so, in her words, it was "idiot proof" :P

If you DO get a professional photographer to do the pictures, be VERY careful, especially if you are a private person who needs quiet solitude to labor well. Some things to ask/think about:

a) do they have any birth references (not friends) that you can speak with? (that way you can talk to the birthing mama and see what HER opinion was on how intrusive they were/were not.

b) DO they use a flash? (you may or may not want a flash - bounced or not - during/after the birth).

c) what is their personality like? Are they a chatty cathy and is that going to bother you? Or, even if they are chatty, do they have the ability to turn it off.

The best birth photography (like the best midwifery) is to simply be a "fly on the wall" letting events happen and recording it. In the age where everyone is a "photographer"...just because someone has a website and a camera does NOT mean that they have professionalism or the type of experience that you want.

This well-known and well-published birth photographer is incredibly open and would be more than happy to give you references for someone in your area.
http://www.dfwbirthphotographer.com/home/

Another Lindsay http://www.lifeinmotionphotography.com/photoblog/ also has quite the national birth photog network as well if you wanna shoot her an email.

Good luck...my baby's birthday is tomorrow and I LOOOOVE being able to look at her birth images. I like the images from my 1st's birth too (random point and shoot pictures), but there is something that I love even more about the more thought out ones.

[fishmom]

Bumping this up b/c this is the exact info I was looking for! Any other tips/tricks or do's/don'ts? The pics from all 4 of my homebirths are terrible and I'd really like some nice ones this time around!

[fishmom]

any new input or experiences?

[auntievenom]

I think my 3rd baby's birth link is in my sig - but in case it's not:
http://blog.simplebaby.com/?page_id=268

I had THREE photogs at my last birth. Well, two and a videographer. And it was amazing to have them all there and to have so many photos. I swear I'm not a total looney either.

If you would get wedding pics - get birth pics! Get a contract, so you know who "owns" the rights to the pictures. Some well know birth photographers give you no CD and no rights to the pictures. If it's important to you to have the digital files, make sure you have that.

It's really a memory you can never go back and do-over - so worth the $$.