Glimpses of Soul Photography

Most people, when they heard that I was going to photograph a birth, would nod and then say “Oh. The actual birth?” and then wrinkle their nose. I can’t blame them. A few years ago, when I first heard of birth photography, I’m pretty sure wrinkling my nose was among the negative reactions I had as well. But then I saw some great work done by other photographers and I was intrigued.

I first connected with Mary through Twitter. She’s a fantastic Twin Cities boudoir photographer. When she asked me if I was interested in photographing her birth, I was pretty excited. She was looking for someone whose work she knew, who she was comfortable with but who she didn’t know too well (understandably). We got together for an evening a few months ahead of her due date to get to know each other a bit and chat about the birth.

On a Sunday morning, I got a text from Mary letting me know that they were headed to the hospital and would check in in a bit. Time went by with no word so I headed off to #bingoclub (monthly bingo meetups with the girls!) but left shortly after to head to the hospital.

It wasn’t until I’d been there for several hours that I truly realized the trust required from Mary to have a photographer in the room. It wasn’t just trusting me to capture a precious, once-in-a-lifetime event; it was allowing me to be in the room, to witness incredibly private and emotional moments. And there were many of those during the 16 hours I spent with Mary and her husband Matt.

Despite my initial reaction years ago, birth photography is everything I love about photographing. It’s candid and unscripted, it’s powerfully emotional, it’s capturing moments that will never be repeated, it’s witnessing something from the outside, staying behind the scenes. It’s amazing. I came home at 10am on Monday morning and said to some fellow photographers “I. AM. SO. IN. LOVE.” It’s true.

I’m so grateful to Mary and Matt for giving me the opportunity to photograph the birth of their dear little daughter, June, and I am excited and anxious to provide this service for future parents!

Below are some of the images from the birth but below that is a slideshow of some of my favorite images. I’d love it if you’d give it a play! (It should be safe for work, although there is music so listen quietly.)

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