The birth of one's child is one of the most magical, incredible experiences ever; I get it. What I don't get, however, are people who think they have to capture and commemorate every little step of the process with no boundaries whatsoever.
From nude pregnancy portraits to belly casts, people are determined to remember every nausea-punctuated moment, and that's fine; to each his or her own. When it comes to hiring photographers to capture every minute in the delivery room, however, it seems that we've really reached an extreme.
The New York Times highlighted this growing demand for birth photographers in an article this weekend titled "Honey, the Baby Is Coming; Quick, Call the Photographer," and it's pretty disturbing. We're not talking dad snapping some pics of the blessed event, but rather a paid stranger on call to capture the whole intimate event ... which suddenly becomes much less intimate.
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I understand it to a degree, wanting to capture those precious moments forever, wanting to see what you couldn't see. Rhisie Hentges of Long Beach, Calif., told the paper she paid almost $1,900 to have her baby's birth photographed because:
I want to see that moment when I’m in labor. That moment when both my husband and I look to see what the sex is? That’s something that I want to see happen.
But not all births are picture perfect, and there are complications. Then what? Hentges herself had to have a C-section, and her birth picture dreams were quickly dashed. It just seems like you're planning for a Kodak moment, when life and birth can be often be so much more complicated than that.
Not to mention the ridiculous fallout from such a practice there will inevitably be from women who want to look gorgeous in the shots. Soon labor and delivery rooms will have hair and makeup people on call, and lightening specialists ready to step in.
Some hospitals prohibit the practice, and others have rules regulating it, but for the most part, it seems to be a matter of choice. And in that case, I suppose it's each couple's right to do as they like. However, the whole practice just seems to take the focus of the birth process off of the birth and to prohibit parents from truly being in the moment in the interest of capturing it. And that's a shame.
Would you hire/ have you hired a professional birth photographer?
Image via koadmunkee/Flickr
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Comments 46
I wouldn't. I don't want any pictures of myself until AFTER I have the baby and maybe run a brush through my hair... My husband took some pictures of our son after he was born, but nothing graphic.
As a photographer I dont get this! I would NOT want to be on call for this! Labor can take FOREVER and happen at anytime. How does this wor too? Say you are contracted for a birth and it happens at the same time you are contracted for a wedding? The logistics are mind boggling!
I've never understood why someone would want 10,000 people in the delivery room while you're pushing a baby out of your vagina. All I've ever wanted were the doctors, nurses, and the husband. That's it.
Well, I was waiting to see if CM would jump on this band wagon... Why don't you actually speak with a birth photographer and a client and ask them their experience before writing these narrow minded opinion pieces? Absolute trash being written by non-journalists.
momof030404, ask a birth photographer. It definitely isn't for everyone just like some photographers do not do wedding photography, or when women would rather have an epi vs natural, or would rather deliver at home vs hospital. We are typically on call for 1-2 weeks prior to their EDD and 1-2 weeks post their EDD, we don't schedule other sessions that are extended in length. If we have portrait sessions, we let those clients know that we are on call and sometimes offer credits or discounts in the event that they would possibly need to reschedule. If called in the middle of the night, we go. We have sitters for our children and back up sitters, along with back up photographers. Sometimes we are with the parents for 18+ hours. Remember, we are not intruding in an unwanted place, we are not bombarding hospital rooms. We are hired, we get to know our clients much better then their doctor normally and definitely more than whatever nurse is on call when you go in to deliver.
(Cont.)
If a moms labor goes different from her plan, we go along with it. Some hospitals will allow us into the OR, whether they do or not, we are there to follow baby to the nursery to capture everything mom will miss due to being in recovery. Babies measurements, bath, dad bonding with baby, etc.
Open your minds, stop degrading the parents that decide to have this done, they are not doing it for vanity.