I had my first daughter, Lily, in a waterbirth in 2011. It was a wonderful experience, but there are hardly any pictures. Birth photography wasn't really a "thing" here in Atlanta so I didn't know of any photographers offering the service. Plus, I didn't have any photographer friends who could just drop everything and come to my labor and delivery whenever it actually happened. So I decided that I would just set my camera to automatic and have our doula take photos when she could.
Doulas provide support to moms in labor, so I don't have any photos of my labor process. I so wish that I did, but my doula supporting me was the priority. I needed my doula to do the job I had hired her to do. If she had been taking photos, she wouldn't have been able to do that. Once our daughter was born, our doula grabbed our camera and did the best she could. We knew she wasn't a professional photographer and didn't have high expectations at all. We have some very sweet photos from the day, and since I'm a professional photographer I was able to edit the photos.
What your baby looks like minutes after being born fades. They change so quickly, even in the first couple of hours! Since I was recovering from labor, getting up and taking all of those small detail shots wasn't an option for me.
I attended my first birth in 2012 as a birth photographer for a dear friend, and I absolutely loved it. I realized that this was something that I wanted to offer, but I wasn't at a place in my life where I could do that due to having a one year old and another on the way.
Birth photographers became available in Atlanta, so I decided to hire one for the birth of our second child, and I'm so, so, so glad that we did! Our doula returned for round two and was glad to have the weight of photographing our birth off of her shoulders since that's not her job.
I look at the images from Violet's birth and they take me back to those first moments with her. I look at her features frozen in the photographs and can remember exactly how cute her little nose was, her little fingers, her little toes. Even better, I was able to share those photos with my grandmother, my mother, my sister, and my best friends. Looking at them allows them to feel like they were there when Violet entered our lives. I also love the photos of me holding my daughter. A professional knows how to shoot the afterbirth bonding photos from flattering angles. :)
Birth photography is my passion and what I feel like I was absolutely meant to do. I love nothing more than grabbing my gear bag in the middle of the night to get to a mom in labor. If you're considering hiring a birth photographer, I would love nothing more than to talk with you more about hiring me! I've given birth to two children and know exactly what you'll be going through. I know how to respect your space while you're in labor while still getting beautiful images. I know the moments that you're going to want to remember when your baby heads off to college or walks down the aisle, or welcomes their own baby into their arms. I consider it such an honor and privilege to be invited to document your birth story. Please contact me at: info@lilysophiaphotography.com to chat more about my birth photography services or visit my website at www.lilysophiaphotography.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
