Why you should hire a birth photographer
Hiring a birth photographer can be a wonderful way to capture the intimate and emotional moments of your labor and delivery. But maybe you’re just not sure yet… Here are some reasons why you may want to consider hiring a birth photographer:
Capture the memories: Labor and delivery can be an intense and emotional experience, and it can be difficult to remember all of the details. A birth photographer can capture these moments for you, allowing you to revisit them and cherish them for years to come.
Professional-quality photos: While you may be able to take some photos on your own or with your partner, a professional birth photographer has the skills and equipment to capture high-quality, artistic photos that truly capture the essence of the moment.
Inclusion of partner and family: A birth photographer can also capture the reactions and emotions of your partner and family members, creating a complete story of the birth experience and allowing your partner to just soak in the moment of your child’s birth with you. If you are counting on your partner to take photos of your birth and baby guess who won’t be in those photos? The person behind the camera (or phone). Hiring a birth photographer gives them the chance to really be there with you every step of the way.
Emotional support: Some birth photographers also provide emotional support during labor and delivery, offering encouragement and support to the laboring person and their partner. Even if I am just taking photos, I’m still there to support you emotionally when wanted or needed.
Unique perspective: A birth photographer can capture angles and moments that you may not have been able to see or remember, providing a unique perspective on the birth experience. I hear this one from parents who have been there before, they are probably on their second or third baby and they really want to see what’s happening during their birth. They know from experience, when you are in the thick of it, you just can’t see or remember everything. And trust me, you’ll want to.
Privacy: A birth photographer can respect your privacy by only sharing photos that you are comfortable with and ensuring that they are shared in a safe and respectful manner. I never ever share any photos without consent. In the end, these photos are for you and your family.
Overall, hiring a birth photographer can be a wonderful way to capture and remember the intimate and emotional moments of your labor and delivery. It is important to choose a photographer who is experienced in birth photography and who you feel comfortable with, as they will be present during a vulnerable and emotional time. Follow the link below to read 10 questions you should ask a birth photographer during a consultation.
Interested in having your own birth documented and live in the Seattle area? Reach out to check my availability.
Documentary Photo Session Ideas
With the documentary approach, it’s all about documenting your family’s real life, the little things that make up your day or week that may go by unnoticed or normally undocumented. But you still might be wondering, “What does that actually mean? What should we plan for and what will you photograph?” Below are just a few ideas of moments/events/things that could be part of your sessions.
While we never need to have a schedule for our time together, I hope this list helps you consider the possibilities of things that could be documented during your session! There’s really no limits to what I can capture for you. I become your family’s historian for the day and hopefully future as well.
Maternity/Before Baby:
Shopping for baby
Decorating/setting up baby’s nursery
Baby shower
Daily walk
Cooking with family
Hanging out with older kids at home or at the park
Your normal Saturday routine
Early prepping of food for your family postpartum
Check up with your midwife (out of hospital)
Building any new baby furniture (crib, rocker, changing table)
Newborn/Babies:
First bath at home/general bath time
Skin to skin time
Tummy time
Trying first solids
Nursing
Pumping
Meeting/Snuggling with siblings
Meeting/Snuggling with grandparents
Walks around the neighborhood
Story time at the library
Snuggles with mom and dad
Napping with mom and dad
Playing with extended family (aunts/uncles)
Morning/Bedtime routine
First Birthday
Family:
Breakfast
Waking up
Morning routine
Lunch
Dinner time
Bath time
Brushing teeth
Bedtime books
Family game time
Playing together in the yard/outside
Trip to a playground
Trip to a museum
Trip to the farmers market
Trip to the library
Trip to the grocery store
Trip to the aquarium
Practicing musical instruments
Playing sports outside together
Making cookies/treats in the kitchen
Cooking a meal together
Grandparents visiting
Playing with the family pet/walking the dog
First day with new family pet
Yard work/raking leaves/planting trees
Gardening
Blowing bubbles outside
Building legos together
Building a fort together
Salmon watching
Mushroom hunting
Exploring the beaches and natural wonders of the puget sound
Holiday family traditions
Birthday/Family milestone
Making crafts together
Moving into a new home
Backyard camping
Backyard fire and s’mores
Backyard movie time
Ready to book your documentary session?
5 Reasons to Document Baby's First Year!
You may be thinking, do I actually need a reason to document their first year? I mean come on! Look at those tiny toes! Well here are a few reasons you may not have thought about and why the documentary approach might be the right fit for you.
They change so fast. No seriously they do. If this is your first baby, ask anyone who has older children. That first year, one day you wake up and realize they’ve grown and changed seemingly overnight. You can’t go back in time. By the end of their first year they will be a drastically different small human.
You won’t be in the photos you take everyday on your phone. Read that again. Yes, I know you’re taking a million photos of your baby on your phone, what parent doesn’t?? But beyond the occasional selfie, are you in those photos? Will your baby be able to see you and how much you loved them, held them, cuddled them, and perhaps even superhuman multitasked with them, when they are grown and looking back at photos? Documentary photography allows you to get in the frame.
You’ll be busy. We all live busy lives, throw in a newborn and it goes up a huge notch. Planned documentary sessions throughout the year allow me to pop in, document, and let you keep on doing your own thing. There’s no outfits to coordinate, location to drive to, or stress of if baby will be in a good mood that day. You get to release all that for the entire year and just be a present parent.
The Baby Book dilemma. How many of us buy/bought a baby book for baby’s first year and never finished it? [Raising my own hand.] Think of this as a made-for-you baby book. Highlights from your sessions will all be printed in a book for you at the end of the year. Meaning no homework for you! If you are a journaler, upon request, I can even leave room for you to write notes in your book for each session, milestones that have happened, or things you’d like to remember about that time.
Your child will thank you later. Yup. Some day when they are older they will look through the photos taken and get to see YOU and THEM during that first year of their life. If you are like me, those photos of our parents and our family only grow more valuable over time. Not only will you be enjoying the photos as your baby grows into a child, a teen, and then an adult, but they will someday be thanking you for the photos that allow them to see a time they do not remember.
Whether you chose to only document those newborn days or opt for a larger First Year Package that includes multiple sessions throughout the year, you won’t regret having the time documented to relive later down the road.
Ready to document your baby’s first year?
I offer not only a First Year Milestones Bundle but can also customize any Year in the Life package to a First Year in the Life package.
Year in the Life Sessions - 2023 Enrollment
Year in the Life
Year-round family documentary photo packages that capture your family in this season of life and get you back into those family moments and photos where you belong!
That’s time of year again! Enrollment is now open for next year’s Year in the Life!
If you are a parent who strives to remember the dance parties in the kitchen, the tears on the floor, the warm embrace of tiny sticky fingers, and even the parental multi-tasking master you are at the moment… and at the same time want to be in your own family photos and have them preserved in a way your family can revisit time and time again… you’re in the right place!
How is your family's legacy being recorded and preserved? When was the last time you printed photos or made an album? And more importantly, of the photos you do take of your family, are you in those photos? Will your children be able to see YOU - being silly, being a parent, being your true self - when they look back at your family photos one day?
Each year I craft a yearbook for my own family assembled from photos of our everyday life taken throughout the entire year. And of course, being my family's photographer, I am missing in 95% of the images. I work really hard to ensure I end up in those remaining 5% each year…
What if you didn't have to work as hard as I do each year? What if the hard work could be done for you? You could have your year documented in an honest and true way, a family album created custom for you, and ensure no one is missing from your family photos as well!
These are Year in the Life Sessions where I ensure your own family's story is captured on camera either monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly so you can get back to just being present with your family and know your family’s story will be preserved!
Allowing more everyday family moments to be captured for the future.
Year in the Life Packages
I offer three different Year in the Life packages to meet every size, budget, and need. With years of experience as a photographer and countless hours documenting real moments under my belt, you can rest easy knowing that no matter which package you choose, your family is in good hands and your final photographs will be memorable and print-worthy.
Monthly Sessions (12)
Each month starting January of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
12 Sessions - $2400
Bi-Monthly Sessions (6)
Every other month starting January or February of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
6 Sessions - $2100
Quarterly Sessions
(4)
Every 3 months starting in March of 2023 you’ll have a 1 hour family session.
4 Sessions - $1800
What to expect
Fill out the contact form below to get started. Then we’ll schedule a quick chat to discuss how the entire process works and some ideas of activities or day to day life moments we can make sure to capture for your family throughout the year.
Next I’ll send over your invoice and contract to make it official.
Once you’re officially on my calendar for the year, you’ll receive a workbook and family questionnaire so I can learn a bit more about your family before your first session.
Your first session! Your first documentary family session will take place in either January, February, or March depending on which package you’ve chosen.
After each session you’ll view and receive your images in your personal online gallery. As a VIP customer you’ll also have a discount on other printed photo products through your gallery.
After your final session of the year you’ll receive a custom 8x8 Handcrafted Family Photo Album prepared just for you.
Super-parents deserve to be in photos too.
It’s time to get in those family photos and create a family heirloom at the same time.
Documentary Maternity Session - Home & Woodland Park Rose Garden - Seattle, Wa
With a spunky little one already keeping them on their toes, Kaci admitted to me this pregnancy hadn’t been documented as much as her first. So needless to say, she was excited to get some photos of these last weeks as a family of 3 before the newest little family member arrives. A documentary maternity session fit their family perfectly as their son got to just be himself as we took a small walk from their home to the Woodland Park Rose Garden together before lunch and nap time. Someone is going to be a great big brother!
