Capturing the moment at birth

We pay professionals to photograph our weddings and record our families as they grow, so why not capture the moment our babies first enter the world? Award-winning birth photographer Tamara Milldove explains why she loves her job.

Birthing and meeting your baby, whether your first, second or last, is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. You can’t go back if anything was missed. Support people are there to do just that – support you – not to take blown out, low resolution photos on their phones. This is where the power of hiring a professional birth photographer comes in.

Birth photography is not what most people think. It isn’t about blood, gloop and crowning, it is about real emotions and connections between couples. It is documenting life as it happens. Birth is where women are empowered, but also vulnerable. Where women are powerful, but also fragile.

Birth photographers are constantly on call. We have to be organised so we are able to drop everything suddenly – whether it is 3am or 3pm – and this dedication is reflected in the pricing.

Photographers offering birth photography are dedicated and passionate about providing you with photos to cherish. This is what keeps us birth photographers going and makes it all worthwhile – that moment when we show our clients their images for the first time. Their eyes well up and you can see they’re reliving their child's birth all over again. You can see the love and emotion written all over their faces.

I know that birth photography isn’t for everyone. I also know that those who choose to engage a birth photographer’s services do it to capture real emotions, the support and the connections between the parents bringing a baby into the world. They also do it for their children, who will one day be able to look back over the day they were born and see for themselves how strong and beautiful their mum was, and how loving and caring their dad was while Mum was in labour.

Just like good wedding photographers, a lot of time and effort goes on in the background for a birth photographer. A good birth photographer knows how sacred birth is and how private it can be. Not all births will be shown to the world and that is completely okay. It is your special time and we are here to respect your views.

Read what some of Tamara's clients had to say...