What to Expect
When most people hear "Birth Photography" They get a fright and think about clinical, medical, cold photos of a baby's birth. In this country, most people have never heard of Birth Photography, and the magical moments that it captures.
The USA and UK are a buzz with Birth Photography, and I'm hoping that in the not to distant future, South Africa will be the same.
Here is a bit about what I do to capture this amazingly special moment for you. You can also have a look at birth shoots I have done here, so you can see how beautiful it really is.
I can only take on max 3 birth client a month. But do offer a back up option, and have a back up photographer in the unlikely case that I'm not able to get to your birth.
First I meet with the expecting parents, we talk about their birthing plan, their specific wants and desires for the photos. I also explain to each of you, that every birth is different, and will more than likely not be exactly to your plan. I use your requests as a guideline, but can never 100% promise a specific photo. At this meeting you can ask me anything you need to.
You will need to get your care providers, Midwife, Doctor and the hospital to sign a consent form to say I'm allowed in the room when you give birth. I also provide a code of conduct so that you and your birthing team can see I am dedicated to upholding the privacy and respect for them all. I belong to the GABP (Gauteng Association of Birth Photographers) ensuring the highest standard of birth photography in Gauteng.
I go onto call 3 weeks prior to your due date. What this means is my phone is always on volume, day and night. I require for you to let me know when you go into labour, by calling me, especially at night. You then need to keep me updated with how fast you are dilating. Some birthing moms prefer not to have examinations to determine how dilated they are. In this case you will let me know how far you feel you are.
When you are at 5cm I head out to your home, hospital or birthing center, with my prepacked camera bag and everything else I need. It is important to let me know at 5cm because if you are further dilated I may not get to you in time.
When I arrive I start with photos immediately and stay upto 2 hours after baby is born to cover the weighting and measuring of baby. Depending on how hard the birth was on mom, will determine how long I stay after birth. I like to get bonding photos with both parents holding and admiring baby.
I do not push and demand for people to do anything during this experience, as I am only there to document your birth story as it happens.
Also if you, your partner, the midwife or doctor ask me to step out I will. You can then call me back when you want me to carry on documenting. I only listen to what you want as you are my client. If the midwife or doctor asks me to leave the room, it will be up to you, your partner or your Doula to tell them you want me in the room. There are things I will not photograph please check the code of conduct for that.
After the birth of your precious angel, I will then go home and start preparing your images (with a good sleep before hand hehehe)
If you are happy with me sharing your birth story, I will prepare a blog post for you to view first, and request any changes to before publicizing it. You can then share your birth story with your loved ones via my blog.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me to ask 🙂
I look forward to walking this amazing journey with you ♥
Regards Tanya
