1. Do your research
Choose your Birth Photographer wisely. Your Birth Photographer must document your baby’s journey into this world. This is no easy task and requires a bit more than just showing up with a camera on the day of the birth.
Look at the photographer’s past work and make sure you love their style and that their photography style is in line with what you want. Make sure the photographer has the necessary experience to photograph a birth. You don’t want someone who is fumbling around your birthing space touching sterilized equipment or getting in the way of your birthing team.
2. Emotional connection
Do you feel an emotional connection with the photographer? Giving birth is a very emotional experience. All your senses come into play, whether you birth vaginally or via cesarean. Your brain and body is on high alert as it prepares for your baby’s arrival. You want your birthing team to be as invested in the birth as you are. Therefore make sure that you feel comfortable with the photographer. There is nothing worse than having to focus on birthing your baby while feeling awkward with the person documenting your every move. It will affect your birth experience and will show in the images. Meet with birth photographers beforehand and chose one you feel emotionally aligned with.
3. Do they offer the service and product you want?
Just like booking a wedding photographer you will enter into an agreement with the Birth Photographer to render a specific service and deliver a certain product. Make sure you are provided with a photography contract to sign. Read through the contract and understand what is expected of you and that the service and product the photographer offers is what you want. Do they document cesarean and vaginal births? Will they be on-call before and after your due date in the event that your labour starts early? Do they have a back-up photographer should they be unable to attend the birth due to illness? Do they offer filming?
4. Where to find a Birth Photographer in my area?
There are about 60 Birth Photographers around South Africa registered with the South African Birth Photographers Association. Visit their site and go look at their work – they are amazing. Here are some links to Birth Photographers that I can recommend in and around Cape Town: Yellow Lemon Birth Photographer, Alyona Smith Photography, Birth and Babies, Rose Garnet
