Congratulations on you tiny miracle! What a beautiful gift of life that awaits you and I couldn’t be more excited for you and your family!

There are a couple of different packages to choose from for an ‘unscheduled’ delivery as birth is unpredictable and so is the due date. Babies can before anywhere from weeks to several days before the due date and sometimes even after which brings me to the first Package…

• On Call Package: What to expect from your photographer and the process of what goes into amazing birth photography: This package puts your photographer ON CALL for the dates leading up to your due date. Whether this means you call me at 2 o’clock in the morning when Im asleep or 2 in the afternoon when Im in the middle of another session that I have to drop everything Im doing and leave my clients without finishing their session as well as cancelling all others I have for that day and days to follow. I also have to have an on call baby sitter for my 3 year old that must be ready for the call in the same way that I am. I will have a GO bag ready with my camera gear, batteries, sd cards, snacks, etc as birth photography is much like shooting weddings with the time intensive work involved except you don’t have a set in stone date or time or even know when you’ll be back home as sometimes labor can last for DAYS for some women. So this type of unpredictability puts a photographers life on hold until that baby has been delivered and up to at least 2 hours after. This causes other client sessions to be cancelled in the hours-days of your delivery.

In your delivery room you can expect me to be a fly on the wall. Mamas in labor aren’t in the ‘chit chatty’ mood, they are BUSY working with their babies and their bodies to ensure that baby comes in the safest and most healthy way. Moms don’t wanna hear about other birth stories as they are clinching that bedrail almost in half due to the pain. Im a Mama who gave an all natural birth…it HURTS and your hormones are going crazy and you just want to see your precious baby and nothing else really matters. So unless a mama specifically wants to strike up a conversation, my mouth is closed. It’s YOUR time, YOUR baby’s story-and thats what Im there to document.

You will receive an online gallery with all images from your birth all fully edited. I don’t limit to just 5 or 10 or 20 for birth photography. I feel as you shouldn’t miss a moment during this amazing and unforgettable time. These will be your heirloom memories in a tangible form. You will also be able to purchase prints and canvas right from your gallery as well. This package is $3500 (due in full at time of booking)

 

Fresh 48 Package: This Package is incredibly popular as it is not only much less expensive but still captures precious moments of you and your baby and your family and friends with the baby. After your baby is born we would schedule a session within a 48 hour timeframe before you leave the hospital. Daytime is always a great time to schedule because of the gorgeous window light:) All digitals included in this package as well:)

This is a 2 hour session for $875 (due in full at time of booking)

I would love to be a part of this special time in your life. A tiny life being born into this world is the greatest miracle by far-our God is an awesome God. The one thing I will NEVER forget, is that first look into my baby girls eyes as she stared back at me. I did not know she had down syndrome until that very moment and my heart just melted inside of my chest. Till this day, I have that image of us on a charm necklace and it immediately brings me back to that moment as if it was yesterday.

So even if its not me you choose, I pray you find the perfect person who will capture your memories for you. A few things to be on the lookout for I will tell you to be sure the photographer is able to shoot in little to ‘no light’ situations for night deliveries. Its ok to have a flash in the delivery room if absolutely necessary to bounce light off the ceiling, but it is NEVER ok to turn on the hospital room lights interrupting mom as she’s in intense labor at 3 o’clock in the morning unless the mama request lights be turned on. Also be sure that your photographer is mature and would not be out getting drunk downtown when they receive the call that ITS TIME. Ive heard horror stories from dulas with eyewitness accounts of drunk photographers in their delivery rooms-this is unacceptable. Personality is also HUGE. Be sure your photographer has a sweet spirt and does this because they love what they do and NOT because its ‘just a job’ that happens to pay well. I’ve heard of the photographers ‘complaining’ about how tired they were in the delivery room…UM, NO. You’re NOT tired, that mama over there hooked up to all the I.V.’s is the one who is TIRED who is about to push an 8 pound baby out…YOU my photog friend are NOT tired. It’s always good to choose a photographer who is also a mom because they know what labor is like and are more likely to treat you the way they wanted to be treated during their labor. No amount of pictures in the world is worth a bad birth experience. You want to ENJOY those moments not feel stressed about them. You want a person who not only takes beautiful images but who can create a sweet and welcoming space for you and your baby without even knowing they’ve done so. Aside from seeing their camera, Your photographer should be virtually invisible unless ask to be visible. They are there to help if ask and should be an invisible but pleasant part of your story.

Click HERE to see the Don’t Bling Collection Package (baby’s first year) from newborn session to smash cake 🙂 and CONGRATS AGAIN!