Choosing someone to document one of the biggest, most intimately personal days of your life is a huge decision. It’s completely normal to have questions! Here are some of the ones I hear most often.
What if it’s dark?
Believe it or not, photographers are a little obsessed with light.
The good news? It doesn’t take nearly as much as you might think.
Some of my favorite images have been photographed in incredibly dim rooms, even with nothing more than the glow of a hospital monitor or a softly lit bedside lamp.
If you’d prefer a darker environment for labor, that’s perfectly okay. I do suggest cracking a bathroom or hallway door so a little light spills into the room. Or turning on a dim bedside lamp. That’s often all I need.
Very low-light images may have a little more grain, and sometimes black and white tells the story more beautifully than color.
Either way, my priority is preserving your birth while respecting the atmosphere you’ve created.
Will you be talking to me during labor?
Only if you want me to; and only if you initiate conversation.
If we don't speak a word to each other the entire time, that's perfectly fine.
My approach is very quiet and observational.
I don’t coach labor.
I don’t direct your birth.
I don’t interrupt conversations or special moments.
Most of the time, you probably will forget I’m even there.
I’m simply documenting your story as it unfolds.
Am I supposed to host you?
Absolutely not. Please don't.
You don’t need to apologize if you suddenly realize an hour into my arrival that you haven’t said hello.
You don’t need to offer me food or drinks. (Don't worry, I bring myself plenty of snacks!)
You don’t need to make conversation. You’re busy bringing your baby into the world.
I’m there to serve you, not the other way around.
If your support person steps out of the room and you need something, please don’t hesitate to ask me. Whether it’s refilling your water, grabbing your phone charger, finding your spouse, or calling your nurse, I’m always happy to help.
While my primary role is documenting your birth, I’m also there to support you however I can.
Do you only photograph specific types of births?
Not at all.
Every birth deserves to be remembered.
Whether you’re planning a home birth, hospital birth, birth center delivery, induction, unmedicated, epidural, scheduled cesarean, or an unexpected change of plans, your story matters.
As a mother myself, I’ve experienced birth in several different ways: a planned induction with an epidural that ended in an unexpected cesarean, followed by two unmedicated home births.
Each experience was beautiful in its own way, and each one taught me something different. Because of that, I don’t walk into your birth with expectations about how it “should” go.
I’m simply there to preserve your story, exactly as it unfolds.
What if my birth doesn’t go according to plan?
Birth has a beautiful way of reminding us that we can’t control everything.
Sometimes plans change.
Whether your labor unfolds exactly as you imagined or takes an unexpected turn, your story is still worth documenting.
My goal isn’t to photograph your birth plan.
It’s to photograph your birth story.
What if you miss my birth?
Birth photography requires me to be on call, so I intentionally accept only a limited number of due dates each month.
I carefully plan my calendar so that when I commit to your due date, I can confidently be there for your birth.
On the rare occasion that I have a pre-planned commitment, such as a vacation or another event that cannot be moved, I simply won’t accept birth clients that may potentially labor during that time-frame.
If you still would like to book after I have communicated those prior commitments, we’ll discuss whether arranging a trusted backup photographer is the right option for your family. If a backup is arranged, there is no additional cost to you, and I remain involved throughout the process, including personally editing and delivering your final gallery.
While no one can predict true emergencies or circumstances beyond anyone’s control, I build my calendar carefully with the goal of being available when your baby decides it’s time.
What areas do you serve?
I reside in Corsicana, Texas and photograph births throughout the surrounding communities, including home births, hospitals, and birth centers. I travel up to 1 hour for births, with a service area expanding from the south half of DFW, to Waco, Palestine, and Athens.
If you’re planning a birth outside my standard service area, I’d still love to discuss it. Because birth is unpredictable, additional planning may be needed to ensure I can provide dependable on-call coverage. We'll go over your location and birth history to determine if I'm the right fit.
Do you offer birth videos?
At this time, I don’t offer professional birth videography.
If you’re interested in preserving video memories as well, I do offer more of a "behind-the-scenes" or "content creation" style video as an add-on. Using my phone, I'll capture short clips throughout your birth that are perfect for creating keepsake videos or sharing with family and friends. This add-on should be discussed at booking.
Can family members be in the photos?
Absolutely.
Some of my favorite moments happen with family involved.
Supportive partners during.
Meeting siblings. Grandparents.
And of course all the photos with mom meeting her baby.
Those first introductions are part of your story too, and I love documenting them whenever possible.
Will you share my birth photos online?
Only with your permission.
Your birth story belongs to you.
Some families are excited to share their images, while others prefer to keep them completely private.
We’ll go over your birth preferences, and I’ll always honor whatever you’re comfortable with.
At booking, if you already know whether you're comfortable sharing, or if you prefer to keep them private, we can discuss that then.
Some moms prefer to see their images before deciding.
So after birth, after you've had time to recover and soak in your images, I may send you a handful of photos that I'd like to share. At that time you can choose if you're comfortable with me sharing.
The choice is entirely yours and will always be respected.
Will you photograph… everything?
Only what you’re comfortable with.
Every family has a different comfort level, and we’ll discuss yours before your birth as well.
Some time after booking, but well before your due date, I will send you a questionnaire to get all of your birth preferences.
This is where you'll get to decide.. do you want crowning images? If your breasts are exposed during skin to skin, do you still want that captured? Do you want all the (totally normal) bloody mess that comes with birthing the placenta?
Some parents want every detail documented, while others prefer images that focus solely on emotion, support, faces, and connection rather than the physical aspects of birth.
I’ll never surprise you with photographs you weren’t expecting.
My goal is to tell your story in a way that feels authentic and respectful to you.
Where are you allowed to be during my birth?
That depends on your birth location and your birth team’s policies.
For home births, I’m typically able to move freely throughout the birth space while always staying out of the way of your midwife and support team.
In hospitals and birth centers, I always follow the policies of the facility and the guidance of your medical team. Their priority is providing safe care, and mine is documenting your story without interfering. It's important that I follow their rules not only for your safety, but also to ensure that future families are also able to continue receiving birth photography services at that location.
I highly recommend speaking with your provider and birth facility to know their photography policy beforehand. Some facilities also have limits on the number of people allowed into the birth space, so you'll want to make sure a photographer is allowed or within those limits.
What does the booking process look like?
Once you’ve decided we’re a good fit, we’ll reserve your due date with a signed contract and retainer.
Before your baby arrives, we’ll go over your birth preferences, photography preferences, and any questions you have so everything is taken care of ahead of time.
Around 38 weeks, I’ll officially go on call. When labor begins, you’ll send me a quick text letting me know things are underway, and we’ll stay in touch until it’s time for me to head your way.
I will usually plan to head to you once active labor begins, following the 5-1-1 rule (contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting for a minute, persisting for an hour), but your birth history will also help us determine when it's time for me to come, and whether I should leave sooner.
Once labor starts, you can focus on meeting your baby, not on the logistics.
Will you photograph a cesarean birth?
If your hospital and medical team allow photography in the operating room, I’d be honored to document your cesarean birth.
Policies vary by hospital, and there may be times when access to the operating room isn’t permitted. If that’s the case, I’ll document everything I’m able to before and after surgery, including those first moments of meeting your baby.
If you were planing a vaginal birth and it unexpectedly turns into a cesarean during labor, I'll come with you if allowed. In some cases, only dad (or one support person) may be allowed back. In this case, if its non-emergent and safe to do so, we can ask if a nurse or other attendant may be able to take my camera into the operating room to capture the moment.
Do you use flash?
No.
I work with the available light in your birth space because I never want photography to become a distraction during labor.
If the room is extremely dark, I do suggest allowing small adjustments, like a dim bedside lamp or a cracked hallway door, but only if you’re comfortable with it.
What if I change my mind about certain photos?
That’s perfectly okay.
Birth is an incredibly personal experience, and sometimes what feels right in the moment changes once you’ve had time to process everything.
If there are images you’d rather keep private or not have included in your final gallery, just let me know. For example, if you originally said "yes" to crowning images, but no longer want to see them, tell me. The plan can always change; or if its after birth, they can always be deleted.
My goal isn’t simply to document your birth, it’s to create a collection of photographs you’ll feel comfortable and proud to revisit for years to come
How many images will I receive?
Every birth is different, so every gallery is unique.
You’ll receive at least 75+ hand-edited images that tell the complete story of your baby’s arrival, from active labor through those first precious hours together.
Why hire a birth photographer?
One day, the details will begin to fade.
You may forget exactly how tiny your baby’s fingers were.
The way your partner looked at you.
The first time you held your baby.
The tears.
The laughter.
The overwhelming love.
Photographs have a beautiful way of bringing those moments back.
Because your baby’s birthday only happens once, and it’s a story worth remembering.