Birth Photography is Graphic and GROSS… and 4 Other Myths About Birth Photography.

When most people hear birth photography, they think it is nothing but graphic and gory crowning shots, and they can’t imagine why anyone would want pictures (or video) of that. In reality, it is SO much more than that. My goal is to capture every tiny detail of the most transformative day of your life, from the small things like the room number outside your hospital room, to the big things like the tears of joy that drip down your cheek as you finally feel the weight of your baby on your chest for the very first time. I interviewed Monet Nicole from Monet Nicole - Birthing Stories, and I am going to separate fact from fiction, and debunk some common myths about birth photography, while talking about some ways that birth photography can add to your birth experience, instead of subtract from it.

Myth #1: Birth Photographers are Intrusive

Professional birth photographers know how to respect and honor your birth space. During my interview with Monet Nicole, professional and world-known birth photographer, she states, “Being a great birth photographer is not just about knowing how to use your camera, understanding different lighting situations and capturing monumental moments artistically in a situation that is completely unpredictable. It is recognizing the sacredness of birth, understanding the birth process and being supportive and accepting of each mother’s individual choices. A birthing person is at their most vulnerable when she is birthing and however her birth unfolds she will be forever affected by it.”. A professional birth photographer knows how to read the room and know when to set the camera down or step out to give the birthing family some space. They document the details of your story purposefully, without making you feel like the paparazzi is in the room with you. Monet has even attended births in “tiny homes” with minimal interruptions to the client’s birth experience (Moutrie)!

Myth #2: It’s All Graphic and Gory.

While there is a tiny bit of truth in this one (yes, birth can be messy), there is so much to birth outside the actual moment of birth. It’s not ALL graphic and gory. Truthfully, many birth photographer’s don’t even take crowning images at many of the births they go to (Rivera). Monet says, “My approach as a photographer is that of BOTH a documentarian and an artist. I walk into each birth with the aim to simply tell the story as it unfolds...while also recognizing that my artist eye will find the moments that a regular bystander might not recognize as poetic… I want my clients to find an image that takes their breath away not because it was one of the BIG moments of birth but because it was a sacred, small moment that was almost completely forgotten.”. A birth photographer’s purpose is to capture not just the emotional reactions during the moment of birth, but also all the tiny details from the day that you meet your baby for the very first time. The view out your hospital window, and the way your partner supports you through every contraction. A professional birth photographer also knows how to capture the beauty of each moment in the most flattering ways, so that you can focus on your baby. There is SO much more to your story than just the graphic stuff.

Myth #3: It’s Only for Home Births

Having attended close to 100 births, I have seen everything from planned cesarean births, to accidental unassisted home births. Birth happens everywhere, and no two birth stories are exactly the same. Birth is beautiful, no matter where it happens (cesarean birth is still birth). Even if you are planning a hospital birth with an epidural, birth photography is storytelling at the core of it. There are SO many beautiful moments that can be captured no matter where, or how, you’re choosing to have your baby.

Myth #4: My Partner/Doula Can Just Take Photos For Me

Some people head into their birth spaces and plan for their partner or family to take all the photos for them, only to end up with little to no photos, because everyone was so caught up in the intensity of the moment. I made this mistake with my first birth. When you hire a birth photographer, this will take the burden off your family, allowing them to be fully present with you. You can rest assured that you will get all the photos you’re hoping to because a birth photographer’s job is simply to document the beauty of this transformative process.

Birth photographers are not intrusive, they are storytellers that artistically capture the raw emotions, profound connections, and unmatched strength of your unique birth experience. It’s not just about the graphic images, but about preserving the immense love, hope, and memories for years to come. It isn’t just for those “instagram worth” births, it’s for every unique situation and story. I hope this information has opened your eyes to what birth photography really is, a practice that celebrates the beauty, vulnerability, and resilience of a major part of the human experience.

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Works Cited:

Moutrie, Monet. “Giving Birth in a Tiny Home.” Denver Birth Photographer - Monet Nicole, Denver Birth Photographer - Monet Nicole, 21 Apr. 2021, www.monetnicole.com/stories/a-tiny-home-homebirth.

Rivera, Lindsey. “Common Myths about Birth Photography - Born: Salt Lake City Birth & Newborn Photography.” Born | Salt Lake City Birth & Newborn Photography, 29 Sept. 2019, bornbirthstories.com/blog/birth-photography-birth-videography-myths.

Stuck In Quarantine - Lactation Cookie Recipe

Since I am newly postpartum and stuck in the house like so many others, I decided to trial all the lactation cookie recipes I could find, until I discovered the perfect one. This is my favorite so far! They are chewy and just delicious! The flaxseed, brewers yeast, wheat germ, and oats are galactagouges so they can help give your supply a slight boost. Since I am currently dairy free, thanks to my little guy’s allergy, I swap out some of the dairy ingredients for my favorite vegan alternatives, and they come out great! I usually bake six or so, and then scoop and freeze the rest so I can just pop one or two in the oven whenever. My five year old has been really enjoying sampling all the cookies for me. ;) Check out the video of our adventures below and let me know what you think when you try the recipe!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 cup butter - softened (I like Country Crock - Plant Butter w/ Olive Oil. I seriously can’t taste a difference in the cookies!)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• 1/4 cup brewer’s yeast (Purchased on Amazon. I like the Solgar brand, it comes in a gold container.)

• 1 tablespoon wheat germ

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/2 cups oats

• 1 cup chocolate chips (I usually use Nestle Toll House Simply Delicious (dairy free) milk chocolate chips, but I’ve also done half craisins and half white chocolate chips)
  
  

  Preheat your oven to 350°. Mix the flaxseed meal and water together and set aside. Beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the egg yolks and mix well. Add the flaxseed/water mix and vanilla. Sift together the flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to your butter/egg mix. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Scoop onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let set for a few minutes then remove from cookie sheet. Enjoy!

Please keep in mind that the best way to increase your milk supply is by milk removal. If your babe (or pump) is not effectively removing milk, no amount of supplements or lactation cookies will make up for that. If you believe you are struggling with low milk supply, please reach out to your local La Leche League or IBCLC for assessment. If you need help getting in touch with someone, please let me know as I can offer referrals (in Virginia Beach, Austin, and Denver) of IBCLCs I have personally worked with.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you make any modifications as I’d love to try them out! Enjoy the video of our cookie adventures below.

COVID-19 Special Offer!

Photo Credit: Monet Nicole Birthing Stories

Well, here I am returning from maternity leave (meet Tyler 🥰), and I think it’s safe to say this is not the way I imagined things would be when I came back. It’s a scary time for everyone right now, including most small businesses. I’ve built my business from the ground up, and it’s hard not being able to operate like normal, not knowing when I’ll be able to return to business as usual, the possibility of having to shut my doors for good...

How can you help? Book a session! We may not know how long this is going to last, but we do know that things WILL return to normal. It may be two weeks from now, it may be two months from now, but we can take comfort in the fact that the world will eventually return to normal.

SO. Here’s the deal... I am offering a FREE 2-3 minute video ($400 value), with every session booked between now and however long this stay at home order lasts. We will get your session scheduled as soon as we can when things start returning to normal. These sessions will not expire. Gift cards can also be available upon request.

In addition to that, I will be offering 20% off ALL packages. Again, these sessions will NOT expire. 20% off PLUS a free video from your session! Pretty hard to beat!

How else can you help? Share this post! Word of mouth has always been one of the biggest compliments you could give, and it’s still a great way to help me keep my doors open!

Through these uncertain times, I am amazed by the outpouring of love I’m seeing. People stepping up to help neighbors in need, people asking how they can serve. We are living through a part of history right now, and after this is over I sure hope when we look back, the sense of community and togetherness will shine brighter than the fear and uncertainty we are all feeling right now.

Thank you for supporting your favorite local small business, washing your hands, and for staying home to #flattenthecurve!

Click HERE to book your discounted session!

40+ FREE (or super cheap) Ideas For Families During Lockdown

How’s lockdown going for you? We’re a couple weeks in, with at least a couple more weeks to go. My creativity for at home activities is starting to run low, and my five year old is starting to get a little stir crazy. Heck, we all are! I mean, how many walks through the same neighborhood can we really go on in a day? Out of sheer desperation I turned to Google to figure out how I can entertain my kids while maintaining my sanity. I’ve compiled a list of a few ideas I found, and a couple activities I came up with. Before we get to the list please remember, while it’s good to have structure, it’s okay to let your kids be bored. Boredom is where your kids creativity will blossom! Don’t stress about filling every moment of every day with a scheduled activity. Most importantly, give yourself (and your kids) grace! This is uncharted territory for all of us, and we are all learning as we go. All that being said, here is the list!…

Educational Resources

1. Free Printable Worksheets - prek-8th

2. 3D Bear (app) - AR learning and fun!

3. Active Kids Do Better - free physical education activities

4. Babbel - learn a foreign language. Three months completely free for a limited time!

5. Bedtime Math - online math problems for parents to do with their kids and fun hands on games

6. Phonics Hero - 850 games teaching about phonics, reading and spelling, and how to conquer sentences

7. Teach Your Monster To Read - create a monster and take it on a magical learning adventure

8. Tinkergarten - weekly DIY activity plans and live tinkergarten sessions

9. Vooks - animated story books, one month free

10. HERE is a link to a TON more educational resources. Many of these I’d never heard of! Please note: some of them are available to teachers only.

Virtual Tours

1. Lourve - plus 500 more at this LINK

2. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii - along with many other National Parks! Available HERE

3. Live Animal Cams - this is one of my favorites. I could watch the shark lagoon for HOURS.

4. Check out a Broadway show at home!

5. Go on a virtual ride at Disney! Head to YouTube and search for a 360 “ride” on almost any attraction. - Also a favorite of mine!

6. Virtual Zoo Encounters - check out your local zoo’s Facebook page as there are many zoos doing daily animal encounter videos.

7. Great Wall of China

8. Great Sphinx of Giza

9. Colonial Williamsburg

10. Yellowstone National Park

Apps

1. PBS Kids - web version available HERE

2. Splash Math/Splash Learn - K-5 interactive math games

3. Khan Academy for Kids - interactive learning games in various curriculum areas for ages 2-7

4. Khan Academy - short video lessons arranged by subject for older students

5. Writing Wizard - Print and cursive editions available. Introduces letter sounds, correct letter and number formation.

6. Tynker - coding program to teach kids how to make games and programs

7. Bible App for Kids - interactive, narrated Bible stories

8. ABC Mouse - (my daughter’s personal fave) Free for 30 days. Web version available HERE

9. Hooked on Phonics - $1 for the first month. TOTALLY worth it! Click HERE to check it out!

10. Leap Frog Academy - free two month trial available HERE

Get Up and MOVE

1. Go Noodle - free movement, yoga, mindfulness videos, and more!

2. Cosmic Kids Yoga - yoga and mindfulness for kids. Available on YouTube or as an app!

3. 19 Surprisingly Fun Balloon Games

4. 87 Energy Busting Indoor Games & Activities

5. Beat Goes On - streamable body percussion sessions

6. 101 Sidewalk Chalk Ideas

8. Geocaching! (app available)

9. Paint with water - Grab an old paintbrush or roller and a bucket of water. Let kids paint the house, the sidewalk, rocks, etc.

10. Build a fort! Just like you did when you were a kid. Be creative! Bonus points for picnic lunch in the new fort. ;)

One last one because I think this is SUPER cool. WHYYY didn’t I know about this sooner?! Have a Netflix Party! Netflix Party will synchronize video playback and add group chat to your favorite Netflix shows. HOW COOL!

I hope this list was helpful. I know I will be referring back to it on a regular basis over the weeks to come. Did I leave anything out? What has been your favorite lockdown activity? Let me know in the comments!

7 Tips For Taking Incredible Photos Of Your Kids On Your iPhone

Portrait mode, great lighting position (a little overexposed but still beautiful!)

Unless you’re lucky enough to live with a photographer, many of you have found yourselves in a position where you’ve had to cancel or reschedule photo sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The good news is these moments don’t have to be missed entirely just because of the current state of the world. While I believe iPhone photos are no substitute for a professional family photo session, they do say that the best camera is the one you have with you, and I do believe that’s true! Check out my tips on how to take incredible photos of your kids using the camera you have with you, your iPhone!

1. Look for the light.

Lighting can either make a break a photo. The right lighting can enhance the subject and make the entire image, where the wrong lighting can leave the subject look like they’re in the middle of telling a scary ghost story. When going for a more posed approach at home, especially when shooting your baby, be sure the light is coming from either the top of their head, or the side of their face. Use caution that the light is not coming from under their chin, which gives the ghost story effect I mentioned. Also be aware of the subject’s proximity to the light source. A light source that is too close to the subject (like a close window) can lead to blown out highlights and loss of detail.

2. Focus on the eyes.

Again when going for a more posed style, set the focus on the subject’s eyes. This will make the photo “pop”, and will help the exposure on their face be correct so they aren’t too bright, or too dark. In addition to that, it will help draw the viewer’s eye where you want them to look. Simply tap where you want the focus to be and your phone will automatically adjust the focus and exposure.

Light coming from the side of the face, tapping to focus on the subject’s eyes.

3. Get down on their level.

Us adults spend all day “looking down” on our littles. Literally looking down. For an awesome shift in perspective get down really low. Get on their level! You’ll see the world (and them) from a whole new perspective. It will make for some great, and unique photos.

4. Capture action shots using Burst mode.

Children are constantly on the move. And they move FAST. You turn your head for a moment and they’ve found a sharpie and they’re coloring on something they should’t be. Ask me how I know… The good news is this fast moving action can make for some amazing frozen moments. The iPhone has an awesome feature called “Burst” mode. All you have to do is press and hold the shutter button while following the action (swipe left on the shutter button for the newer iPhones). You can get 30+ photos in the matter of a few seconds. I’ve been able to get some really cool photos of my daughter and my husband, on a roller coaster using this feature. Using Burst mode will help to eliminate motion blur from fast moving subjects. You can go back and review the set to pick the best one, and toss the rest!

5. Utilize Portrait mode!

To access Portrait mode on your iPhone, scroll to the right of the main camera. You have to be a little further away from your subject for this to work, but it creates a nice blurry background, as if you were using a DSLR camera with a shallow depth of field. This soft background will make your subject really stand out and not get lost in the background. It’s one of the best ways to set your portraits apart.

One of my favorites using Portrait mode! See how it draws your eyes where I want them?

6. Forget all the props and capture candid moments.

Some kids, and dads, may get stiff and awkward when asked to pose for a photo (cue my husband!). I’ve learned that the best way to combat this, is to capture moments as they unfold. With my camera always close by and easily accessible, I can quickly catch those sweet moments when my daughter stops to smell a flower while we’re on a walk, or those precious times when my husband and both kids are all cuddled up together on the couch.

7. Don’t be afraid to BE in the moment.

Embrace it. Soak it all in. Smell the flower with your daughter. Join in the kitchen dance party with your son. They’re only little for so long, and while they will appreciate having photos to look back on, they will definitely remember you getting down on the floor and being silly with them… And you will too. This brings me back to my point above, iPhone photos are no substitution for a professional family photo session. During a session with me, I’ll capture those lasting memories for you. You get to be in the moment with your family, AND have the photos (and/or video!) to cherish forever.

I hope you find these tips helpful in capturing some great photos of your family, while you wait for your session. Remember this will NOT last forever, and the world will eventually return to normal. Just hang in there until then. You’ve got this!

Share your favorite iPhone (or mobile phone) photo tip in the comments!