Birth Photography

 

Every birth is a unique event; totally unscripted, beautiful, powerful and vulnerable. It is an experience rich with tiny details and big emotions. Allow The Birth Photography Collective to capture this sacred, life-changing process for posterity.

Each image will allow you to look back on one of the defining moments of your life, allowing you to treasure the experience for years to come. Feel secure in the knowledge that your birth photographer will be on call 24/7 from the 38th week of your pregnancy up until the birth of your baby.

You will receive:

●      Preview images ready within 48 hours

●      100+ high resolution edited images in black and white and colour

●      A full gallery and slideshow available online within 3 weeks

●      Am $100 print credit

If you’d like videography of your birth, we may be able to accommodate this request. Reach out to learn more about our birth videography and photography here.

INVESTMENT: $2900.00

 

Packages

 

Videography is available dependent on the photographer. Please contact us to find out more about videography at your birth.

Birth + Fresh 48

Document your baby’s journey from birth through to the first magical hours of their life with our Birth + Fresh 48 package; an option that features the best of both sessions. Your photographer will be on call 24/7 from the 38th week of your pregnancy until the birth of your baby, ready to capture their arrival. They will return to photograph those special first day moments within 48 hours of your baby’s birth.

You will receive:

  • Your photographer on call 24/7 from the 38th week until the birth of your baby.

  • Your birth story beautifully documented, with your photographer staying 1 hour post-birth to capture first cuddles and feeding

  • Photographer onsite at your place of birth or home to capture your baby meeting its family for the first time.

  • A full gallery and a slideshow of 150 +images available online within 3 weeks

  • An $150 print credit

INVESTMENT: $3500.00

 

Maternity+Birth+Fresh 48

A holistic package for families who want to document their parenthood journey from pregnancy, to birth and the exciting adventure beyond, Our Maternity + Birth + Fresh 48 package is shot in multiple sessions, taking in the breadth of your experience. After we have completed your final session (the Fresh 48)

You will receive:

  • Maternity session on location

  • Your photographer on call 24/7 from the 38th week until the birth of your baby

  • Your birth story beautifully documented, with your photographer staying 1 hour post-birth to capture first cuddles and feeding

  • Photographer onsite at your place of birth or home to capture your baby meeting its family for the first time.

  • 200 + high resolution edited images in black and white and colour

  • Preview images ready within 48 hours for all galleries

  • A full gallery and a slideshow available online within 3 weeks

  • A $150 print credit

INVESTMENT: $4400.00

 

FAQ’s

 
  • This depends on many circumstances, as every birth is individual. Factors that influence our arrival include your birthing location, the speed of your labour, and the number of births we are photographing. We attempt to arrive when you are in active labour.

  • They will stay between 1-2 hours depending on your preferences. It’s lovely being able to capture your baby's first feed, first cuddles with Mum and Dad and even their first time being weighed and measured.

  • You can see our pricing list here.

  • No, it is included in the cost.

  • Yes, definitely! To find out more, contact us here.

  • Two weeks prior to your due date. We will send you a final invoice to remind you.

  • That is totally up to you! Once you have booked your birth photography, we will have a chat, get you to fill in a questionnaire and hear your thoughts on what you’d like captured or left out. We think capturing moments such as your baby crowning or taking their first breaths is breathtaking and we are very comfortable to do this for you, but we don’t have to.

  • Item descriptionWe recommend a Fresh 48 session, which takes place in the hospital (or at home if you are having a home birth) within the first 48 hours of your baby being born. Our photographers will be on call for these sessions and you can phone them as soon as the baby has arrived. It is a good idea to keep your photographer in the loop when you are heading to the hospital so they can make arrangements for their families.

  • Hopefully, your baby will arrive within 10 hours of us being with you. Communication with your care provider is key as they will always have a better understanding of where you and your baby are at. If your labour extends for more than 10 hours then we may have to call our backup photographer to take over. We need to look after our collective and make sure they drive home safely. Either way, one of our birth photographers will be there to capture your birth.

  • No, we don’t! We couldn’t think of anything worse than a flash going off while you are in labour. The cameras we use are amazing and usually function well in low light, however we may set up a little torch or dome light in the corner of the room, open a bathroom door or turn the lights up ever so slightly to improve the light conditions (we will check in with you about this first). It’s important to note that your images will have a bit of ‘grain’ to them. We love grain and think it adds character and a rawness to the images that you would not get with a stark flash going off!

  • Yes, definitely! Birth photography is a fairly new genre of photography in Australia and many OBs and midwives have had little experience with birth photographers. It is worth informing them that we are all mothers ourselves and understand how to be sensitive to the birthing experience and stay out of the way when needed.

    Sometimes, couples will call us their second ‘support person,’. If this is the case you may have to be prepared to forfeit having any other family or friends attend your birth (if it is in a hospital), but you can talk to your care providers about what they can allow. There are usually no problems with home birth photographer attendance, but it’s a great idea to communicate your intentions with your midwife.

  • No. Our photographers are not doulas and wouldn’t dream of interfering, holding your hand or telling you to push! Our approach is calm, quiet and similar to that of a fly on the wall. Of course, we will say hello and if you are up for a chat then we will be happy to talk to you but often we arrive when you are ‘in the zone’ and can’t talk. We make sure to be sensitive to this and will pop in and out of the room at different points, giving you space when you need it and taking pictures when we feel a moment is important to capture.

  • That’s OK! We can still be there to document your story. Most of the time we are not allowed into the theatre - especially if it’s an emergency caesarean but we will be there waiting for when you come out and can photograph you with your baby then.

  • Sometimes we are allowed into theatre if it’s a scheduled caesarean, but this must be a conversation you have with your OB first. The likelihood of us photographing your scheduled caesarean will depend on your OB and their willingness to let us in the theatre. Anything is possible!

  • You can expect between 100 and 200 professionally edited images which will be delivered in black and white and also in colour. We generally tend to lean towards a documentary style that black and white images best communicate. Black and white also helps manage the sometimes strange mix of artificial hospital lighting, lending a gentler feel to your images

  • We try and match you with the photographer closest to the location of your birth. However, if you feel really strongly about choosing your photographer we will check in on their availability. It’s important to know that you may not get your first preference. That being said, you can feel confident that all of our birth photographers are equally talented and excellent to work with!

  • That is the beauty of booking your birth with The Birth Photography Collective! We assign backup photographers who are also on-call for your birth in case your primary photographer isn’t able to make it.

  • If both of our photographers happen to miss your birth because of exceptional circumstances, please know we will be absolutely devastated! To make sure you have another opportunity to receive the beautiful photographs you deserve, we will offer you a Fresh 48 session and refund the difference. We will refund you in full if you decline.

    We hope you understand that birth is one of the most unpredictable events a photographer can document. The Birth Photography Collective make every effort to capture your labour and birth journey.

    If we miss the birth because you were not in communication with us early enough, we are happy to give you a partial refund but will keep your deposit. As birth photographers, we only take on a certain number of births a year and make documenting your birth story the priority in our calendar.

  • Only with your permission. We absolutely love birth photography and sharing images from each birth story, but our priority is that your privacy and wishes are respected.

    We will ALWAYS ask you before we post an image to social media, and make sure to never post images before you have announced the news of your birth to family and friends.

    In terms of the content we choose, we prefer not to post images of babies crowning. Although these images are beautiful, we focus on telling the story of your experience in a holistic way. You can be assured of our sensitive, tasteful storytelling tone and our confidentiality.

  • This is a very common situation - but there’s no need to worry! The best way to help your partner understand and engage with the idea of birth photography is by meeting us for a coffee or a Zoom to have a chat and ask questions. We also offer a great resource for soon-to-be Dads here. It will answer many of their questions, and features experiences of Dads who weren’t so keen on the idea of birth photography, but loved their time with The Birth Photography Collective.

  • Get in touch with us here.