I’ve gathered an eye-opening collection of testimonials whereby dads spill the beans about birth photography. Often when the word birth & photography are combined the usual response is “why would you want someone there to photograph that?”
If birth photography is something you’d love to look into further but your partner is not quite sold on the idea yet, ask them to give you just five minutes to read this!
You never know?
Chris is a father to two, I attended and photographed the birth of his second child at home – these are his thoughts:
“When my wife first mentioned getting a birth photographer I raised an internal eyebrow and said something neutral enough to give my brain time to kick in and stop my mouth from saying what I was actually thinking”.
“Fast forward a couple of months and asking Jo to capture one of the greatest days of our lives is one of the best decisions we made. So much happens that you don’t see. So much happens that you see but will never remember. And while you think you can remember, Jo’s photographs capture the atmosphere, the details and the emotion that your sleep-deprived and overloaded brain just can’t hope to deal with”.
“You wouldn’t think twice about getting a photographer for your wedding so don’t think twice about asking Jo to be your birth photographer. The only newborn photos I’ve ever shown of my son are photos that Jo took. I look back at my remarkably crappy iPhone photos of when my daughter was born and I just wish we’d met Jo sooner. Your mates may give you some banter for having a birth photographer; let them do it. As a dad who loves his kids, this is the best way to capture an amazing part of your life”.
Davy is a father to two, I attended and photographed the home birth of his daughter, here’s what he had to say:
“I wasn’t a fan of having a birth photographer. I thought she would get in the way and spoil the intimacy. I am glad to report I was wrong. I didn’t even realise she was there. She was discreet, and the end results were magnificent. It was incredible to look back at the most beautiful moment of my life, and even more so for my wife. I would recommend Jo in a heartbeat. What a beautiful, amazing and talented woman”.
Davey is a first time Dad, I photographed the birth of his son which began as a home birth and quickly moved to a hospital birth. Here are his thoughts:
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when the idea of having a birth photographer was brought up. From looking at Jo’s portfolio it was clear that she knew what she was doing, but I was still sceptical that having a photographer may dampen our birth experience as she may get in the way or take away from the intimacy. However we decided to give it a go and scheduled a meeting with Jo, and within five minutes of our meeting her, my wife and I were both happy to have her photograph our birth story.
Our experience with Jo was amazing she captured the greatest moments through my wife’s labour and birth and did so discreetly. Thank you, Jo, for capturing precious memories, bringing good vibes and a good smile!”
Keith is also a first-time dad, I was there to document the birth of his son at a birthing centre. Here Keith recalls what having these images means to him:
“I had never heard of birth photography until my partner introduced me to it during our pregnancy, and until seeing Jo’s work I would never have considered having someone photograph our birth story. Four months later, Jo drove across 2 countries to join us and photograph our birth and I am so glad she did!”
“I can’t imagine Jo not being there now, she made me and my partner Natalie feel very at ease. She was calming, reassuring and helpful yet at times we would forget she was there! I can’t explain just how special it was to have her with us for the birth of my son Devon, but his middle name is Jo if that helps put it into perspective!”
Paul is a first-time dad and one half of a lovely couple, I documented the moment their baby was born via surrogacy. Here are Pauls words:
“We were lucky enough to have Jo document our home birth recently. There were 11 adults in the house, between family and midwives, so we’re really impressed at how stealthy and un-intrusive Jo was. This meant that the most intimate and emotional moments were captured perfectly naturally. If it weren’t for the incredible images that followed, I could easily forget there was a camera in the room. I can’t recommend Lillian Craze enough”!
Sam is a father to three, I was there to capture the birth of his son at the hospital. Here’s an insight into what Sam thought of birth photography:
“In readiness for the arrival of our first boy, my wife was determined to arrange for a photographer to capture the main event. I had reservations from the moment she first mentioned the idea – I just couldn’t understand why anyone would want to share the birth of their baby with a stranger, who’d probably end up getting in the way of the midwife whilst getting us to pose for photographs throughout the whole thing… How wrong was I! Jo was amazing, leading up to, throughout and even after the birth. She met with us well in advance of my wife’s due date, reassuring us about what she would be doing during the delivery and asking us what we most wanted to be captured from the day”.
She respected our boundaries completely. On the day, she arrived at our house so quickly, with all her equipment prepared and did a great job of calming my wife during the early stages. After a few photographs at home, Jo travelled to the hospital with us. During my wife’s short labour, Jo was excellent. She was so supportive but also respected our space. She never asked either of us to move around so that she could get a certain shot, yet she still managed to capture each amazing moment – truly stunning work. The photographs she has since given us are remarkable. I am so glad we asked her to be a part of the experience and so grateful for what she has given us”!
Gaz is a father to two boys, I was there to document the birth of their second child at the hospital. Here’s what he had to say about birth photography:
“Well, I was a bit nervous about what to expect with having a photographer. Jo laid all my fears to rest… A lovely lady with a very special eye for a picture. The scenes that she captured are amazing! We were very glad to have her around as she was a joy to be with. A happy friendly person with respect to what we had going on, so unobtrusive at times you hardly knew she was there. she was totally part of our birth experience and I highly recommend her”.
Hearing how it was for these dads might alleviate some of your own worries or concerns around hiring a birth photographer. So often I hear from women who say they’ll leave birth photography because their partners aren’t keen.
I get it, I blame things on my husband too sometimes!
However, if you’re genuinely considering documenting your birth but your partner just needs a little nudge or wants to hear what it was really like from a guys perspective. I urge you to put this blog in front of them!
Did you spot some common similarities or hesitations running through some of these testimonials?
Like…
“I didn’t know what to expect”
“I had reservations”
“I wasn’t a fan of having a birth photographer”
These might be some of the reasons you might hear when you suggest birth photography or here are ten reasons that might be preventing you from hiring a birth photographer.
Why not get brave it and just book a free (zero obligation) call here and let’s see where it takes is!
Find out more and book a free call. We can just chat and you can ask any questions you have. (because I know you’ll have questions, and rightly so) Only when you have all the information you need, will you be able to make an informed choice as to whether birth photography is something you want to add to your birth plan.
I hope it’s been helpful hearing how it actually was for these guys!!!
Wait, don’t go just yet…
Do you love Instagram? (particularly birth photography accounts) Then you’ll LOVE this!