BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY

A birth is an experience that most families remember for the entirety of their lives. It is a sacred, powerful, and pivotal moment, but also tends to occur in a whirlwind. Professional birth photography allows families to preserve the details of their birth stories and enhance those memories for years to come.

 “Maggie was able to capture some absolutely amazing shots throughout the day. The images document the most important day in our lives thus far—they're invaluable to us.”

You were made for birth.

Giving birth is a powerful, transformative experience. As a trained professional birth worker, I artistically document your sacred journey into this stage of parenthood and provide you with priceless photographs that will remind you of your incredible strength and love for the rest of your life.

"I can say that Maggie being there in person, and on-call in the hours before, 100% positively impacted our experience... It still brings tears to my eyes thinking about that incredible day bringing our first child into the world and I am so grateful to Maggie." -Joni, first time parent

Birth Photography Frequently Asked Questions

Why hire a birth photographer?

Welcoming a child into our world is a life-altering experience.  Birth can be intense and, while most parents will forever remember their child's birth story, many details may be left unclear. Professional birth photography helps preserve these moments and allows parents to vividly relive the birth in perfect detail.  

I use professional equipment and hand-edit all final images.  Birth story images are delivered in hi-resolution files.

Why hire me?

I am naturally an empathetic and sensitive person.  I pride myself on my ability to make people feel comfortable and cared for.  I provide a calm, compassionate presence and, as a trained doula, I offer emotional support to all my clients at no extra cost.

What areas do you serve?

I attend out-of-hospital births throughout all of Central Virginia, specifically serving Charlottesville, Albemarle, Richmond, Staunton, and Buckingham. If you are planning an out-of-hospital birth and would like to know if your birth location is in my service area, please send me a note! I currently only attend hospitals births located in Charlottesville, VA.

When do you arrive?

While I officially go on-call for births two weeks before an estimated due date, babies can be unpredictable.  I encourage all clients to call me should labor commence sooner and, if possible, I will make every effort to be there, regardless of whether our on-call period has begun.  After labor begins, I keep regular communication with my clients.  I typically join clients once active labor has begun.  We discuss how to tell when this stage is reached in our consultation session.  I will not leave you until your baby has been born and I remain after the birth for 1-2 hours.

How many images do I receive?

Because every birth story is unique, I am unable to predict exactly how many images a client will receive.  However, most clients receive between 100-200 hand-edited, high-resolution files following their session. I provide "sneak peek" images shortly after birth for clients to share immediately with loved ones, should they wish.

Are there any birth locations that do NOT allow birth photography?

In my experience, photographers are permitted in the local Charlottesville hospitals and Central Virginia birth centers.  I have photographed births at both the University of Virginia Medical Center and Martha Jefferson Hospital.  However, my ability to capture the exact moment of birth typically varies by care provider and location.  It is my clients' responsibility to discuss with their care provider prior to labor their desires for birth photography and to assert that right upon entering the birth location.  

Do you photograph cesarean births?

While I have photographed cesarean births, at this point, it is unpredictable if our local hospitals will permit photographers in the operating room.  The University of Virginia Medical Center has allowed professional birth photographers, including myself, to document cesarean birth on occasion, while Martha Jefferson Hospital has not. If you are preparing for a cesarean birth, I encourage you to communicate with your care provider and hospital about your desire for birth photography.  Policies will not be changed until the consumers demand change.  If you plan for a physiological birth but need to have a cesarean, I document the story leading to the birth and remain in your room to capture the early moments with your baby once you return. I am also available to photograph scheduled cesareans in the same manner--documenting the day prior to delivery and the first moments after the birth.

Do you share all birth images on social media?

While I love sharing birth images on social media and believe them to be empowering, I respect families who prefer to keep their images private. Specifics can be discussed during the consultation.

How many birth clients do you take on a month?

I take a limited number of birth clients a month.  In order to guarantee my availability, clients are encouraged to reserve their estimated due dates as soon as they are ready to commit to my services.

How expensive is birth photography?

Birth photography is an investment for both myself and my clients.   

My investment:  Depending on when a baby arrives, I can be on-call 24/7 for up to a month at a time.  During that period, I remain local and must be prepared to leave for a birth immediately, night or day.  Labor is unpredictable and sometimes I stay at a birth for over 24 hours.  I hand edit all images (usually 100-200 photographs) and spend roughly 5-15 minutes per image.  Additionally, I purchase and maintain high-end equipment suitable challenging lighting situations which are typical for births.

For information on your investment, please contact me for a welcome guide!

“I hired Maggie to do birth photos and to this day, I still stare at the pictures as I can't believe I made a beautiful baby girl! The pictures Maggie took are images you will cherish forever and brings back those memories!” -Rebecca

BIRTH & NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITING

Pregnancy is often a time of many unknowns:

How will you feel as the pregnancy progresses? How will labor feel? What will my baby look like? The queries are endless. 

The current pandemic caused a new set of unknowns to arise as childbirth policies change nearly week-to-week.  Perhaps your plan originally included a birth photographer? Or maybe you hoped to book newborn photos?  Yet, now you feel like those options aren’t available to you.

You deserve to have those desires met!

While I may not be able to attend your in-hospital birth, I can offer you a second-best alternative:

Professional birth photography editing.

You provide your treasured pictures and I elevate them into art.

Birth and newborn phone photos and images from personal cameras are all welcomed and will receive the polishing touch of professional editing. Photos can be recent or from farther in the past.

If you’re still waiting on baby, reach out and I will give tips for your support person for when they are taking photos for you.

“Maggie helped me edit photos I had taken on my phone with my baby (since due to the pandemic we didn’t get to take professional baby pictures) and she did an amazing job. All the photos “popped” more and there were a couple that she did in B&W that were really transformed…I was astonished at how amazing it made me feel to have some elevated photos. So much of being a mom in 2020 (and 2021) has meant giving up the normal experiences of pregnancy and I felt like I got a little bit of that back when I got my pictures.” - Rachel

*All images shown here are phone photos submitted by clients for editing and shared with permission

CONTACT ME

I’m looking forward to getting to know you!