Birth NIght

Last night I had the most amazing experience photographing the homebirth of my friend's third daughter. This is the same child for whom I am making the quilt.

My friend's husband called me at about 2:45 a.m. to tell me I should come over, as my friend was already 8cm dilated. I had my cell phone tucked under my pillow for almost two weeks waiting for this event, and I was shaking with excitement as I dressed in the dark, gently woke my husband to tell him the baby was coming, grabbed my equipment and literally ran the few night-silent blocks to her house. I arrived just as the backup midwife came in the door behind me. Labor had apparently gone very quickly to this point, and I barely got there in time.

I felt timid at first, as this was my first time photographing a birth, not to mention my first time attending a birth other than my own daughter's! I didn't want to bother my friend by clicking away, so I just helped bring hot water and woke up the eldest daughter so she could see her baby sister born. At some point, my friend felt like pushing, and the midwife said to me, "Put that camera in front of your face and just keep clicking as the baby comes." I didn't realize she meant right then. The baby wasn't even crowning, but sure enough, one push and out she came into her father's hands. Luckily, I caught a couple pictures of her being born, but a flurry of activity (understandably) made it impossible for me to get a picture of her dad catching her - my only regret.

I took an entire 8GB worth of photos from then on. It was the most rewarding photography experience I think I've ever had. It was such an emotional, amazing time in this family's life, and I felt blessed to be a part of it.

I've been on a high ever since. I feel like I could totally do this as my work. Or if nothing else, it showed me that lifestyle photography may be more up my alley than the beautiful, but polished boutique-y style I was originally planning to pursue. I've had my doubts about that avenue lately, and photographing this birth definitely showed me that I perform better off the cuff. I've always loved a more photojournalistic style, even as a young teen who loved photography, so it's not surprising that it still has a pull over me.

And can I just gush about my camera for a minute? I love my D700. It is brilliant in low light, and my little bounced SB400 speedlight made for beautiful, natural looking images. I love that even though this is state-of-the-art equipment, it can still feel stripped down in my hands, and doesn't encumber me in any way.