Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is a birth documentary?

A birth documentary is a photographic illustration of your birth experience. It will enable you to see your experience from another perspective and help to preserve your memory in its entirety – and see baby’s first moments from another vantage point.

 

Do you offer discounts? 

Yes, I do! I offer discounts for active duty and veteran military families.

 

How far do you travel? 

I prefer to stay within the East Texas/Pineywoods area. Given the nature of birth documentary work, being close to the facility is key in our timing. For that reason, I prefer to not go beyond 45 miles of zip code 75845. However, I will discuss other locations on a client-by-client basis.

 

Do you need to get approval from the hospital or birth center staff? 

 Yes.  You will need to let your doctor, hospital and the hospital staff know of your intent to have a birth photographer present. It is your responsibility to learn of any restrictions or guidelines that they would like me to follow. If I can be of any assistance in discussing this with them, please contact me and I will be glad to help in any way I can.

 

When should I book you? 

 As soon as you know you would like a birth photographer. I will only book 2 births per month to avoid conflicts and the longer you wait, the greater of a chance that I will be booked.

 

Will we meet before the birth?

Yes. We will meet around 36 weeks to discuss your birth plan and birth documentary. We can meet earlier if you would like, but will need to be in contact closer to your due date as things can change the further along you are.

 

Do you do home births?

Yes. However, I will ask many questions and will want to talk with your midwife personally. I will also need to know which hospital you will be transported to in the event a situation arises that causes you to not follow your home birth plan. I will not travel, nor photograph in any vehicle during transport.

 

Do you take pictures of the whole labor and birth?

This depends on the client and what your wishes are for your experience. This is discussed during our consultation.

 

Do you interact at all or mainly stay quiet? 

This is completely up to you. I can be as present and involved as you would like while still allowing me to perform my job as your birth photographer. However, I am also glad to speak only when spoken to and remain on the sidelines to capture the quiet, intimate moments as unobtrusively as possible. It is my job to capture these private moments and be as minimally invasive as possible. It is my job first and foremost to observe and preserve.

 

Do you use flash? What if I want my birth dark?

I will attempt to photograph each labor and birth without the use of flash so as to not disturb your environment as you labor. However, due to some lighting situations it may be beneficial for me to use an LED light or flash. This can be discussed more during our consultation.

 

 How many images will I receive?

 On average you will receive about 75-100 images, but this varies with each birth. Images are generally delivered in black and white, hence the “documentary style portraiture”. Images are uploaded to a persona gallery and you are provided a PIN in order to download your images. There are print packages available should you choose one.

 

When I go into labor, when should I call you? 

As soon as you know that this could be “it”, please text and/or call me! I love as much advance notice as possible.  This gives me time to re-arrange my schedule, prep my gear and myself and get ready for your big event!

 

When do you arrive for the birth and how long will you stay?

Depending on your package and what we have discussed, I come to your birth during active labor. It is best that I be contacted by your designated contact person when you are 5-6cm dilated as my goal is to arrive when you are 7-8cm dilated. I will work with you on the best time to come for your labor and delivery based on the doctor’s best advice and our agreement from your birth documentary plan. 

 

Will photographs from my birth be posted on your website?

 Yes, I do post images from the births on my website and Facebook page. However, I respect my client’s privacy and do not show any “intimate” parts of your body or any images that you may feel strongly against. I reserve the right to use my images for marketing purposes (print ads and items) to show prospective clients. You will be able to view your images before any of them are shared and let me know if there are any that you deem unsuitable for me to share. Names do not have to be shared on the website or in marketing items.

 

 

What if you don’t end up making it to my birth?

I only take a maximum of 1-2 births a month to allow me to have the greatest chance of attending each birth. If I miss your birth due to my error (ie: due to illness, attending another birth, or an unforeseen emergency), you will receive a refund on all monies received, minus the non-refundable retainer.  If I miss your birth because it was too fast or you {or anyone in your birth support team} did not contact me in time, there is no refund and you will receive a studio newborn session instead.

 

 

What if I give birth prematurely or go past my due date? 

 My availability is only from your 38th week and on, you can certainly call me if you begin laboring earlier than that. I may still be able to attend. If I am able, I certainly will be there! 

 

How long will it take to receive the images?

I will send a few images to you as a Facebook sneak peek within 24 hours, depending on my travel time back to my home location. The remainder will be uploaded to a personal proofing gallery approximately 4-6 weeks after your birth. 

 

I am concerned about certain parts of me being shown in pictures!

Please, do not worry. Respect for you, your birth experience, and your privacy are always my first concern. I will give you a form to fill out that will help me to better understand what you’re wanting from your birth documentary. However, it is better to have and not need than to want and not have. You can always delete a photo but you cannot replace one that was not taken.   

 

What if I have a C-Section? Can I still have a birth photographer?

 If you are having a planned Cesarean birth, please ask your doctor prior to booking my services, if they will allow a photographer in the operating room with you, along with whomever else you may want present. Many hospitals & doctors do allow this! If your cesarean is unplanned it is highly unlikely that a photographer will be allowed to be in the room. However, I will still stay and capture the nursery room shots as I am allowed to do so.

 

What if I don’t want the actual labor and birth documented, but I do want pictures of those special first hours?

If you are not interested in a full birth documentary, we can still schedule for me to arrive in time for the birth, to capture the faces of your friends and family as they await the birth, and to capture baby’s first moments in the nursery, with you, and with siblings. It is best to do this immediately after the birth, and is easiest to do before a large amount of visitors are present.