This originally started as an Instagram post, but I surpassed the character count. I’m not sure if it’s because I have a lot to say on these topics or because I haven’t posted a personal post in so long I’m just excited to type. Haha.

On Monday, I listened to Hello My Tribe’s podcast about normalizing birth and death with guest Heather Gallagher, beginning and end of life photographer. I would encourage anyone and everyone to listen to this episode. Not only to learn more about such raw and emotional photography, but to learn how to remain open minded to life in general.

I’ve been really low key about my next venture, but I’m preparing to begin offering birth photography. It’s a long process and there’s so much to learn. I originally thought that I’d just have to figure out lighting, find a few pregnant women, get a few portfolio births under my belt, figure out SEO, learn some birth and medical lingo and add it all to my website. Not “easy” by any means, but certainly achievable.

There’s so much more to it. The birth community is tightly sealed. Birth photography hasn’t really hit the modest northeast. Hospitals, nurses and doctors don’t want a photographer in their space, home births are like an underground community, moms who want their brith photographed by a stranger are hard to come by, willing dads are even harder to come by, birth photography education is slim pickings, most birth photographers are doulas, too, and finally, birth is censored- hard.

Why is it, that if we see an image of a baby crowning while the mother is in active labor, it’s “too much“ or “unnecessary“ and should be censored or kept from the public, but when we see a woman with a baby, we feel entitled to ask if she pushed it out of her vagina or if she underwent a major surgery in order to birth her baby?

I’ve slowly been making my way into this community and sharing everything I can with my clients and friends. The most common reaction is “Wait. You’re there to SEE it?“ with shock and grossed out comments and expressions. It’s not gross and I’m not there to see it. [It’s actually very moving and wonderful and I’m blessed to be a witness to these amazing miracles.] But the reason I am there, is to document it, enhance your experience in any way that I can and then deliver you photographs from an emotional, momentous milestone in your lives. I’m learning how to respect boundaries of medical professionals while also serving parent in the way they have hired me to. I’m sure, eventually, I’ll have the opportunity for a home birth, but hospital births are just as beautiful. My clients will show up if I stay consistent and continue to show up as well. Just like everything else artistic, birth photography will take the nation from west coast and southern states and eventually make it’s way to the traditional east coast, namely, Ohio. I found a great educator and community to learn from and am slowly finding more. Even birth censorship is evolving, but there’s still so much modesty and, honestly, disgust around the graphic beauty of welcoming a child into the world.

The main reason I’ve stepped away from social media, is because it was taking up too much of my presence from my family and children and real life relationships. [A blog for another day]. But another reason is because of the mask a screen gives a person. It takes away the presence of human to human interaction and gives us the confidence, sometimes malice, and certainly a fake-ness to say whatever we want to whomever we want. Go search a hashtag for birth photography on Instagram, as I’m sure most of my friends haven’t even seen much of what I’m talking about here. You’ll see nipples, pubic hair, vaginas and naked women and you’ll also see harsh judgement and mean comments towards the people in the images and the people who’ve created the images.

Going back to the podcast I referenced at the beginning of this post, one of the things that Heather said that really stuck with me is her comments on adding value. Not just to birth photography. This is for EVERYTHING on the internet. Engage with the intention of adding value. Teach something. Learn Something. I don’t want to be on Instagram, because even though I’ve learned so much, been inspired so well and connected so deeply, I whole heartedly believe that space has become one giant popularity contest and is heavily competition based.

If we could enhance the value of the content, that is being given so freely [such as the inspiration, education and connection that can be found on the internet] we would be so much better off. Smarter Kinder, more fulfilled and joyous, growth oriented and open minded. If we stopped and thought about the why behind our post, image or comment there could be so much more to gain.

We are all entitled to say what we want, but when there isn’t value, then what is there?