The birth of Peter Martin

So you’ve already seen the sweet result of this labor and delivery, but I wanted to share with you the slideshow I presented to mom and dad last week of their son’s birth. Tracy is a dear friend and I asked her if I could shoot her delivery. She and her husband agreed and we talked before hand about what she did and did not want. Mostly we wanted to keep the photos tasteful and full of emotion. I was very inspired by this woman’s birth photography. I knew I too wanted to do all black and white for the slideshow. And here it is:
 

The birth of Peter from Amber Garrison on Vimeo.

 
(click over to Vimeo to view in high defβ€”trust me, you want to!)
I’m not sure what Tracy was expecting but she love, loved, loved the results and that made me so happy. Her husband said that they had to do this for the next kid too. The crazy thing is Tracy has next to no memory of me taking pictures! I faded into the background like I was hoping to do. The photos of the clocks and things she kept saying, “I don’t remember you taking these.” Or, “how did you get that?”Β I can tell you this was my all time favorite thing to shoot. I loved getting all the details, the hand holding, the comforting. I loved seeing baby Peter being born and capturing those wonderful first moments. The joy in the room, the exclamations as he was measured and weighed. It was all so wonderful. A few of my favorites:










I am working on a package for birth photography but I’m definitely going to be limiting my sessions. Mostly because I will never know exactly when/how long they will be. But also because I do not want to overlap and risk missing a birth! Β I’m planning on serving Salem Hospital, Silverton Hospital, Belle Vie Birth Center, and home births within a 25 minute drive.
What do you think about having a birth photographed? The reactions I get from people are usually, “you want to do what?!?!” I just don’t think people see all the beauty in the little things that come before and after the big moment. I love the photos that Sciarrino took of me in labor mainly because it’s impossible to remember as it really was. There is so much emotion. I would love to have a slideshow and album to look back on every year. And I bet children who have their births photographs will revisit the images through out their whole lives.

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11 Comments

  1. Oh Amber, That video of your friend’s birthing experience was so powerful. Very beautiful. You captured so many little details, and obviously delighted Tracy with your attention to the little things.
    Peter’s birth was lovely, especially that wondrous look on Tracy’s face when she meets him. The shots at the end with big brother were luminous with beautiful light and the joy of a new, larger family unit. Really awesome work! I wish the birth of my children had been recorded in such a wonderful way. You go girl! You’re really good at this. Loved the music too.

  2. I love these photos. I still remember the photos from Tuesday’s birth. I think I will always remember the one of your handprints on BJ’s back. It is so awesome for Tracy that she will always have these beautiful pictures to remember all of the joy they felt that first day. I never even thought of the impact these would have on baby Peter as he grows up. This is pretty awesome. I remember not wanting anyone in the room except Andrew when I was in labor with Chloe, but after seeing how awesome it was, I think I would be more open to it this time around- but I am with Tracy, keep it PG! I’ll bet you will see more second time Moms open to the photo idea. I had never heard of birth photography, I think you own the market at this point!

  3. Wow, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen…brought tears to my eyes. I wish you were around when I had my kids. Fantastic.

  4. So sweet! That slideshow is awesome!! I would love to have this if we ever have any more kiddos πŸ™‚

  5. Simply beautiful, the moments you captured were perfect and really told the story well. It’s easy to understand why they loved the photos. Wonderful!

  6. I don’t think I have commented before this, but I have been reading for a while. I really enjoy your blog. I have a 2 year old, and it’s fun to see Tuesday doing things similar to him. πŸ™‚
    My husband and I hired a doula for our son’s birth. One of the things she included in her “package” was that she took pictures after the birth. At the time we hired her, that didn’t seem like the most important thing she would do…but it was. My husband and I treasure those pictures of both of us meeting our little boy for the first time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The photos alone were worth the money we paid for the doula. The doula services turned out to the be “extra.” πŸ™‚

  7. Beautiful!!! You really have a talent to capture special moments! πŸ™‚ I wish you could photograph my next child….:)

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