Birth Photography

Birth photography is about telling your story. It’s about capturing your partner admiring your strength and beauty for hours as you bring your baby into the world. Its about remembering that your doula held your water bottle to your lips every 5 minutes for 2 days straight. Birth photography is about so much more than taking pictures. It gives you the opportunity to look back at one of the most momentous moments of your life and reflect. It’s about filling in the little moments for you that you might have missed while you were gloriously laboring without interruption. I’ve including some photo birth stories below so that you can see the importance of the little moments, the big moments, and the incredible impact that seeing them all together can have.

Welcome Fern Magdalena: Born into her Father’s Hands at Home

Husband kissing his wife on the top of her head while she is in labor.

Husband providing labor support to his wife while he is in the shower.

Feathers lit by christmas lights on the wall during a homebirth.

Two mothers, one nurse and a midwife talking in a kitchen during a home birth.

Home birth midwife Maura Winkler checking a baby's heart rate using a doppler.

A woman in a birth tub smiles as her husband says something sweet to her.

An anxious mother waiting to meet her new granddaughter.

A laboring woman with her husband, midwife and nurse surrounding her in a birth pool during her home birth.

A man giving counter pressure to his wife during labor in their Buffalo home birth.

A man attaching a hose to a kitchen sink to fill up a birth tub.

A man giving his wife a hip squeeze while her mother prays and rubs her head.

A woman in a birth pool surrounded by supportive people

Two older women waiting to become grandmothers.

Woman sleeping peacefully in a birth pool.

A woman pushing her baby out with her husbands arms around her.

Six people smiling while a laboring mother sits on a birthing stool.

A new mother holds her baby for the first time and smiles widely.

Home birth midwife cutting an umbilical cord.

A new mom and dad snuggle with their baby in bed immediately after their home birth.

A newborn baby wrapped in a striped receiving blanket.

A newborn baby crying in the arms of her mother and father.

A newborn baby with her hands folded in prayer.

It doesn’t matter where you choose to birth, how you choose to birth or who’s in the room. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want anyone but you to see the pictures. I just want to be there for you. You. You. You. This is all about you. Many first time parents don’t anticipate how life changing the birth of their first child will be. Many second time parents didn’t realize it the first time around and are ready to take charge the second time. You have the opportunity to get ahead of that. This is your journey and I will support your choices and shout them from the rooftops, if that’s what you ask of me. Hiring me as your doula or birth photographer means that you are declaring to yourself that you are worth it. Send me a message. Take that extra step for yourself. You DESERVE it.

Meeting Baby Alfie: A Serene Hospital Induction

Woman with her eyes closed laboring on a birth ball with her husband behind her.

Laboring mother holding hands with her husband in hospital birth tub with LED candle lights.

Man rolling a tennis ball on his wife's back while she labors leaning against the hospital bed.

Hospital labor and delivery nurse fills an IV bag.

Black and white image of a man giving counter pressure to a woman in the hospital.

Midwife watches a woman labor in the hospital.

Man stroking his wife's hair while her face is in her hands.

Husband and wife in hospital while woman works through a contraction.

Midwife Maura Winkler checks the heartbeat of a baby in a Buffalo, NY hospital Birth.

Man places cold washcloth on his partner's head while she rests.

Birth affirmation cards lying on a table.

Woman holds her baby for the first time in a hospital birth.

New mom is surprised and overjoyed as she holds her newborn bay.

naked newborn baby on his mother's chest.

Newborn baby held by mother who is being kissed on the forehead.

Mother looks down at breastfeeding newborn.

Black and white image of a new baby breastfeeding.

A nurse holds a newborn baby's head up to his mother's breast.

Newborn baby laying on the hairy chest of his father.

Dad with tattoo holds a newborn who is holding his head up and looking into the camera.

black and white photo of a man holding his newborn baby.

Many people ask how I can capture your birth story on camera while supporting you as your doula. In order to fully get it, you have to understand the scope of each service. The majority of my work as your doula is before the birth, providing extensive education and tools for you and your partner to use during labor. If I do my job correctly then you won’t notice when I show up during labor because you and your partner are rocking it. Many clients think of my doula services as an insurance policy. Think of it kind of like having a membership to AAA. You spend most of your time driving without incident but when your tire pops on the highway or you run out of gas, you are SO grateful to have that card in your wallet. Thats the doula part.

The photography portion overlaps during labor. When I’m not giving your partner bathroom breaks and filling up your water cup, you will find my camera is in my hand. Any skilled birth photographer knows that you don’t have to take a picture every 2 minutes to capture the essence of the birth. It’s about respecting the birth space and intentionally taking photos of moments that matter the most. After hours of labor the photos add up, even with the multitasking of doula support. The bulk of the work as your photographer is editing. The birth photographs you see here are not straight from the camera. It takes days to edit birth photos because of the unpredictability in lighting, the fast nature of the moment of birth and honestly just the sheer amount of photos. For this reason, it might take up to 2 weeks to receive your birth photos back, but honestly you are so busy with your new baby you hardly even notice.

Hey Little Gus: A Gentle Cesarean

Man behind a hospital curtain gets a sterile suit on before a cesarean section.

Black and white photo of a man with surgery scrubs.

A man and wife joke about chapstick while waiting for surgery.

Black and white photo of a pregnant woman waiting for a c-section.

OBGYN in Buffalo, NY in a hospital room.

A black and white image of an OBGYN and a pregnant woman before a c-section.

A man in surgery scrubs walks out of a hospital room.

Black and white reflection of a man and photographer in a hospital window.

black and white image of a labor and Delivery Operating room.

Man holding his wifes hand during cesarean section.

black and white image of a woman and the drape during a c-section.

Blue surgery drape and woman laying on operating table.

husband holds his hand on his wife's forehead during c-section.

Black and white image of newborn emerging over drape of cesarean section.

doctor making eye contact with camera before lifting baby above the curtain.

Doctor holding newborn above drape during c-section.

The doctors in Oishei Hospital perform c-section.

Cutting the umbilical cord in a cesarean section.

Newborn skin to skin in c-section in Buffalo, NY.

Newborn getting positive pressure ventilation in hospital operating room.

A mother kidding her newborn before he is taken to the NICU.

A newborn with an oxygen mask and NICU nurses.

A dad looks over his shoulder at his newborn baby in the warmer.

A black and white image of a newborn's cord, elbow, ear and hand.

A woman reaching for her husband's hand during a cesarean section surgery.

A newborn baby face down in the bassinet in the NICU.

Baby wrapped in pink and blue hospital blanket in a warmer.

Wheeling a mom out of the operating room after a cesarean section.

Cesareans can sometimes be tricky for birth photographers and doulas. I love accompanying families into the operating room and I find that families truly appreciate the extra support. My ability to gain entrance into the OR is largely based on permission from the attending surgical team. If you would like to have your cesarean birth photographed then please reach out and we can talk about options. Parents are their own best advocates. The stronger the voice of the client who requests to have their photographer in the room, the more likely they are to make it happen. Even if I’m not permitted into the room for surgery, there is tremendous value in capturing the prep, your brand new baby and postpartum recovery. The moment of birth isn’t the only part of your birth story, and it doesn’t have to stifle your dream of having a birth photographer. I will commonly stay for a few hours after your cesarean to photograph sibling and grandparent meetings too.

Good Morning Aurora Joye: How Lovely to Meet You

A woman in a sports bra labors in a blue birth pool with her husband behind her.

A midwife holds up a new baby in a birth pool.

A new mom and dad hold their baby in a birth pool.

A chocolate lab peeks his head into a birth pool after a baby was born.

newborn baby smiles at the camera after being born.

A newborn baby wrapped in a wet receiving blanket looks directly at the camera.

Midwife cutting umbilical cord in labor tub.

A picture of a newborn and his parents arms taken from above.

Many hands holding a baby floating in water.

Father doing skin to skin with his newborn baby

Black and white image of a newborn covered in a hand crocheted blanket.

Measuring the length of a baby during the newborn care assessment.

Black and white image of newborn baby toes.

A midwife measuring the chest of a newborn baby.

A midwife holds her hand on a newborn baby's chest.

A home birth midwife checks the heart beat of a baby at a home birth.

Dogs sit on the bed immediately after a homebirth.

Parents hold hands while the dog sits in the foreground.

A midwife assistant helped a newborn latch onto the breast during a home birth.

Dog sitting in the bed while a new mom breastfeeds for the first time.

A newborn baby's hair as she lays on a pillow and breastfeeds.

A newborn's head cupped gently by her father.

Photographing your birth is a privilege. I will never share photos from your birth without a signed model release. All images shown here are used with express consent from families. If you have concerns about privacy, please reach out, and I’m sure we can work through your hesitations together.

Birth Photography

Welcome Fern Magdalena: Born into her Father’s Hands at Home

Meeting Baby Alfie: A Serene Hospital Induction

Hey Little Gus: A Gentle Cesarean

Good Morning Aurora Joye: How Lovely to Meet You

Now Serving Brooklyn and Manhattan

nicholevirag@gmail.com | (315) 879-5449