Are you asking yourself, “Should I become a birth photographer?”

 

Maybe you’ve seen it, or you’ve heard about it, and you’re trying to decide if birth photography might be the right fit for your business.

Or, perhaps you’ve been photographing births for a while and the on-call lifestyle is starting to get to you.

 

If so, I want to re-motivate you.

 

Birth photography is unique and different than any other genre of photography. It has its challenges, but there are really awesome things about it too that I want to go over with you.

 

This is for somebody who is considering birth photography or is already a birth photographer. It’s really for everybody. It can re-motivate you if you’ve photographed a lot of births, and it can point out the awesome things if you’re a photographer who hasn’t decided if you want to do it one way or the other.

 

You know, what’s really cool about birth photography is—if you guys have been photographers long enough to remember—newborn photography hasn’t always been a thing. Back in 2007-ish, newborn photography wasn’t really a thing. Most people didn’t get photos taken until their babies were like 3–6 months old.

 

I don’t even really know where this posed newborn photography came from, but it started around that time and now it’s huge. Everybody does newborn photography.

 

Birth photography is going to be the same. I think we’re just at the very, very beginning baby stages of where birth photography is going in the future, so if it’s something you’re considering, now is a really great time to be a birth photographer.

 

If you get in there early and you adapt early to birth photography, you are going to be the expert in your area.

 

You’ll be somebody who can charge a premium because you know what you’re doing and you’ve been doing it for a long time.

It feels like a lot of people are doing it, but in reality, there’s not. It’s a brand new genre.

 

Still asking yourself, “Should I become a birth photographer?” Well, here are 6 reasons now is the time to be a birth photographer!

 

#1: You Don’t Have to Pose Anyone

I do pose newborns, and I actually kinda like posed newborns and posed sessions, but I know a lot of birth photographers are like, “I don’t want to pose people” or, “I don’t know how to pose people.” That is reason number one that birth photography is awesome. I do love that about it.

You’re basically a lifestyle photographer. You’re a photo-journalistic photographer. You get to stand back, photograph things as they happen. You don’t have to direct anybody, and you don’t have to be in charge. You can just photograph the scene as it happens. 

 

#2: You Get Once-in-a-Lifetime Raw Emotion

This is obvious but it’s worth mentioning because it’s amazing—is that you get once-in-a-lifetime raw emotion. This is an epic time that you get to just see people in this raw emotion. Similar to a wedding, but I would argue even more emotional.

 

 

You can’t force this kind of emotion. This is the kind of emotion that comes from people experiencing something that is truly once in a lifetime.

 

That is what I absolutely love about birth photography. You can try to fake it, or you can try to force it in different types of sessions, but birth photography is truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

 

#3: You’re Bonded with Clients for Life

They’re always going to remember you. They’re always going to recommend you to other people.

This is just such a bonding experience. They’re much more likely to hire you in the future for newborn sessions or family sessions.

Think about the bond you have with portrait clients—which can be a good bond, especially after newborn sessions—but think about the connection you’ll have with birth clients.

 

You have experienced something with them that not a lot of other people will get to experience. Their doctor and their spouse, usually—and now, you.

 

 

There’s just something special about getting to photograph these babies as they get bigger when I was there for their birth, and then I’m there for their six-month session, their one-year session, when they become a big brother or sister. I just get to see these families grow. That’s something really, really special and unique about birth photography.

 

#4: You Get to Give Another Mom Something You Didn’t Have

This is a big reason for me personally; I want to give moms something that I didn’t have.

When I was pregnant with my second baby I actually hired a birth photographer who didn’t show up because I was in labor for two days. I was induced on Monday morning and my son was born on a Tuesday night. She didn’t come to my birth because she didn’t expect me to be in labor for so long.

Looking back, there were some red flags that I should’ve recognized as far as professionalism and price point, but that’s a huge regret of mine that I didn’t hire a quality birth photographer for his birth.

That’s a big reason for me. It’s because I want to give moms something that I didn’t have. I want to be someone reliable. No matter how long they’re in labor, no matter when they give birth, I’m going to be there.

 

I’m going to be someone they can count on because that’s something I didn’t have.

 

#5: It’s a Brand New Genre

Birth photography is a brand new genre. Back in 2007–08, newborn photography as it exists today didn’t exist. You went to Sears or Target when your baby was 3, 4, or 5 months old, and that was the first time they had their picture taken.

Then, newborn photography came on the scene and now everybody gets newborn portraits. It’s such a normal thing. Back then, that was not a normal thing. Newborn photography was not like it is today, and I really think birth photography is going to end up where newborn photography is. It’s going to be a thing where people are like, “Oh, get your birth photographer.”

 

This is the perfect time to jump into birth photography. It you’re ever going to become a birth photographer, now is the time.

 

You might feel like there are so many birth photographers already, but in reality, compared to what there’s going to be in the future, there aren’t. So now is the time to jump in and just dominate the market.

Even if there are already some birth photographers in your area, you can still be that go-to birth photographer for everybody. So I think it’s just a really exciting time for birth photography.

 

#6: It’s Easy to Stand Out

Think about any time you post a birth image versus a portrait image.

Birth photography just naturally gets a lot more attention.

It’s easier to stand out on social media, it’s easier to stand out in general as a photographer.

If you say, “I’m a photographer” it’s like, “Oh, cool.” If you say “I’m a birth photographer,” think about how much more that stands out in people’s minds. It’s easy to stand out from other photographers as a birth photographer.

 

Conclusion

Being a birth photographer has completely changed my photography business. It’s completely changed my life.

It has challenges, but all of the reasons I just listed are reasons why it’s a great idea to become a birth photographer. It helps your business in the future with future portrait sessions, it bonds you with clients for life, it helps you stand out.

I absolutely love being a birth photographer, and I know if you’re here, it’s something that you’re interested in and you’d absolutely love too.

 

Special Note

If you guys aren’t already in our Facebook group, it’s called “Marketing for Birth Photographers”. Come hang out with us over there. I’m in that group all the time talking about stuff, sharing information, all that kind of stuff. Hop over there if you need help or ideas about marketing your business.