How did you become interested in photography? I always kind of refer to it as a gift that was revealed to me. I was given my first “real” camera when I was 15 and have been taking pictures ever since. I’ve been developing my eye for 20 years now! Having a camera in my hand feels like an extension of me. It feels like it is what I’m meant to do here.  How did you become interested in birth? Experiencing birth myself is really what drove me to it. I was present at the birth of my brother when I was 15, which kind of rocked my worldview. And I was a teenager when I had my firstborn, so I carried what I learned from watching it into that birth experience and had a successful unmedicated hospital birth. I breastfed for six months too which I don’t think I would’ve done had I not been exposed to it with my brother. After realizing how badass all of that was for a teenager in a small town in Michigan, I started to follow blogs that talked about birth stories and started reading doula and midwifery books. But it wouldn’t be until after a traumatic birth with my second born that I would start to pursue my interest. At first I thought I might want to be a midwife, but the prerequisite to that was doula training anyway so I completed Labor & Postpartum Doula training through Birthingway College of Midwifery and started learning everything I could. I had my third and final baby and did not end up pursuing midwifery. I would first enter the birth space as a photographer, which isn’t what I was expecting, but it turns out that I have something valuable to offer as a storyteller with doula training. I find the whole process fascinating and I love that I get to be there and help tell people’s birth stories through my imagery.  What is your photography style like? Documentary. Photojournalistic. Intentional Storytelling. I like to capture life exactly as it is. I don’t like to overshoot, only stepping in to photograph a moment and letting the next unfold however it does. What is it like to have a birth photographer at a birth? I like to think of myself as much of a part of the team as I am also just a fly on the wall. I am good at adapting to the atmosphere and going with the flow of birth. As a trained birth worker, I like to lend my skills to the situation whenever needed. A birth photographer is there to document what’s happening, so there is no posing or pressure to create picture perfect moments.  How do clients describe how it was for them for you to be there taking photos? Some words that have been used to describe what that experience was like with me- “safe, comfortable, welcoming, supportive, knowledgeable” “chill & peaceful presence” is a compliment I get a lot “unobtrusive so not to disturb the process of labor and delivery” Clients often remark that they barely noticed my camera. I think the overwhelming feedback I get is that they are so thankful that I was there to document their birth story. That I made them look and feel beautiful and helped them process their birth through my art. Do you have a favorite kind of client? When a person is open enough to allow us to become quick friends and talk as if we’ve been in each other’s lives for years-that’s the kind of client I tend to attract and that is how we end up telling the most authentic stories together. Often times I end up working with people I would be friends with anyway, our interests and values align. And I do have big love for the queer community and telling those stories always feels special and continues to inform my own journey as a queer person.  What services do you offer? Maternity, birth, newborn and family photography as well as portrait and brand photography. I want to tell your story, so anything that lends itself to that kind of photography! I have a small print shop with my nature photography up on my website that I’m hoping to expand. I am still trying to figure out my place in the birth world after a few years of not being as immersed in it, but I’m open to both birth photography and doula clients!
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Photography by Meg Ross Photography, Tanya Hladik, @mindfulwayfarer, @dijanaszewczyk, and Chelsea Jones