Birth

This was my first time photographing a birth. Carrie is one of my best friends so there was that. She really wanted to get that first photo of the two of them meeting. But as things progressed... some other things did not, and it ended in a C-section, where I was, of course, not allowed to be. The cool part is that as they brought Carrie back in with her baby laying there, she still hadn't really been able to meet her daughter yet, what with that oxygen mask and being drugged up and tired. In the end I got to capture the first time she truly saw her and the nurse unwrapped her and handed her over.

Being a photographer is weird sometimes. Being there I felt the impulse more to comfort my friend, rather than to document her pain. These moments will reveal a lot about the kind of photographer you are, and it left me wondering. But Carrie loves these photos now and others seem to appreciate them as well and I feel like they are special- and that in the end I was able to give Carrie more than comfort. (which, she had a great support team of her husband and mom and even mother-in-law. If she had been all alone or something, pretty sure I would have put down the camera. What I'm getting at is that comfort in these moments is so so important and bonding, and I am not claiming these photos are better than that. I just mean from me to her, this was better. And now I'm done rambling about THAT.) :)

If you would like to read the story in Carrie's words, you have that chance HERE