Frequently Asked Questions

  • Birth photography is the art of capturing your entire birth experience. From labor and delivery to your baby’s first kisses, snuggles and meeting family members... imagine those all encompassed in a photojournalistic and unobtrusive manner.

  • Due to the unpredictability of birth, the cost reflects the service you receive as well as the time invested by me as your photographer. I will be on call for a month surrounding your due date, keeping my schedule clear of all travel plans. $500 is due at booking to reserve your on-call month. All pricing is subject to Virginia's 5% sales tax for Virginia residents.

  • I arrive at your birth once active labor has started (about 5-6cm dilated) and stay until the baby is all clean and settled into your arms, usually a few hours after delivery.

  • Absolutely. It is vital that we meet and you are comfortable with my presence during your birth. If we find that our personalities are not a good match, I am happy to recommend other local photographers.

  • I ask that I am given as much notice as possible of impending labor (showing any signs at all) so that I can begin making arrangements for childcare, but I understand births happen at all hours of the day or night. You can call or text me at any time and I will be there as soon as possible, even if it is at 2am!

  • I understand. If this is a big concern of yours, of course I am happy to respect your comfort level (which is of upmost importance during labor). We can talk in person about this and your limitations. I will be as honest as possible about whether or not I will feel your limits may restrict the outcome of your birth session.

  • Emotions. Moments. The story. Prior to your birth, we will discuss what you are comfortable with me photographing. Don't worry, I won't get that shot if you don't want me to. This is something we'll nail down before you go into labor!

  • There is a lot of activity surrounding a c-section that creates a story worth being told through photographs! I will come with you to the hospital and can catch all of the going on's as you prepare to enter the OR. If I am unable to join you in the OR, I will send my camera in with your parter (I will put the camera on auto). Once you are in recovery and reunited with your baby, I will continue to capture your birth story as you enjoy your first moments holding and snuggling with your new baby. I will process and deliver all of the images (even those taken by your partner).

  • I will do my absolute best to be at your labor despite not being on-call. If I am able to come, I will of course be sensitive to the situation at hand and capture as much as I possibly can. If I were to miss your birth, it is possible to use your birth photography investment as a credit towards a newborn session, or any other type of portrait session.

  • I encourage all serious inquiries to reserve their estimated due month with me as soon as they know they want to book me as their birth photographer. Your retainer fee remains refundable until you reach your second trimester. If something were to happen with your pregnancy during the second or third trimester that prevents me from fulfilling the services you reserved, your retainer fee can be forwarded dollar-to-dollar to another service or product of your choice. This credit will not expire.

  • If I were to miss your birth during the time in which I am on-call (within 2 weeks of your EDD), you can use your birth photography investment as a credit towards any other type of baby or family session I offer.

  • Please call or text me as soon as something begins to happen. This gives me a good heads up to prepare childcare for my children. Once you are in active labor, have your partner keep in touch with me and I will come right over as soon as I can.

  • No way. Birth is beautiful and intimate, but there are plenty of images I can use on the internet to display the beauty of birth without showing nudity of any kind. That said, there may be a time after the birth when I ask if I can lay a blanket over you or the baby to help to keep the images conservative, but this is a very rare occurrence. If you decide you do not want any of your images shared publicly, I will absolutely respect your wishes for privacy.

  • 7 days before and 21 days after your due date - for a total of four weeks.

  • Typically I stay for about 2hrs or so after delivery. This usually gives us enough time to capture all of the tiny events that occur during early postpartum wrapping up with you settling into your alone time with your baby. I will ask before I leave if there are any other photos you would like me to take to make sure you are comfortable with my departure time.

  • You will receive a few of the best images of your baby in email within 48 hours of the birth. The rest will be delivered through a digital download approximately 30 days after the baby's birthday.

  • I will assess the situation and make a decision in the moment. Most likely I will stick around for some time either until the situation has passed or until someone is able to update me. Then, I can use my experience to judge what my next step should be.

  • I use all professional-grade equipment from the Canon line. I do have an external flash and I bring it with me to births, but I don’t often use it. I love to capture the true atmosphere of births to help tell an accurate picture story of your experience.

  • Birth photography is not for everyone and I understand that! However, I would absolutely recommend booking some sort of baby photo session to capture these fleeting moments. A hospital session the day after your baby is born is a great substitute for birth photography. I do get asked from time to time to help potential clients choose between a hospital or at-home newborn session. Both session types have their own benefits, but if I had to choose, I would pick a hospital session, hands down. Those are memories that can never be recaptured and you cannot book a hospital session on a whim after you deliver. An in-home newborn session at two weeks or two months can always be scheduled after you are released from the hospital and can be similar. However, capturing the short season of your hospital stay and those first hours (literally) of your baby's life is a priceless investment you won't regret choosing.