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For many families, birth is an exhilarating blur. It's wonderful, but you may forget some of the details of your child's entrance into the world in the excitement. Having a professional photographer on hand is one of the best ways to ensure you remember the minutiae, because they can document the important moments for you. Checking out some of the best birth photographers on Instagram may help you see why birth photography can make such a difference if you aren't as familiar with the work.
Birth photography has only become popular in the last decade or so according to The New York Times, as outdated taboos around childbirth persist into the modern age. But as more and more people see birth as an awe-inspiring experience that should be honored, having a photographer in the birthing room has become vital to many families. Not only do they capture a child's first breath, they can also give families a different perspective. Delivering moms can see their babies crown, for instance, and extended family members who are unable to physically be in the room can see the moment the bundle of joy joins their family later.
Birth photography helps families connect, and it removes stigmas around birth in the process. Whether you're already a fan or just want to learn more, these birth photographer Instagram accounts can show you a whole new side of delivery.
1Ina Boteva
Ina Boteva is a Dallas based birth photographer, where she captures the thrill of birth, maternity shoots, and those first, special moments after a child is born. Her feed highlights skin-to-skin contact in particular, as well as water births. You can also see her work in Romper's "Birth Photos Of 3 Generations" roundup.
2Rachel Utain-Evans
If you're a fan of all things family, you'll love Rachel Utain-Evans' feed, as it gives you a stunning combination of birth photos and lifestyle family shoots. Based in Philadelphia, Utain-Evans works with doulas to make the process better for families. Her work has already been featured on Romper, and her Instagram is full of intimate shots.
3Sabel Moments Birth
Samantha of Sabel Moments describes her work as "raw, real, and emotional" on her Instagram page, and the intimate shots she takes of water births in particular explain why. She gives viewers the nitty gritty of birth, highlighting the beauty of those moments. Samantha is based in Texas, where she does wedding photography, too.
4Kate Pavlovsky
Kate is a photographer and doula, giving her a unique perspective as she captures birth. Shooting in the San Antonio area, Kate can document all of the early moments of a baby's life, including maternity shoots, birth shoots, fresh 48 shoots, and even milk bath shoots. And if you hire her as a doula, she'll still take photos as she supports you, giving you the best of both worlds.
5Helen Joy
Helen Joy George is a birth and lifestyle photographer, as well as an author and doula. She's based in Asheville, North Carolina, and her Instagram features a combination of sweet family shots and stunning photos of babies joining their parents earth side. You'll feel like you know the families featured on her page.
6A Wondered Life
Rebecca Coursey-Rugh's work seems to be dedicated to motherhood, in all its glory and pain. She's an L.A. birth and documentary photographer, as well as a mother and doula, and her Instagram shows photos of birth, mothers breastfeeding, and other tender family moments. Her work is award-winning, including First Place Labor Category in the Birth Becomes Her Birth Birth Photography Contest for 2019.
7Erin Heuser
Erin Heuser photographs the babies of Florida, because she believes birth offers "New life and a flood of absolute love. Something you never want to forget," as she explains on her website. Her close ups are particularly moving, like her shots of tiny baby feet or a mother as she gives a final push. She posts many black and white shots, so she's a great account to follow if you want that on your feed.
8Desire To Inspire Photography
Angie Petersen, based in Australia, is the mastermind behind Desire To Inspire Photography, and her Instagram is dedicated exclusively to birth photos to warm the cockles of your heart. (She has a separate account for her other photography.) She posts graphic photos of birth on the page, celebrating maternal strength in all of her posts. The page mostly shows off hospital births, so you can see birth from that perspective.
9Dora Barens Geboortefotografie
Amsterdam photographer Dora Barens has won awards for her birth photography, which captures the emotional experience of bringing a child into the world. She focuses on birth photography because of "all the small but oh-so-important details," as she says on her website. That attention to the small moments shows in her posts.
10Kayla Reeder
Destin birth photographer Kayla Reeder captures the whole birth experience — labor pains, a child's first breath, the moment they meet their siblings. Her photos tell a story, as do the blog posts she makes about the families she shoots. Reeder makes every birth she photographs seem like the most important moment of someone's life, which it is.
11Timothy Clopp
Ohio local Timothy Clopp doesn't only photograph births, as he shoots weddings and families as well. The variety of his work makes his birth shoots feel like a part of a greater human narrative. His Instagram mostly consists of birth photos, though, and you can visit his birth blog for the stories behind the pictures.
12Jen Conway
Jen Conway shows off families of all shapes and sizes on her page, celebrating however people choose to create a family. She lives in Greenville, where she works as a photographer and doula. Her work has been featured in a myriad of publications and won awards, and the vulnerability of her subjects shines through in all of her photos.
13Lawren Snapka
Lawren Snapka is a birth photographer and videographer in Dallas, Texas, and she also specializes in documentary family photography. The detailed captions she writes on her Instagram posts give context to the stunning shots, and you'll want to follow along just for the stories. Plus, Snapka recently won 3rd place in the Birth category for Documentary Family Awards in 2018, so keep an eye on her. She's just getting started.
14Sacred Birth Stories
Sacred Birth Stories is run by tag team Christi Hunt and Ashley Grimes, friends and photographers who work together to document the magic of birth through pictures and videos. They work in the Washington area, and their Instagram features a mix of emotional and joyful posts. You can also follow each photographer's personal pages for even more impressive photography skills.
15Dana Jacobs Photography
Dana Jacobs makes stunning birth films in addition to her photography, offering even more ways to document a baby's entrance into the world. You'll see many close up shots of the babies of St. Louis on her Instagram, including shots featured in the Birth Becomes Her contest. With a mix of black and white and colorful candid shots, you'll feel like you're in the room with her subjects.
16Fox Valley Birth And Baby
Fox Valley is made up of a team of birth photographers and doulas who work together to give their clients a positive and memorable birth experience. They work in Northeast Wisconsin, and their photos are intimate, raw, and honest. This photo won first place in the Birth Becomes Her Contest, and it's just one example of their gorgeous work.
17Norma Hess Photography
Normas Hess runs Sojourning Birth, a birth photo, family photo, and doula service in Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and her focus is on telling her clients' stories the way they want to be told. You'll see a mix of birth, fresh 48, and family photo sessions if you follow her Instagram, but the theme of authentic emotion connects all the images. And her work has appeared in Romper before, so her name might be familiar to you.
18Jessica Worland Photography
Jessica Worland does it all when it come to birth: photography, videography, doula services, and childbirth education. A self described "birth nerd" on her website, Worland shows an unyielding support for motherhood in her photos. Her Instagram will give you an idea of all the different moments moms face as they bring tiny humans into the world and raise them.
19Life Diagrams Photography
What strikes me about Life Diagrams' Rebecca Edmonson's Instagram page is how many shots she has of parents embracing their children. It's rare for the Texas photographer to post a photo of a baby that isn't being cradled by a parent; she's a master at capturing familial love. She's won awards for her work, already been featured on Romper, and there's an honesty to her work that will keep you coming back for more.
20Kayla Grey
Kayla Grey runs Austin Birth Photos, a birth photography and videography company. She uses words like sacred and uncensored to describe her internationally acclaimed work on her site, and she is fearless in her commitment to documenting birth as it really is. She typically posts multiple photos of each birth she captures on her Instagram, giving you the full story.
21Vanessa Mendez Photography
Vanessa Mendez captures families exactly as they are in her photography, and her work stands out because it highlights the beauty of the every day. You can see families at all stages on her Instagram, with ecstatic birth photos that don't shy away from the harder moments. She captures at home, hospital, and water births; inclusivity is a hallmark of her work.
22Daniela Justus
Daniela Justus' award-winning photographs of pregnancy, birth, and families in Rio de Janeiro lean into the joy of family life. Her Instagram highlights parents who are thrilled to meet their little ones, and I felt a sense of hope as I scrolled through her page. Her pictures are a reminder of the good in the world.
23Kendra Miller Photography
Kendra Miller is a Kansas City birth photographer who is unafraid to get up and close and personal with her subjects. She told Romper via email that she feels "honored to be invited into such an intimate and sacred space as the birth space," and her respect for the process is clear in her posts. She also shared her own birth story to her page, so you'll feel like you know her.
24Rebekah Nathan
Working in the Vancouver area, all of Rebekah Nathan's photos have a natural feel. Her subjects looks candid and at ease in her posts, and her lengthy captions will help you get to know them and the birth experience, too. And her work as a doula allows her to know her subjects even more intimately.
25Kirstie Perez
The first word that comes to mind when you look at Kirstie Perez's photos is "real." Whether it's a shot of a mom sipping a soda while holding her newborn or a tub clouded by afterbirth, Perez shows the authentic moments that make birth the one of a kind experience that it is. She's based in Dallas, and she creates videos as well as photos.
26Mosaic Birth Stories
Another Texas team, Mosaic Birth Stories is run by Sabrena Rexing and Rebecca Meyer, a photography and videography duo skilled at capturing the initial bonding moments between parents and babies. Their Instagram shows off maternal strength and beautiful infants, mixing candids and more posed shots. The pair has over 10 years of experience, and it shows in their polished work.
27Marysol Blomerus Photography
Marysol's birth photography is renowned in South Africa, and a quick scroll through her Instagram will show you why. All of her pictures have a different feel because they're personalized to the family she's capturing at the time, so there's an inherent variety to her work. She also draws attention to the way birth can bond a couple in her photos, adding another dimension.
28Maggie Shackelford
Maggie Shackelford's mission is to "empower families through story," according to her website, which is reflected in both the pictures she takes and the way she describes the images. She captures a vulnerability in her subjects and then shares their moments on her page, writing about birth with respect and awe. She doesn't shy away from the nitty gritty, so be prepared for shots of placentas and crowning alongside more posed images.
29Tru Love Birth Photography
Kayla Zuidersma of Ontario's Tru Love Birth Photography is another photographer and doula combination, so she supports her clients as much as possible. Her Instagram page reflects the double duty, as it consists of birth photos and more educational posts about birth and babies. It's a great account to follow if you want to learn and see stunning images of birth.
30Momma KT Shoots
Katie Lacer splits her time between birth photography and portraits, and her ability to capture both candids and posed shots masterfully is impressive to say the least. She's committed to sticking with her birth clients as much as possible, capturing cesarians as you can see above and even going to the NICU with families when she can, she explains on her website. You'll see all of her photography on her page, so don't be surprised if portraits pop up on your feed in addition to birth shots.
31Cradled Creations
Cradled Creations' Jaydene Freund works out of Vancouver, documenting birth through photos and videos. She posts the raw moments of childbirth on her Instagram, showing the pain, the joy, the sense of shock, and everything in between. Whether it's at home or in a hospital, Freund captures birth with dignity.
32Erika Townend
Specializing in photography, doula services, and hypnobirthing, Erika Townend says she takes photos for "sentimental couples who believe in pushing boundaries" on her website. There's a family feel to her Instagram, as you'll see photos of newborns with her siblings, parents, and extended support system. She's based in the UK, so you can admire her work from across the pond.
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