Why is birth photography so expensive?

“Shooting a birth is like getting an inquiry from a bride saying that she wants you to come photograph her wedding, but isn’t going to set a date. She’ll just call you whenever. When you ask her how many hours of coverage she would like, she says she’s not sure, probably around 24, but maybe only 2. And you ask her when she’d like for you to start coverage and she says she won’t know, but probably around 2 am. And also, that she doesn’t want any use of flash.

So when you ask her if there will be bountiful natural light she says that she’ll be getting married in a dark closet with no light whatsoever. And, she’s going to want the images right away to send out announcements. AND you’re not going to be able to use them anywhere on your website or blog because she wants to keep her privacy intact.” 

Birth Photography is so unique and in terms of cost, it compares closely to high-end wedding photography. It takes some serious dedication and skill. I love what I do, and all my clients. I knew when decided to offer birth photography, I would miss a holiday, birthday or anniversary. Birth is also not like other photography because we can’t book multiple sessions per day or even per week. 

I understand that it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that your photographer shows up, pushes a button, and then delivers you a gallery. Seems simple and straightforward enough, right? For most birth photographers though, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. More often than not, the bulk of the work exists not in showing up and documenting your birth, but in the selection and post-processing of your gallery. The development of the skill that’s required to do this takes many YEARS to perfect. It simply isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a constant, daily process of learning and refining, learning and refining.

Births have no predetermined amount of time when it will happen or when it will end. We will be on call for clients for 3-4 weeks. Which means 24/7, we will carry our phone everywhere we go. We take our camera equipment with us if we leave the house, and if we leave with family it’s like a convoy, in case we have to leave at a moments notice. We sometimes will miss out on special events with our families. Think of birth photography like wedding photography except that birth photography has no set day/time/length. Instead of putting it in my calendar as a Saturday wedding day, I block off 4 weeks in my calendar and keep the phone by my side the whole time. When I get called in for a birth I have no idea how long I will be there. I could be away from my family for 10-30 hours or even more with home births.

The on-call life is not easy and not for everyone so those that choose to offer birth photography have a passion for it and truly want to give their clients the most amazing birth experience they can. I wanted so badly to be able to see new life brought into this world. I love babies and have two children of my own and each of their births was so special that I knew in my heart this is what I wanted to do. Photographers that offer birth photography choose it because it’s a passion of theirs. The scarifies they make in their lives to be there for this important event in yours is because we love being able to capture the amazing moments for you.

Now with all that being said, you can see why birth photography is so expensive and we charge what we do. All that I mentioned above doesn’t even include after I have photographed your birth. I have to sort through 100’s of images, edit those images and make sure they are backed up.

Birth photography is expensive and it’s not something everyone can afford but if it’s something you truly want, make sure you find a photographer you connect with and has the style you are looking for.

For those that want to have a birth photographer but think they have to pay all at once most birth photographers offer payment plans. I take a retainer and require the balance be paid in full within a week of birth, which is when I go on call. If you truly want a birth photographer at your birth, ask them what type of payments plans they can offer so you can make it work within your budget.

So if birth photography isn’t in the budget for your family, or if having images from your birth isn’t a priority to you, that’s completely understandable! Just don’t lose sight of the value in hiring a professional. Congratulations, on your new miracle. I pray God blesses you with a speedy and healthy delivery!