Beginner Birth Photography

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jomantha

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I am a Doula, for those who don't know - that's a non medical birth companion. I have just acquired a D7000 and bought a Tamron 24-70 f2.8 so that I can start adding birth photography to my package, not maternity, not newborn, raw and powerful birth.

Does anyone else do this?
 
I've only ever heard of parents doing this themselves, not hiring someone to do it. I can't imagine the market for this is huge, in my experience it would only be a subset of women who would want someone running around getting in the way taking photos at that stage! Also, if I was hiring a birth companion I'd arguably want them up with me and not down taking photos. Sort of defeats the point. That said, I'm a man.

Is this in response to client requests?
 
Yeah it's big in the US I know, but here in the UK would be a limited market Id say the biggest block will be those hospital births.

Also, I personally think it's not appropriate in hospital births either but thats only me talking as a neonatal nurse.
 
If I were you, I'd check a few hospitals and make enquiries there. The NHS may be reluctant to allow a photographer "getting in the way" of a birth. Knowing how they work, they probably even have a policy. If that ends up being the case, your market size is irrelevant unless you restrict yourself further to home births/more relaxed private hospitals.
 
Sounds like another questionable form of American photography trying to make it's way over.
 
I can see a market for it, but perhaps a limited one in terms of the number of geographical territories that could support someone enough to make it a significant enough part of their income stream to become specialised.

The one question that comes to mind is, does this not interfere with your role as Doula?
 
Alastair said:
The one question that comes to mind is, does this not interfere with your role as Doula?
Click to expand...

that was my thought too - surely you can't do both
 
Although I suspect a Doula (or better yet a private midwife) may be a good person to work alongside in order to have a market involving both a higher than average income and a higher than average number of home births.
 
Go nicely with the funeral photographer role recently debated here.

It was many years ago now, but when my kids were born, the parents were told in no uncertain terms by the hospital 'no cameras' as a husband/videographer had recently tripped and caused a lot of extra stitches for his partner!

Some things are better retained in memory.......its hardly the sort of photography that you want to be passing round the relatives at the Christmas Party......:jawdrop:
 
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Alastair said:
The one question that comes to mind is, does this not interfere with your role as Doula?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing maybe a possibility but some women may like it, means they have the partner their for major pain abuse instead of camera time, but the Doula can still guide and calm and do I would guess most of their agreed job in between.
 
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