Pros and Cons to having a friend photograph your birth
You want photos from your birth, right? Of course you do! The question is: should you hire a professional or just have your friend (or sister, mom, or whoever) photograph your birth?
Everyone has a halfway decent camera in their pocket nowadays, so why not ask everyone to grab some photos to remember the day rather than paying a bunch of money to hire someone?
Good question!
Now listen, bottom line is: I want you to have birth photos one way or another. This is a majorly significant day! Please get photos for yourself somehow!
I totally get that not everyone feels the need for professional level photos. (Though I have to wave a little flag here that says “You get more with me than just a person with a good camera!”) Many people are perfectly happy with a few snaps on their phone.
But if you’re debating the question with yourself, let me help you with a pro/con list to address the question of having a friend photograph your birth.
Pros:
It’s cheap. As in free. This is probably the main pro most people think about. Having a baby is expensive and it’s nice to keep costs low on this one.
You already already invited them so they’re going to be there anyway. May as well give them a useful job to do!
They love you and really want to do something nice for you.
You love them so you know you’ll feel comfortable having them around.
It’s easy! Just ask. No interviews or special arrangements to make.
Cons:
I’ll set these up as questions because I don’t know what kind of experience your friend might have. So depending on the answer, it may be a con, or… your friend may already be a professional birth photographer?
Is your friend an expert on birth? There are many things to watch for and be aware of in the birth process to know what photos to be ready to take. Has your friend studied these things or do they have a lot of experience with the many different situations that can happen at a birth?
Anyone can point a camera and push the button, but does your friend have an eye for composition, angles, and lighting?
Who will take the photos if your friend ends up being sick that day?
What kind of photo equipment will your friend be using? Situations and lighting in birth can change quickly and if you don’t have equipment that can handle it all, the photos may not turn out so great.
Do you need your friend to support you physically? Or run errands for you? If so, will they miss an important moment?
Does your friend have the ability to edit the photos so they look their very best? Of course there are some editing options on phones, but it’s minimal unless she has a professional editing program. Does she also have skill with editing?
Can your friend provide you with professional quality printed artwork, custom-designed, and hand delivered?
Visual Comparison
It may be helpful to see a real quick visual comparison of what you might get from a friend vs. a professional. They’ve both lovely memorable photos, but there is a clear difference in quality. Does that matter to you?
The final question is: Do you care about those questions? If not, charge up the battery on your phone and hand to it a friend and you’ll get some pictures to remember the day! 🙌
If you find that actually you do care about how those questions are answered, let’s get on the phone and talk about it because I can do those things for you and create photos that make you want to just hug yourself and your baby and partner!
This post was inspired by a question in my FAQ. If you’ve got more questions about birth photography, take a look there!
