When I studied photography in my twenties, little did I know how I’d ultimately use what I’d learned. A now-retired midwife, I’ve been photographing births and babies since my student days (with my old Pentax) in 1989.

During my last 12 years with a busy Seattle midwifery practice, while one of my fellow midwives would quietly knit during a long labor, I would sometimes ask the family if they would permit me to take photographs of their labor and birth. You can see many of these beautiful images in my birth portfolio.

(I would rarely capture the birth itself since I was catching the baby) But as you can see in this photo of me on the bed, once the baby was received and mom and baby were stable, I would grab my camera for those precious early moments that I love to photograph.

My newborn photography aims to document the joy, intensity, and magic of the early newborn period. When I first started doing paid newborn photography about 5 years ago, from what I’d observed on social media and on clients’ newborn announcements, I thought that newborn photography meant props, containers and less-than-natural poses, so I tried doing that. I soon realized that this is not me and that the best newborn photos I’d taken were those precious moments I was compelled to capture after a birth or when I was doing a home visit with a family in my care (I nearly always had my camera with me). Many of these lovely moments are featured in my newborn portfolio.

With my birth photography, I am an observer recording the awesome power and intimacy of labor and birth and a family’s first magical moments meeting their baby. My style tends to be raw, emotional, romantic and timeless.

Of course birth and babies lead to families, and I’ve been lucky to be hired by some of my families as their babies grow. I love doing outdoor family sessions and always have a blast with families I know and those I’m just meeting.

It will be my honor to photograph your birth, your baby or your growing family!