THE REAL COST OF BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY (Dubbo, NSW)

Let me guess, you are pregnant and you are wanting to document this once in a lifetime event but you are unsure about how much you should invest into these memories. I get it, I really do. Inviting someone into your birth space is so personal and to invite someone in and PAY them to take photos of you during the most transformational time of your life is such a hard choice to make. You might be unsure whether the images will be worth it or you might be worried that you won't look good and you won't want to invest in something where you aren't 100% happy with the results. Rest assured, I have some musings here for you.

HOW MUCH DO BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHERS CHARGE?

This is a really REALLY hard question to answer so I will speak ONLY for myself. To begin with, any photographer will want to build a portfolio. Some photographers might need to charge for their time and some may shoot for free until they get enough skill and confidence to start charging. I truly believe that there is a photographer for every budget so it might be worth asking around to see if the right person would like to document your birth. For me, I documented a friends birth for free, then I charged $400 for my next birth and then I built it up from there. I was charging $1,500 but I have now increased my prices account for the following factors...

WHY DO BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHERS CHARGE SO MUCH?

THEY ARE ON CALL

Birth photographers are on call for births. Generally speaking, they are on call from week 37 of your pregnancy until you have your baby, which could go past the guess date. For this period of time they keep their phone on them at all times, check in on you and stay around the place of birth (putting off any family holidays or getaways). Most birth photographers I know are really passionate about what they do and are committed to making it to your birth, they give up a portion of their life to make sure they are available to you, this in itself is HUGE. Any other job that has an 'on-call' component usually pays quite well.

They don't know how long your labour/birth will be

In my birth package I include coverage of the labour and birth in it's entirety. From the surges, to transition, the birth and up to two hours postpartum. Not knowing exactly how long a birth will go for is part of the reason we love what we do. Each journey is different and deserves to be documented beautifully and artfully. However, this unknown is another reason why we need to charge what we feel our time is worth. We want you to call us at any time of day and we want to be with you every step of the way, we are stepping into the unknown with you.

THEY SPEND HOURS EDITING YOUR PHOTOS AND FILM

My favourite part of being a photographer is the editing. I just love taking your images and creating an edit that is perfect for you and your skin tone. I also use brushes to bring up the beautiful details of your birth so that your images are beautifully clear for you to remember every detail of the day. The video takes time and care to edit as well.

BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER COMES WITH OVERHEADS

This is my least favourite topic but I feel like it needs a place in this blog. Anyone who works will know that you have to pay tax and super and HECS etc, not every dollar you pay us goes into our pocket. Owning a photography business also comes with other overheads such as equipment and subscriptions. There is plenty of info out there about why photography is so expensive (generally speaking) so I won't bang on about it too much because I know you probably don't want to hear about your own bills, let alone mine! A photographer will price their packages based on what they need to earn to pay the bills and pay for their life, it's as simple as that.

THEY ARE PHOTOGRAPHING A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT

There is a lot of pressure for birth photographers to get it right, this day cannot be repeated. You might give birth only once in your life and these will be your photos to hold onto forever. I know for me, I look at my birth photos more than any other photos I have ever had taken. I absolutely love each and every one of them and my only regret is not hiring a professional to photograph my first two births. I have spoken to countless women who say that they wish they had more photos of their birth and that they had maybe one or no photos of that day. Becoming a mother is a beautiful event that is worth documenting, every single time.