this isn't a recent birth, but it's a beautiful one. and i recently remixed it with my more current editing techniques implemented. so i thought i'd post some images!
you should know that this couple are the owners and operators of Your Baby Booty, which is an incredible resource for pregnant couples! they offer a series of short video interviews with various types of birth workers on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to pregnancy and childbirth. additionally, they have authored two phenomenal and incredibly witty books on the subject. please check them out if you're expecting.
because of steve and sarah's line of work, they had done probably an above-average amount of research about birth options. and after all of that -- and with attention to their personal desires and comfort level -- they opted for a home birth with a nurse midwife, Susan Wente of Home Birth Partners. they really set the stage with a beautiful and peaceful birthing suite on the lower level of their home. it was such a gift to watch this couple partner together in their birth.
photography note : emersyn was born a bit before midnight, in a room lit only candles! yes, it was a very challenging situation for me as a photographer. but i work with what i have, because i'm sure not going to use a flash on a woman in labor (or on anyone, ever, really). i was able to make it work, and in the end there are beautiful photos to show for it. but in cases like these, i tend to lean toward black-and-white processing to eliminate the distracting weirdness of the lighting.
a couple weeks after her birth, i returned to their home to photograph her again. this time on her mama and daddy's bed, with beautiful light streaming in the windows and adorable headbands gracing her perfect little head.
and, more recently, i got to see emersyn at a mini-session sunday. she is SO not a baby anymore. but she's just as beautiful as she was the day she was born, and still wearing adorable headbands. :)
as a photographer, it's a joy to journey with families through these milestones... pregnancy, birth, newborn period, family life. happy sigh.