Since I can't always be in Italy where a magnificent gallery is a stones-throw away, one of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning, when I'm not composing Baby Rx blog entries, is to cozy up with my coffee and explore the images of some of my favourite artists online. There is something immensely relaxing about it and it's something I've done for years. I love a good artist, and I love sharing the work of my favourite artists with others.
My Saturday morning ritual is what led me to discover Ashley Marston Photography, a stunningly talented photographer very near my home of Nanaimo, British Columbia. Ashley is a photographer and mother of three based in Chemainus, British Columbia, with a speciality in the elysian art of birth story photography. Her birth story images are some of the most breathtaking I have ever seen, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. The International Association of Professional Birth Photographers gave one of Ashley's images an honourable mention distinction in its 2015 Image Competition. The Huffington Post subsequently published an article called 11 Photos That Show Birth is Beautiful, No Matter What Method You Choose, which also featured Ashley's work. She has also had her work featured on Birth Without Fear, a blog with almost 300k Facebook followers which aims to empower women in their birth experiences by sharing beautiful images from a wide range of birth stories, from home births to VBACs (vaginal births after caesareans) and more.
I've spoken about birth story photography to several people over the years, but more often than not, there is a lack of understanding about what this special art form is and why moms and dads should consider hiring a birth story photographer to capture such a momentous event as bringing their child into the world. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Ashley Marston of Ashley Marston Photography in order to help shed some light on these areas.
Birth story photography is a very intimate form of photography taken during a vulnerable time, and Ashley notes that most people are a bit self-conscious, especially first-time parents because they don't really know what to expect. In order to ease them into the process, Ashley spends a lot of time with each family: emails, phone calls and a meeting a few weeks before their due date, in order to establish a comfortable rapport so that they don't feel like they have a stranger in the room when the time comes. Ashley isn't just the photographer, she is a supportive member of the birth team. There is plenty of talk between the two parties about what the parents are comfortable with and what they are not.
Typically, most families who seek out hiring a birth story photographer are already aware of what birth photography is, and they know that it is done in a way that is respectful. To that end though, sometimes just one parent is uncertain about having a photographer there, but usually a few chats and showing the uncertain partner examples of other birth stories helps to ease their discomfort. Sometimes Ashley shows her clients this slideshow on YouTube, called Hold Her Hand, Not The Camera, which can be helpful to show dads how important their role is during the birth process and how they can be better involved if they aren't worrying about taking photos. For privacy, couples may be tempted to just have dad or another family member take photographs of the process, but allowing someone else to focus solely on capturing the event frees dad up so that he can give all his attention to his partner; he can be totally present for the birth of their child.
The conditions for photographing the birth can be tricky, too, so it is helpful to have a professional there who knows how to capture that shot of mom labouring at 2:00am by candlelight. Birth photography is one of the hardest photography genres. A lot of people say it's not all about your 'gear,' but with birth photography, that is definitely part of it. Your birth photographer needs to have a working knowledge of their camera, inside and out. Birth photographers are also familiar with the settings, the rules of the hospital, and the birthing process. They can anticipate what is coming next, where to stand, and how to be discreet.
As for the actual process, birth photography isn't limited to home births. Birth photographers can take photographs wherever you decide to have your baby. Ashley has photographed just as many hospital births as she has home births. Generally speaking, Ashley is called to the birth when the mother is in active labour, about 5-6 centimetres dilated, and she then documents everything from that point until about an hour or two after delivery, making sure to capture all those 'first moments.' If the mother is scheduled for a caesarean section or a caesarean becomes necessary during labour, it is up to the surgical staff if the photographer is allowed to be in the operating room during the caesarean. Each circumstance is different. If she is not allowed in, then she photographs all the moments leading up to the caesarean and she is waiting for the moment they come back through the door so she can be with them during recovery. Out of the three times she has been in that situation, the hospital has let her in, at some point, to get photos of the first moments, experiences which she feels very fortunate to have had.
Indeed, I believe Ashley is absolutely correct in asserting that sometimes having a photographic record can help women to put the pieces back together. During my first degree I took a seminar-style course on the psychology of motherhood. One of our guest speakers, who was from the Vancouver Island Health Region and who worked specifically with women who experienced pregnancy loss or trauma during labour resulting in the death of their child, indicated that through their program, they take special care to photograph the event to the best of their ability, take footprints and handprints of the child, take photographs of the mother and her partner with their child, and more. They then encapsulate the photos and mementos in a special memory box for the grieving parents. It seems counter-intuitive, that maybe the parents wouldn't want to remember such a terrible event, but it turns out that the opposite is true. Giving the grieving parents space to acknowledge, remember and honour their loss is extremely therapeutic, and much more beneficia l than suppressing or packing away the powerful feelings that accompany pregnancy or child loss. The photographic process helps to facilitate their healing from the experience. This program was specific to pregnancy and child loss, but it works in other situations, too.
During the labour and deliveries she has witnessed up to this point, there are several specific moments that stand out to Ashley as having been particularly moving: "Connections," she says. "When you are present while two people become parents, when they go through this process together, you really get to see the strength in people. I am always just amazed at the support I see from dads, some never sitting, never closing their eyes all through the night. They are there 100% for their partners. I had one birth in particular where the mother (soon to be grandmother) was the main support person because that was what mom needed. I'll never forget it, it was like a dance. She was able to anticipate her daughter's every movement, everything she needed." And, Ashley adds, there is "of course, that moment when you first meet your baby, always amazing. Every time."
I asked Ashley to pick her top three favourite birth story photos that she's taken and explain why they are her favourite, and I have the pleasure of sharing her choices with you here:
1) A Father Seeing His Son For The First Time
2) A Labouring Mother With Her Two Year-Old Daughter
3) An Arial Shot of a Labouring Mother in a Birthing Pool
This image was also the image that was awarded an honourable mention in the 2015 Image Competition by the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers.
"Our generation loves to look back on old photos of ourselves and our family members. I have one photo of me in the hospital, just one, and it's one of my prized possessions. Imagine if you could show your child and generations after a whole story of the day they were born. Not only photographs of themselves, but the love and connection that brought them there. How strong their mother was and what it was like the very moment they were born. Tears, smiles, laughter, love. How inspiring."
Thank you so much to Ashley for allowing me to interview her for this blog post, it was an absolute pleasure. To stay connected with Ashley's work, visit her website or like her page on Facebook. Also, be sure to check out her gorgeous slideshow below featuring the births she photographed in 2014.
Have you experienced birth story photography, or are you thinking of hiring a birth story photographer? What do you think of this incredible art form? Let us know in the comments!