Birth Photography & Birth Storytelling in McHenry County, Illinois
My understanding of birth is shaped not only by my work, but by my own lived experience as a mother.
A documentary approach to birth, focused on presence and care.
Quietly documenting birth as it unfolds — without direction, performance, or interruption.
Birth is unpredictable, vulnerable, and deeply human. It’s not something to be staged or directed — it’s something to be witnessed with care.
My approach to birth photography is documentary and hands-off, allowing space for the strength, connection, and transformation happening in the room. I show up as a calm, respectful presence, attentive to both the emotional experience and the medical environment, documenting what unfolds naturally and intentionally.
These photographs aren’t about perfection. They exist to preserve memory — not just of how it looked, but of how it felt to be there, welcoming new life.
How I Approach Birth Photography
Hands-off, documentary coverage centered on respect and restraint.
Includes Birth Storytelling & Fresh 48 Portraits
My approach to birth photography is hands-off and documentary at its core. I don’t pose, prompt, or direct what’s happening. Birth doesn’t need to be shaped or managed — it needs space. I follow the rhythm of the room, allowing moments to unfold naturally, without interference or expectation.
I work with deep respect for the medical environment and the professionals caring for you. Providers always come first. I’m attentive to hospital policies, aware of boundaries, and comfortable stepping back when cameras don’t belong. Knowing when not to photograph is just as important as knowing when to lift the camera.
Presence matters in spaces like this. I show up calm, grounded, and observant — offering quiet support without inserting myself into the experience. My role is to witness, not to influence. To hold space without becoming the focus of it.
Not every moment needs to be documented. Ethical restraint and consent guide my work at every step. I photograph with intention, honoring privacy, dignity, and the emotional weight of birth. These images are created with care — always led by respect for you, your story, and the life entering the world.
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Birth photography requires more than showing up with a camera — it requires presence, flexibility, and the ability to remain available without distraction. Because of the unpredictable nature of birth, I accept only one birth storytelling client at a time.
Each booking includes a protected on-call window beginning 20 days prior to your estimated due date and extending 10 days after. During this time, I limit other professional commitments and remain available so I can respond fully when labor begins.
This structure allows me to show up rested, grounded, and attentive — which is essential in spaces that require emotional regulation, respect, and care. It also ensures that your birth is never competing with another family’s timeline.
Because availability is reserved exclusively for each client, birth storytelling is offered on a very limited basis each year.
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Birth storytelling is centered around presence, flexibility, and respect for the unpredictability of labor. Coverage is approached quietly and intentionally, with care for both the emotional experience and the medical environment.
Birth storytelling includes:
On-call availability during your protected birth window
Continuous labor and delivery coverage when permitted
Immediate postpartum moments following birth
Curated and thoughtfully edited images
Private online gallery with full print rights
Priority turnaround (3–4 weeks)
For a limited number of clients, a complimentary Fresh 48 session (regularly $500.00) is included as part of the experience, documenting the first quiet hours after meeting your baby. This inclusion holds no cash value.
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Birth storytelling begins at $2,800.
This investment reflects the on-call nature of birth work, the emotional and physical labor involved, and the intentional limits placed on availability to ensure presence and reliability.
A non-refundable 50% retainer is required to reserve your on-call window, with the remaining balance due prior to the start of the availability period.
Because I accept only one birth client at a time, availability is extremely limited each year.
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Birth is unpredictable, and medical needs always come first.
Photography coverage is subject to hospital, birth center, and provider policies. In the event that a cesarean birth is required or access is restricted, coverage will adapt respectfully and may include pre-operative moments, waiting periods, immediate postpartum time, or Fresh 48 documentation when permitted.
No two births unfold the same way, and coverage is shaped by what is medically appropriate and emotionally supportive in the moment.
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In the event of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or infant loss, care and compassion guide every decision.
If the family wishes and medical providers permit, I will remain available to document the birth. At the family’s request, coverage may also be transferred to remembrance or funeral services in place of birth coverage.
There is never an obligation to proceed with photography in the event of loss. Any payments made beyond the retainer will be refunded. All decisions are led by consent, respect, and the emotional needs of the family.
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Clear communication is essential to birth storytelling.
A prenatal planning consultation is required 6–8 weeks prior to your estimated due date to review communication plans, hospital policies, and expectations.
During labor, the client agrees to maintain timely communication and designate a support person (partner, doula, or family member) as a primary point of contact if needed. Text message is the primary method of communication, with phone calls encouraged when labor becomes active or admission occurs.
Social media messages are not considered reliable communication for birth coverage.
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Birth storytelling is best suited for families who:
Value presence over performance
Trust a documentary, hands-off approach
Are comfortable with flexibility and uncertainty
Respect medical environments and boundaries
Want photographs that feel honest, not curated
This offering may not be the right fit for those seeking posed imagery, guaranteed moments, or continuous direction during labor.
Birth Photography
Birth Photography services include on-call availability beginning twenty (20) days prior to the estimated due date and extending ten (10) days following the estimated due date. Coverage includes documentary photography during active labor and delivery when medically permitted, immediate postpartum moments as access allows, thoughtfully curated professionally edited images, online private (& password protected) gallery delivery with full personal print rights, and priority editing turnaround of three to four (3–4) weeks.
$2,800.00
Fresh 48 Session
Fresh 48 sessions include up to one (1) hour of documentary coverage within forty-eight (48) hours of birth at a hospital or birth center located in McHenry County, Illinois, thoughtfully curated professionally edited images, and online gallery delivery within 2-6 weeks.
$500.00
A Note from Me
My understanding of birth doesn’t come from standing on the outside of it — it comes from living it.
I’m a documentary photographer with over a decade of experience photographing families in vulnerable, meaningful seasons of life. I’ve spent years learning how to show up quietly, how to read a room, and how to honor moments without interrupting them. That same approach guides the way I step into birth spaces — with restraint, respect, and an awareness of what truly matters.
I’m also a mother of two. I know firsthand how exposed and powerful birth can feel, how quickly plans can change, and how deeply you want the people around you to move with care. That lived experience shapes how I approach this work — not as something to capture aggressively, but as something to witness thoughtfully.
The images shared on this page include personal birth and Fresh 48 photographs from my own journey, created with care and consent. During one of my births, the nurse who admitted me happened to be a photography client and future bride of mine. While on call that day, she offered — with full consent and respect for the moment — to hold the camera so those memories could exist. It was a quiet, full-circle moment rooted in trust, and one that deeply informs how I honor birth spaces now.
I offer birth storytelling with deep intention, clear boundaries, and a commitment to ethical, respectful documentation. This work is limited by design — not to create exclusivity, but to ensure I can show up grounded, present, and fully available for the families who invite me into these moments.
If you feel aligned with this approach, I’d be honored to begin the conversation.
