Birth Videography
Buying a house & getting married are pretty important but nothing is as important or will ever be as valuable as the day you brought your baby to this world. Capture that time in your life with professional photography & videography.
Why videography & not just photography?
Let's face it, most of your birth will be spent with your eye's closed. You will be deep in labor-land, concentrating on the beautiful entrance of your new baby. Even long labors, seem to pass with a blink of an eye, and you don't want to miss a thing.
Videography is so dynamic and while birth photography is gorgeous, there is nothing that can capture those precious moments better then a video can.
I also serve my clients as a doula, and I have found that I can better assist both as a doula and a photographer when I am filming versus taking photos. You take a lot of chances with photography in birth... and missing 'the shot' is one of them. The biggest differences with shooting photo versus film are:
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With photography you have to constantly changing your camera settings depending on the lighting. Every time a mother moves to a different position or room, or any time the room lights become dim or bright, the camera settings must change too. With videography, your settings stay the same, so there is no fuss. I can quickly pick up my camera and start filming without the risk of not getting the shot because I couldn't adjust my settings quickly enough or because my settings were wrong and the shot came out too bright or too dark.
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Photography tends to be much more noisy. Even the most advances cameras with 'silent' settings can be quite distracting in a quite room. Cameras typically make natural noise, regardless if you are shooting photos or video, but eliminating the shutter click can be a big deal for a mom who is in deep concentration.
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Most births take place in dark or low lit rooms. Very few wish to birth with bright lights and open windows. Which means that for the best birth photography, a flash would be required. This can be incredibly disturbing to a birthing mother, and especially to a newborn baby. With videography, I am able to capture low light situations without the use of flashes or bright lights. So you can keep your environment dim and peaceful and not sacrifice the quality of your video.
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Probably one of the most important things to consider when deciding between birth photography or birth videography is to ask yourself "what will I do with these images (or video) when they are finished?" If your not intending to print, hang or create an album with your birth photos, you may find a video would serve you better. Vice versa, if you can't imagine watching your birth in real time in a video, you may find photography to be more your style.
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Lastly, once your video is captured, I am still able to pull still photos from any part of the film. This can be a beautiful option if you are wanting a video, but think you may want a few still photos as well. Because I work with high end photography gear, I am capable of doing this without compromising the quality of the photos.
Do you have sample birth videos you can show me?
I do! But I am sure you can imagine that most people prefer to keep their videos private. I do have videos that I have been given permission to share privately, but have been asked to refrain from posting publicly. Should you want to see samples of my work, please send me a message and I can send over some links.
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If you want to get an idea of what a birth video looks like, please take a look at my own birth video which I share on the Meet Autumn page. (I did not take my own birth video, I hired a doula/videographer to capture it for me)
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I do take privacy very seriously, and never share footage or completed videos unless given written permission by the birthing couple.
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Will you do photos instead of a video? I really don't want a video of my 'privates'.
For the reasons mentioned above, I prefer to shoot video and pull still photos, however it's important to know that you do have a choice between your video being shot 'modestly' or 'showing it all'. We go over this in detail in your consult, but there are certain tricks to filming where with special angles, shadows, and even editing, I am capable of creating a tasteful and modest video that you may feel comfortable enough showing your grandpa. At the end of the day, the choice is yours, and I am happy to shoot only photos if that is what you prefer.
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My husband thinks it's weird to have a photographer there. Is there anything I can do to help convince him?
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This is a valid concern! Some mom's may feel this way too, and that's because your birth environment is meant to be an intimate and private space. Certain people can feel their space is being invaded or that they can't truly relax when there is a stranger present. Something that may help is to hire a videographer or photographer that can also serve you as your doula. This eliminates the need for another person in your space. My goal as your doula is to work closely with you through your pregnancy so that my presence at your birth is not an interruption, and instead is a welcomed part of your birth environment. Having a doula that can also serve you with birth photos or video may make it more comfortable for both you and your partner in deciding if you want to capture your birth.
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Do you offer a discount if I book you as a doula and videographer? What if I did a HypnoBirthing course with you too?
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If you book both doula and video services you do get $100 off your total. Should you book all three services you get a $200 discount.
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I see you do maternity and newborn photography, can you tell me more?
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If your interested in maternity photography or newborn photography, please visit www.elliemelliephotography.com
should you want to book photography services in addition to any birth services, you will get a bundle discount. Please reach out to me for a personal consult.
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