I’ve had inquiries about birth photography services, and many families are often surprised by the cost. I understand that everyone has different finances and something so expensive is a BIG deal, so I wanted to take a moment to explain why we charge what we do!
Let’s start by talking about wedding photography, another major life milestone. The average American spends between $1,600 and $2.900 to document their wedding day.
Now, imagine a client calling a wedding photographer with this request:
“Hi, I’m looking for a photographer to document our wedding. I’m not sure when it will happen, but it’ll likely be within sometime in June. Maybe July but also could be May. I also don’t know the time—maybe it’ll be in the middle of the night or maybe during the day. I’ll call you when things start happening, and you must be there within an hour or so. Chances are you could be there for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. There won’t be much room to move around, and you’ll have to be creative with angles so you don’t get in the way of medical staff. The lighting might be minimal, and you could end up with bodily fluids on you. Are you available?"
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Now, I absolutely love what I do, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it does come at a cost. Just because I love it, doesn’t mean I can offer my services for free. Many people don’t realize the amount of work involved in documenting a birth—from marketing and inquiries to consultations, actually documenting the birth, editing the images, revealing them, training ect. It all takes time.
Another important factor is client load. Birth photographers can’t take on unlimited clients each month because we need to ensure we’re available for each client’s birth.
Here’s what the “on-call” lifestyle looks like: For 2-3 weeks leading up to your due date and until the baby is born, your photographer is on call 24/7. This means staying within an hour of your delivery location, possibly missing major events like Christmas, birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc. Their bags are always ready and sitting by the door. Their phone can never leave their side or have a dead battery. They check their phones 100 times before bedtime making sure their charger is working, their ringer is on and LOUD enough to wake them in the middle of the night.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my job! Birth photography fills me with joy, inspiration, and purpose, but it also requires a lot of dedication.
“Anyone” can take pictures with their cellphone now.
Well… so can your wedding guests, but most people wouldn’t dream of having their only wedding images be from their guests cell phones. They wouldn’t trust that once in a lifetime moment to just anyone.
Birth photography is a worthwhile investment. It's one of the most significant days of your life—arguably the most important. There are no do-overs, and you only meet your baby once. While you may find photographers offering low-cost options, remember the saying, “You get what you pay for,” and you may not be fully satisfied with the result. Be sure to hire a professional who understands birth, knows the procedures, uses top-quality gear, and is prepared for the realities of the on-call lifestyle. Most importantly, choose someone who will document your experience authentically, capturing exactly who you are.
When budgeting for your birth photography, treat it as you would your wedding photographer—because your birth photographer is absolutely worth every penny! We need to start valuing these services more than we do today!
