Raw photos show touching first moments of a baby's life
The First Hello photo project captures the reality of labour and precious first moments of a newborn's life
Many mums like to capture their baby's births on camera, and here at MFM we love seeing the amazing pics ?
We were overwhelmed by this (graphic) glimpse into what breech birth is really like, and we absolutely adore baby photo recreations!
We recently totally fell in love with The First Hello project - run by Aussie photographers Bel Pangburn and River Bennett - which was created to document the magic of meeting your little one for the first time, along with the raw emotion of giving birth.
Welling up a little bit? Feeling a small tear forming in the corner of your eye? It’s not just you (or us)…
Even Bel and Riv find it a little tricky keep the waterworks from flowing while photographing these touching moments.
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“We both have been known to shed a little tear of happiness once the baby [comes],” they admitted.
“There's nothing quite like seeing a baby being born.”
Of all the family moments shared, the duo have witnessed some incredibly rare birthing experiences together, including one child who was born in its amniotic sac.
“We did have one [shoot] not long ago where the baby was born en caul - which means the sac hadn't broken yet.
It's a 1 in 80,000 chance to see it. It was beyond amazing.”
Though their images are beautifully preserved in black and white, the My First Hello project definitely doesn't gloss over the - shall we say - less picturesque aspect of labour.
“Nothing is staged or posed - just powerful, raw human emotion,” they said.
“But we are always watching for the tear on the father’s face as he meets his child for the first time or the relief of the mother when she stops labouring.”
"The joy of life is so evident to everyone in that room so watching and knowing when to click the button requires you to be fully present."
Above all else, we really love the idea of having someone there to capture these moments on your behalf - because often you’re a tad too busy actually giving birth to whip out your Nikon camera.
Having a pro involved also means that your partner and family members can be 100% present for the birth, too... which really makes what Bel and River do all the more special!
Did you document your baby’s birth? If you didn’t, do you wish someone had been there to take pics?
We’d love to know - tell us over at Facebook and Twitter.
Images: The First Hello
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