birth

Hiring a professional Charlotte area natural light photographer that specializes in family, maternity and newborn sessions to capture your birth can seem like a strange concept to those who have never seen or experienced it before, particularly to husbands and fathers. But when you ask ANY mother or father what the best days of their life were, they will most likely answer, “My wedding day and the day my child was born.” I remember my wedding day and thought that must be the most important day of my life, but it wasn’t – the births of my daughters were transformative to me, both as a person and as a professional. We don’t think twice about spending a pretty penny on our wedding photographer, so why should it be any different for the birth of your baby? Would you ask a relative or guest to take photos on your wedding day? Having a professional Charlotte family, maternity and birth photographer capture these moments for you frees up your partner/doula/family member to just be present and free to support you during your birth process. The moments when you need your support team the most are usually when you need photos taken as well. Dad definitely should not be behind the lens of a camera or fiddling with an iPhone when his baby is entering the world—his place is by your side, holding you while you push, encouraging you, and embracing you when your baby arrives. Professionals also have the equipment and expertise to handle tricky lighting, tight surroundings & fast paced situations. A good Charlotte family, maternity and birth photographer has discussed with you your desires regarding level of modesty, and knows how to capture the perfect shots from the best angles available at the moment. The difference between professional photos and what your husband or family member might take is undeniable. You can see a post HERE with my personal birth photos for you to see the difference. Be kind! 🙂 The other main component of my job that I offer as your Charlotte natural light photographer is to capture some of these amazing moments on video, which I use together with your still images to create a beautiful video set to music. Imagine sitting down with your child someday, maybe when they are graduating high school or having a child of their own, and watching the day of their birth together.
THE STORY OF YOUR FAMILY’S BEGINNING DESERVES TO BE CAPTURED, TREASURED, AND REMEMBERED FOREVER.

My basic photographic package is $1195, and video add-ons start at $495. Prices subject to change at any time.

Of course! $300 of your session fee is due at the time of booking to reserve your due date, and you can pay however often as you’d like up until 4 weeks before your estimated due date, which is when your final balance is due in full. In addition to payment plans, I also offer personalized registries that you can send to friends and family to help “gift” you your birth session.

Yes of course! What a wonderful gift it would be to receive coverage from a professional birth photographer and videographer at your birth! Please contact me for more information.

My blog probably has the most images for you to see, followed by Instagram (@nicolebertrandphotography) and Facebook (@nicolebertrandphotography).

 Absolutely. I offer a free in-person consultation before committing to any birth client, so that we can get to know each other better, answer questions, and make sure we’re a good fit. It’s also an opportunity for me to learn more about your birth plan, your support team, and your photography preferences.

Since I only reserve 1-2 birth clients a month, I’d advise you to book as soon as you can to ensure I have availability.

Per my contract, I am on call for you from 38 weeks until you deliver. If you go into labor earlier than that, contact me as you normally would and I’ll do everything in my power to have me or a backup there for you!

Then I’ll be with you for a really long time! That’s one of the many joys of being a birth photographer; it’s so unpredictable. I never know when I’m going to be called in to document a birth and, once I’m there, I never know when I’ll be heading back home again. It’s such a thrill!

Due to how unpredictable birth can be, I feel comfortable staying within an hour radius of Matthews, NC. However, if you are having a scheduled birth (induction or c-section) let’s chat, as there is more opportunity to plan ahead!

You bet I do! I make sure to have a backup for each of my births because I want to make doubly sure that your birth is captured! If I might be out of town or if something else comes up where I have sufficient notice, I will make sure to introduce you to my backup so that there’s not a complete stranger in your birth space! If a backup has to shoot your birth, they will hand the RAW photos over to me for editing, and I handle the rest from there.

I do. And I have yet to have a birth client that even noticed! I have found that the quality of birth images is exponentially better if I use a flash than if I don’t. But of course, you reserve the right at any time to tell me to turn the flash off and I will do the best I can with what light I have. But the photos will have more noise, motion blur, and greatly affects video quality. I find that moms who are investing a substantial amount in professional birth photography are okay with the flash.

I do! And I have referral discounts with many of them! So, if you are interested in a doula, let me know and I can send you my short list of awesome ones.

Births are unpredictable because due dates are really a 4-week range. I typically book one or two births per month because of that unpredictability. My goal is not to be a high-volume birth photographer, but to provide my clients with a personalized, unique experience with images and products that match.

That depends on you and your level of comfort during labor. In the time leading up to your due date, we will be in frequent communication to establish a relationship so that it does not feel like you have a stranger in the room. I believe it is essential for you to have your perfect, peaceful birth space with the least amount of discomfort as possible. That being said, I am perfectly content to stand back in the shadows and not make a peep or chat with you and your birth team about everything from your labor to favorite Netflix shows to sports!

I will arrive when you are in active labor and/or ~6cm dilated with contractions that are 5 minutes apart. I will stay through your labor and birth and then will stay for 1-2 hours postpartum to capture baby’s first moments.

I love to capture ALL births, including cesareans! However, it is your responsibility to communicate with your care provider and make sure it is okay for me to be present in the operating room. I cannot stress enough how important it is for YOU and YOUR PARTNER to be the ones to request my presence should you need to enter the OR. It is ultimately your doctor & the anesthesiologist who make the decision, and your request weighs infinitely heavier than mine. If it is an emergency situation and there is no time for communication or I am not allowed in the OR, I will be in the recovery room as soon as I am allowed to continue capturing your story.

We will discuss this during your client meeting, but unless otherwise specified, and if the situation allows, I will continue shooting. If something traumatic happens, those photos will be put into a separate folder in your gallery, in case you are not quite ready to see them when they are done. While hard to see, these photos may be very helpful during the healing process after a traumatic birth experience.

Although this has not happened to me yet, I will not attend your birth if I am running a fever or vomiting. I am recovering from a cold, I will voluntarily wear a mask. I also have an incredible network of backup photographers that can be called on in an emergency.

Again, this has not happened to me yet, but it is still a possibility (though highly unlikely). In my contract, I ask that you give me 90 minutes from the time you call me to come to your birth until I arrive, although I am usually there much faster. I always tell my clients it is better to over-communicate—keep me as informed as your care provider. Even if you don’t think it’s time for me to come, letting me know that you’re in early labor will help me plan to be able to arrive as soon as needed. If I miss the birth due to an unusual circumstance (extreme weather, precipitous birth, etc.), I will still photograph after your birth and stay for a minimum of two hours or do a Fresh 48 session in the hospital the following day. If I personally have some unusual circumstances that I cannot get there, I will send my backup photographer who is equally professional and talented. If neither I or my backup make it for the birth, we will discuss options for refund or fresh baby session.

How, um, “graphic” will my photos be?
This is your call! I will usually take all the photos I can during your birth so that you have the full range to choose from, but what you choose for your final gallery is up to you! In addition, when you sign your contract and model release, you can decide which level of nudity (if any!) you are comfortable with me sharing on my website and social media. And I also check in with you before I post anything, just to double check that you are comfortable with what I’m posting.

Usually 100-150 edited images, depending on the length of your labor.

All of your images will be in black & white, and most will have a color version as well.Usually 100-150 edited images, depending on the length of your labor.

I’ll deliver a handful of sneak peeks within 24 hours of baby’s birth. Your full gallery will be ready within a few weeks of baby’s birth.