They’re the photographers who empower women from behind the lens.
Their work captures the raw emotion that comes with the very first moments of a baby’s life.
The tears, joy and sheer relief.
But birthing photography not only empowers women, but open up conversation around birth and challenges society’s preconception that childbirth should be feared.
On Thursday the Australian Professional Photography Awards named the country’s top photographers in the field.
Here Femail speaks with the winner, Brisbane’s Selena Rollason, and runner-up Victoria Berekmeri from Adelaide on what it’s like working as a birth photographer.
The Australian Professional Photography Awards have named the country’s top birthing photographers
Winner Selena Rollason shared her powerful images and hopes to change society’s preconception that giving birth is an awful experience
Selena Rollason shot her first birth in 2011 following the birth of her third child who was born by elective cesarean.
The mother-of-three said having photos from her own cesarean birth helped her see the positive side of the experience.
‘It was quite an emotional and difficult experience to go through,’ she said.
‘My memory at the time was really quite negative, so I could look back on those images and see the positive side of it.’
Ms Rollason started birth photography after she had her third child via elective cesarean
Runner-up in the birthing category Victoria Berekmeri said the photos helped educate women about the variations of natural birth
Ms Rollason said birth photography helped mothers process their experiences.
‘Birth is very much something we can’t control,’ she said.
‘When you have photos of those experiences its helps women who had a traumatic birth process what’s happened and look on it in a positive way rather than a negative way.
‘It not only shows women how strong they are, it helps society understand that birth is beautiful and shouldn’t be feared.
‘I would love to see a reversal in that societal preconception that childbirth is an awful experience.
‘At the end of the day, my images show it’s not.’
‘It not only shows women how strong they are, it helps society understand that birth is beautiful and shouldn’t be feared,’ Ms Rollason said
Following Ms Rollason is runner-up Victoria Berekmeri, 37, from Adelaide who learned photography as a teenager.
But it was not until 2010 that she took it up professionally.
Today she runs Adelaide Birth Photographer, and told Daily Mail Australia birthing photography played an important role in educating people about birth.
‘It’s opening up questions to women and they’re beginning to understand there are variations of normal in birth,’ she said.
‘It’s helping women to make empowered decisions and ask empowering questions.’
Ms Berekmeri said the photographs empowered women and encouraged them to ask questions about birth
Ms Rollason, who is a mother-of-three, said birth photography helped her look back positively on her elective cesarean
That’s not to say everyone in on board.
Ms Berekmeri said some people have found her work confronting, and in 2013 one of her photos of a woman giving birth on her hands and knees was taken down from an exhibition.
‘I feel like the social value of sharing what this looks like has so much more potential that the short term offenses that certain people might find,’ she said.
Birthing photos also have value for new fathers.
Another runner-up was Rana Rankin who specialises in birth photography and maternity, newborn and family shoots
‘I feel like the social value of sharing what this looks like has so much more potential that the short term offenses that certain people might find,’ Ms Berekmeri said about birthing photography
‘Men can get quite emotional when they see birth photography and see themselves in birth photography,’ Ms Berekmeri said.
‘It’s such a mind-shifting experience for them the first time they become a dad.’
She said the ‘bird’s eye view’ the photos provide of the birth can help partners value each other as a family.
Ms Berekmeri said her job was life changing.
‘It makes you value what’s important in life,’ she said
