Permissions and privacy in birth photography.
I don’t think there has ever been a time in history when the importance of privacy and digital consent was more important.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, you name it . . . sharing media is easier than ever. These platforms can be an amazing tool for connecting with loved ones across the world, sharing your birth story, raising awareness, or normalizing birth. But that empowerment only can be achieved if it’s something you’ve consented to . . . which is key.
I’d love to walk you through my permissions process to give you peace of mind when hiring me as your birth photographer that only the images you choose to share (if any at all) will be made public.
It’s very important for me to get a sense for how you want to use your birth story from the very beginning, so in your booking process we’ll talk about your modesty preferences, whether or not you want crowning images or feeding images, and anything in between. I want you to feel comfortable and confident every step of the way!
In addition to your contract I also have everyone on your birth team sign a Model Release which has a few options from “please share full birth story” to “no images to be shared” and I also allow you to specify which online or print venues you would prefer.
Then, YOU HAVE A BABY! I photograph it. Everything is awesome and beautiful!
Within 24 hours I will deliver 5 edited images for you to use for birth announcements. I will NEVER share these online, you get to announce your babe your way.
Once your full birth story gallery is ready, I’ll met with you and we’ll walk through your birth story. This is my favorite part, getting to relive your birth day together is a tremendous gift.
After viewing your full gallery I will chat with you about your sharing preferences indicated in your model release and determine which images you would like to give me permission to utilize for my business purposes.
The easiest way I have found to do this is to send my clients a separate online gallery of just the images I would like to use to give them the option to indicate which images they do not want to share. This can be any or all of them, truly whatever they are most comfortable with I support.
I then compile an “ok to share” folder and only ever pull from those permitted images when sharing images on my website, blog, socials and printed materials.
So rest assured that I have full permission to share the images I have on my site! And know that I have loads of gorgeous images that I’ll never post online, because I believe in consent and supporting my clients to the fullest. Privacy is more important than ever, but so is capturing sweet memories together.
Hiring a birth photographer doesn’t have to mean sharing your whole story with the world, but it can!
I’m here for however you chose to welcome you babe!
If you’re interested in learning more about birth photography send me a message, I’d love to set up a time to chat!
