Award-Winning Birth Photos That Will Change How You Think About Giving Birth

12th Annual

Birth Photographers

Image Competition

IAPBP

Results are here from the 12th Annual Birth Photographers image competition @birthphotogs and I had to share with you as soon as I saw! I was psyched to see the buzzfeed article go live this week!

This year's competition had 895 images submitted from members in 24 different countries (266 Professional Birth Photographers!)

From my image submissions, I received 3 awards! I cannot believe my eyes!

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My home birth below with my client Shena, submitted into the labor category was award was among the top 10% of images (only 63 of 895 images made it into this category)

Titled: “I know I can”

Mom @shenlh
Midwife Michelle Cerami of East Coast Midwifery @eastcoastmidwifery

Doula Irina Shlain of Monkey Mind Wellness @monkeymindwellness

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My home birth below with Maryann and her husband Kyle who are both bradley birth instructors in Delray Beach, FL, submitted into the birth details category was awarded among the top 20% (only 170 images of 895)

Titled “Feminine Deliverance”

Mom Maryann of @bradleybirthingpalmbeach
Midwife Michelle Cerami of East Coast Midwifery @eastcoastmidwifery
Midwife Assistant / Birth Assistant Jordan of @libelula_doula

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My home birth below with Ashley, an amazing chiropractor in south Florida, also submitted into birth details and it too was awarded among the top 20% (only 170/895 images)!!

Titled “Liquid Gold Will Solve it”

Mom @blondieamt
Midwife Gelena Hinkley of P3 Births and Natural Birthworks birth center in Margate, FL @midwifegelena
Doula Chelsea Burnett of Empowered Bellies @empoweredbellies
Birth Assistant @myla_mallow

A BIG moment to celebrate on many levels

This is a victory for the future of birth, midwives, doulas and birthing families in south Florida and honestly, the world.

Sharing award winning images with our birthing community, all the expecting mamas and freshly post partum mamas, and future brand-new-parents-to-be who will witness these images will be impacted in such a profound way.

These images will plant a seed with women & families to trust themselves, to trust their bodies, to trust their babies & above all: to trust their intuition.

I am really humbled that it all started with us hoping and planning for beautiful birth stories with three little humans: Nash, Rome and Lia.

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Below you can see my award winning honorable mention from 2021's competition with my client Dr. Mya Orta @dr.mya_orta who's midwives were @mymomglow and Midwife Gelena Hinkley of P3 Births and Natural Birthworks birth center in Margate, FL @midwifegelena @naturalbirthworks

Tittled: “The Journey Traveled for You”

2021

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Titled: “Reactions”

In 2020's image competition I had the honor of being award honorable mention for my post partum category submission with my client @hoawong (see below) who had a beautiful home birth with @mymomglow and @midwifegelena P3 Births and Natural Birthworks birth center in Margate, FL @midwifegelena @naturalbirthworks and her doula Marth of @zenmamalove

Birth Photographer International Image Competition Award Winners of 2020

My friends, this November, brings triumphant news:

The Birth Photographer International Image Competition 2020

Awarded 2 of my out-of-hospital birth images from births during the pandemic with

THE BRONZE AWARD!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I am SWEPT away by this victory for not just my birth art work, but for birth in the community with home birth midwives in south Florida, for these mamas inner strength bringing their babies earthside, for our future mothers-to-be who are learning how to prepare for childbirth, how to build a strong birth team, how to be empowered.

I'd like to thank my clients and their midwives and doulas for having me at these two births, without everyone’s trust, I could not have captured these moments for my clients and their families

From the first image of my client Ashley, (double braids image of @makehomewarm )

Thank you to Ashley and her family for welcoming me into their birth space at Natural Birthworks Birth Center in Margate with their midwives Gelena and Sandy and their doula Renata Rosa

You can follow Ashley’s midwives and doula here: @midwifegelena @mymomglow and @renatarosa9525

And also visit the birth center here: https://www.naturalbirthworks.com/

And visit Doula Renata’s Facebook Page Here: https://www.facebook.com/doularenatarosa/

I'd like to thank my client Shanitra for having me at her birth in Broward County with her midwife Christa West, her doula Dawna Insua and student midwife Kelly

You can follow Shanita’s midwives and doula here: @coastalmidwife @dawnadoula and @the_birth_garden

And also visit her midwife Christa at Coastal Midwifery here: http://coastalmidwifery.com/

And Dawna (student midwife and doula, also has a fantastic childbirth preparation class) here: https://www.dawnasbirthservices.com/

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A WIN FOR US ALL!

Birth Photographer International Image Competition is a Win for us all

I have witnessed many image competitions over the years and many image competitions that were specific to birth photography, and I have yet to see a stronger system evaluating each entrant, instead of putting two entrants competing against each other, which isn't fair since no two entrants were at the same birth and birth is unlike any other event in this world, it's wildly unpredictable in terms of events, lighting, positioning, available space, outcome -- THE BPIIC competition scored each entrant on a point system with a panel of expert judges with a deep history rooted in birth photography so their judging was actually irrefutable when it comes to judging BIRTH images.

(My images above were ranked 31 points (image on birthing ball) solidly in the Bronze category and 36 points (double braids image of @makehomewarm ) bordering silver that starts at 40 points.)

I watched the live judging of 212 images over 4 live feeds spanning over a total of 9 hours and I only disagreed on scores on 5 images out of 212 image submissions. That is outstanding! Not to mention, witnessing the judges panel giving feedback to entrants on what technical improvements they could make to their work to get their image to the next category was invaluable to my own education as a photographer. It was essentially an image competition and birth photographers educational workshop rolled into one.

In less than a week from the day the competition award winners were announced, the powerful photos that show the raw reality of giving birth were featured by Metro UK to no surprise, these are some of the most extraordinary birth images I have seen in 2020.

You can view the Metro UK article here: Powerful Photos that Show the Raw Reality of Giving Birth

Quote from Ellen Scott, Metro Co UK

“The photos have been crowned the best in the world in this year’s Birth Photographer International Image Competition (or BPIIC, for short), a contest founded by Lacey Barratt as a way to further legitimise the art of birth photography. Lacey, 33, from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, has been a passionate birth photographer for 10 years and was one of fourteen experienced judges to pick the winners of the competition. First place was awarded to Renate Van Lith, from Amsterdam, Netherlands, second place was presented to Jenna Nord from Montana, USA, and third place was granted to Diane Hinek, from California, USA. But with 216 entries snapped by birth photographers from around the world – including Brazil, Portugal, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand – Lacey felt it was important to showcase all of the top images of the competition. Mum-of-five Lacey said: ‘It was important to host a competition because there are so many other incredible competitions in the world, but they are not specific to birth photographers. ‘So we often get lumped in with documentary, photojournalism, and wedding documentary categories.” [Read more]

Shortly thereafter followed by 7 News Australia

and DailyMail.co.UK !

Below I’d like to share with you some of my favorite images from the competition

I took the time to go back to the judging videos to write down the names of the photographers, hyperlink their websites below, hyperlinked their social media accounts.

I’m curious if you’d like to know what I would have scored my favorite images if I had been on the judges panel? (FYI I do not know most of these artists, but also, most of these images I have never seen so I did not know who the artists were until after the results of the competition were released) Let me know if you want to see a post with my personal scores for my fav images from the competition.

Which are your top 2 Favorites of the BPIIC?

First let me show you the two images I actually screen-shotted as the judges were judging them live, because they captivated me so much I did not want to forget to express congratulations to the artists who captured these moments

Charlene Foerster

from Germany

Awarded Bronze for this amazing capture entitled: “Strong Labor”

Scored 33 points in the Bronze Category

You can follow her on Instagram here

You can follow her on Facebook here

Alisia Mason

from Australia

Awarded Silver for this incredible unique capture entitled: “Yin and Yang Mother Meditates During Baby Crowning”

Scored at first scored 38 points in the Bronze, but after several judges extra input and rejudging, this image placed in the Silver Category at 42 points!

You can follow Alisia on Instagram here

You can follow Alisia on Facebook here

There were exactly 5 winners in the Gold Category of the Birth Photographer International Image Competition, and Silver had exactly 15 winners, see the two galleries below for Gold and Silver shot below, and directly under it I’ve highlighted my favorite ______ images from Gold and Silver.

Jenna Nord Gold 2020 BPIIC Winner

I’ve been a big fan of Jenna Nord from Missoula, Montana for a while now. No wonder this treasure of a human being captured two images that ranked in the Gold Category.

I remember what one of the judges said, how the hands catching baby through the door entry is parallel to between worlds. Genius. I have so much to learn from this incredible artist and will be watching her closely to learn how I can elevate my work for future competitions!

You can follow Jenna on Facebook here

You can follow Jenna on Instagram here

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Hayley Edgar Silver BPIIC 2020 Winner

Hayley Edgar of Raising Us Photography Australia maybe a new name to ME in the birth photography industry, but also a member of IAPBP along with me! But by no means a new photographer. This image below that stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away was awarded Silver in this years BPIIC!

I will def be following on Instagram and you can too over here

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Sarah Lentz Silver 2020 Winner and Finalist

of Australia

The gorgeous early morning light in this image with the toddler unphased by the fact their mom just had a new baby really resonated with me. This toasty cozy “Sunday” morning vibes image by Sarah was awarded in the Silver category

You can Follow Sarah on Facebook Here

You can Follow Sarah on Instagram Here

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INTERNATIONAL BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Renate Van Lith

I want to congratulate my colleague Renate of Renate Van Lith Birth Photography in the Netherlands and owner of Birth and Beyond Photography Awards for being awarded The International Birth Photographer of the Year with her incredible Gold Placement in 2020!

View the Gallery Below of her 2020 Image Submissions

You can Follow Renate on Facebook Here

You can Follow Renate on Instagram Here

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Diana Hinek

Overjoyed to see my colleague in Third Place overall from the 2020 image competition!

Congratulations Diana!

You can follow Diana on Instagram Here

You can follow Diana on Facebook Here

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Below are some of my favorite Bronze Award Winners from the 2020 BPIIC:

Amber May of Australia

Amber Instagram

Amber Facebook

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Amey Bencke of Canberra ACT, Australia

Amey Facebook

Amey Instagram

The below outstanding image by Amey was titled brilliantly by the artist “Wait for White” that I did not even have to write down because the title is so memorable.

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Hannah Paulsen

Hannah’s placenta, newborn, fresh post partum shot Bronze Award Winner is soft and on point and unique that I truly wish it had placed Silver!

Hannah Facebook

Hannah Instagram

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So what did you think? Did you have a favorite from all the above? Two top favorites? I can’t wait to hear if you agree/disagree with my favorites?

Throw me some comments below so I know if I am hitting home with these beauties!!

Congratulations to all the winners and Bravo to all who entered! I know this is not easy to have your very intimate art work critiqued and everyone who entered has a beautiful road ahead with learning from each other! I know I cannot wait to get to know some of my colleagues who are new to me this year!

Is there something you’d like to see in the 2021 Birth Photographer International Image Competition next year that wasn’t done this year? Let me know so I can give Lacey feedback!

A sincere thank you to Lacey Barratt of @birth_photographer_ for her hard work bringing this incredible competition together! I cannot imagine how much stress, sleepless nights, blood, sweat tears went into this, but you’ve lifted my spirit with your profound sense of community, involving some of my favorite colleagues and industry leaders as judges (see below) and creating a unique system that worked so damn well!

Last but NOT least

JUDGES & TEAM

I want to thank the incredibleJUDGES TEAM PANEL for the time and sincere genuine effort they put into this competition. I was so pleasantly surprised by your energy, determination and consistency.

Paul Atkins Atkins Pro Lab 

Connie Baker Integrated Copy

Kathleen Ellis Melbourne Birth

Hannah Paulsen Hannah Paulsen Photography

Emma Winch Morris Bear Designs

Victoria Berekmari Adelaide Birth Photographer

Judges

Belle Verdiglione Belle Verdiglione Photography

Bree Garcia J&B Photography

Lindsey Eden-Bartell Lindsey Eden Photography

Liz Cook IAPBP

Sarah Fowler Life + Lens Photography

Katie Gallop Sugar Images

Kelly Champion Kelly Champion Photography

Kate Randall Kate Randall Photography

Jo Robertson Lillian Craze Photography

Jelina Sonnenberg Jelina Sonnenberg Birth Services

Dania Watson Lauren + Douglas

Beth Fernley Beth Fernley Photography

Leilani Rogers PhotosbyLei

BBH 2020 Birth Photography Image Review

With the results of the 2020 Birth Photography Image Review from Birth Becomes Her right around the corner, everything is waiting with great anticipation to see which of our extraordinarily talented colleagues have made it into the top 10% of the contest, also known as the Artist’s Collection.

This year, BBH has secured a panel of 5 judges, of which, several familiar names:

Kathryn Johnson

Owner of Kathryn J Birth Stories, is an incredibly talented birth photographer based out of Dallas, Texas.

Next, the legendary

Kirsten Lewis

I snatched Kirsten Lewis’ bio from the Birth Becomes Her Image Review link, because no introduction made by me would be worthy enough of this inspiring photo-god: “a documentary family photographer based in Denver, Colorado however her work brings her all over the world, from New Zealand to Dubai, Brazil to Canada, Italy to Hawaii. Although she has been shooting for over twenty years, it was teaching on Creative Live that really brought her approach to documentary family photography to the forefront as a desirable alternative to the traditional family portrait. She has been mentoring photographers internationally not only within family photography, but a coach guiding them to find their own unique voice by embracing their personal experiences and encouraging them develop a personal point of view.” (Source: BBH 2020 Image Review)

Monet Nicole

I am so inspired by Monet Nicole. She got into birth photography long before I ever did, and at this point of her career has three gorgeous children of her own and has photographed over 400 birth stories! Wow! She is the co-founder of BBH.

Jennifer Mason

Jennifer Mason is the co-founder of BBH. I was so inspired by her power duo team work mentality with Monet years ago, and now she is a badass birth worker in Ann Arbor Michigan!

Kayla Gray

Kayla Gray is an extraordinary mother of 5 and birth photographer based out of Austin, Texas!

Scouring through the 2020 Image Review Gallery, I enjoyed voting for my favorite birth images from among my colleagues in BBH everyday until it closed.

And now we wait, we wait for the judges to thoughtfully leave feedback on each of the submitted images.

We wait to find out which images placed into the top 40%, 25%, 10%, or top 10.

2020 IAPBP Birth Photography Image Competition

In eager anticipation of the 10th annual image competition held by the incredible organization & wonderful community I am a proud member of, IAPBP (International Association of Professional Birth Photographers), I have been incredibly teary eyed, going through approximately 5,000 birth photographs I have captured from 28 different families over the 12 months of 2019, in search of the ones I would be submitting into this year’s image competition, to join my colleagues in adding to the incredible education and inspiration from our visual artwork.

As one of my colleague Monet Nicole Birthing Stories reminded us during a previous image competition, the famous words of Marysol DeWet: it's not about winning, it's about inspiring each other as artists and then inspiring the world about what birth can be.

>>>> Click Here to learn more about our annual image competition with IAPBP <<<<

I am eager to share with you all my favorite images from 2019. Can you guess which one(s) I will be submitting into the competition this year?