Dana Jacobs
Do I have to share my birth photos?

If you’re thinking about hiring a birth photographer, you might be worried that the photos of one of your most intimate and vulnerable moments will suddenly become public. I can’t speak for all birth photographers (though I’d really hope that most would agree), but I’m here to tell you that, as a professional birth photographer, I never share a single photo without consent.

Do I have to share my birth photos?
Dana Jacobs
Evelyn's newborn session — When you get to ...

When I get invited into a family’s home to document their life with a new baby, it’s nothing short of an honor. But when that same family asks me to come back to capture their family growing again, I feel humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me for a second time.

Evelyn's newborn session — When you get to photograph baby number two
Newborn Photography
Dana Jacobs
Kieran's In-Home Newborn Photo Session — St. ...

My goal for each time I photograph a newborn baby and their family at home is to document not just the tiny details that make up this big moment of life, but to really capture how it feels to be living it. I strive to create artful photos that transport parents from their future lives right back to the fleeting days when they first met their baby and could stare at him for hours on end, learning every detail and taking in the newness and profoundness of it all.

Newborn Photography
Dana Jacobs
The Beautiful Light of Finnagen's Newborn ...

Maybe my favorite days, though, are ones like the day shown below — when I was welcomed into a beautiful bungalow in South St. Louis County for an in-home newborn session with Finnegan and his wonderful parents. The living room was bright enough, with several windows, but not so much direct light that rays of sunshine created overly bright spots. There were beautiful neutral tones in the furniture and decorations, accented by warm wood floors and accents. It was a really nice place to start photographing this sweet new family of three.

Newborn Photography
Dana Jacobs
Cozy at Home on a Snowy Day: An In-Home, ...

On my drive from my first newborn session over to this family’s home, the sleet and snow started falling. By the time I arrived, there was a dusting of white on the grass outside. But despite the cold and overcast day outside, the photos we made together inside this lovely family’s home were rich with warmth and color and love. Check out this beautiful family (doggo included) and the magic we made together.

Best in Labor

In Her Own Words: The St. Louis Home Birth of Emerie

As a birth photographer, telling birth stories through photos brings me such a sense of honor and purpose. Showing the strength and vulnerability of labor, the support of a birth partner and the midwives or other care providers, the emotions and the details that tell the story of the journey, and the joy and relief once baby is in their parents’ arms… it’s all a passion of mine. But the truth is, the story I tell is from an outside perspective. So to get to hear that same story through the words of the person who lived it is so very special. Getting to read those words alongside my documentation is, for me, well, it’s just magic.

I hope you’ll enjoy seeing this birth story from my perspective in this slideshow and then reading about the journey Katelyn went on to bring her baby Earthside in her own words below!

Winner of the 2021 International Association of Professional Birth Photographers Competition: Why I Enter

Having an opportunity (and a deadline) to go through my body of work and choose an image or a handful of images that are technically correct and objectively powerful is a practice that really pushes me as an artist. It truly fosters individual growth as an artist and as a professional. And all of that is true no matter the outcome of the competition.

Pregnancy, Birth, and Newborn Photographer St. Louis