Birth Photography Basics: An Interview with Erin Heuser
Erin Heuser is an award-winning birth and documentary family photographer. Through her work she strives to help moms feel seen and empowered. She wants families to be able to revisit their stories and re-live their important moments.
In her course Birth Photography Basics, Erin speaks to photographers with a heart for documentary work who wish to explore birth photography. She digs into the many facets of this specialized genre. She talks about ways to be thoughtful while in a client’s birth space, and also discusses gear and software, special lighting situations, proper exposure, composition techniques, as well as culling and editing. She goes over workflow considerations and shares some strategies for connecting with other local birth professionals, working with clients, and building birth portfolios. She covers everything you need to shoot your first birth, including when to go and what to expect.
Here’s a little more about Erin…
1. What’s typically in your camera bag?
For births, I typically have 2 camera bodies and have a 35mm lens on one, and a 24mm lens on the other. I use a Black Rapid Dual Strap, so that I can have both cameras on me at the same time. I have extra batteries and cards, along with a charger for the batteries. I also have 2 flashes with a MagMod grid attached.
2. From your point of view, what makes a good picture?
A good picture is one that will make the subject feel all the same feelings again. If someone other than the subject is viewing the picture, I want them to be able to relate to it and for it to draw out emotion in them as well.
3. What or who influences your work the most? Where do you draw inspiration from?
The person who inspired me to start this journey, and continues to be a source of inspiration for me is Kirsten Lewis. It was her first workshop that led me to hiring her as my mentor, and she has since become my friend. I have grown a lot with her as my teacher and am so grateful for her! I also draw inspiration from other photographers (some outside of my genre), studying how they compose their photographs and use light.
4. How do you decide when to click the shutter? What makes you say “Ah, I have to click right now!”
When I’m out and about, and not necessarily shooting, I often catch myself studying the light on other people and have to remind myself I shouldn’t stare! Although I do enjoy street photography, there are many times this has happened when I have been upset I didn’t have my camera on me!
When I am purposefully shooting, I love watching for the moments when eyes meet - catching new parents exchanging heartfelt glances, care providers expressing empathy, or babies staring up at their parents for the first time.
I also love to look for unique or particularly meaningful things that are happening, beyond the obvious. When I meet with clients prior to their session, I listen and take notes on things that are important to them. They may have a beloved dog that has been with them since they got together, or they may have a special relationship with a family member present at the birth, for example. I look for ways to highlight the significance of these connections.
5. What are you passionate about outside of photography?
Outside of photography, I love to spend time with my dog, Scout. She and I enjoy swimming and hiking. I also love to travel anywhere tropical - when I’m not on call for a birth!
6. What’s been the biggest highlight in your photography journey so far?
The biggest highlight in my photography journey would be the moment I realized that birth photography and documentary family photography was exactly what I had been looking for. It was a defining moment for me! I had spent a lot of time trying to make photographs that were “Pinterest-perfect” - photos that I thought everyone wanted - and I was miserable doing it! At the time, I had no idea that the documentary genre existed for family work, and my heart was so full when I finally realized this was what I wanted to pursue.
Aside from that, I photographed my 50th birth this past year and that was a very exciting milestone for me!
7. If you could give yourself one piece of advice when first starting out, what would it be?
One piece of advice I would have given myself would be to trust the process. I would often find myself discouraged in the first couple of years as I only had a handful of bookings. I was worried that my business would never take off or be successful. Beautiful things take time to grow and you have to stay determined and patient to see the results.
Go learn all about birth photography in Erin’s “Birth Photography Basics” course, available in the Learning Library now!