Urshita Saini On How She Captures Birth Photos To Give Joy To Families

You might be a doting mother who loves to get her child's photo clicked again and again. And why not? These photos will be reminiscent of the best years of his/her childhood. But have you ever thought of getting the most memorable moment of your journey captured? The beautiful moment when your bundle of joy came into the world and filled it with love and hope. Birth photography, as the name suggests, captures the first few hours of a newborn's life.

SheThePeople.Tv spoke to Delhi-based Urshita Saini about her experience as a birth photographer.

From a lawyer to birth photographer

"When we started working on this, I faced something that I call the ‘fear of the unknown’. Since people were unaware of what this concept encapsulates, they were unwilling to get this done. However, once made aware of the sanctity of the pictures, people get really interested in the concept," shares Urshita Saini who is a lawyer by profession and started dabbling in photography three years ago.

She tells us that she kicked off her photography journey by covering weddings and later switched over to birth photography after learning about its concept.

Read: 10 Tips to Start Out as a Photographer

"While researching for an article that I was asked to author around Maternity and Newborn shoots, I realized that Birth photography as a concept is not happening in India. Even though this was prevalent in the western world, India was blind to it," she tells us, adding that her fascination for birth as a concept propelled her to introduce this niche photography in India.

"I have to be prepared to wait for 4-6 hours for the childbirth and during this time, I cannot let my spirits go down as the family is banking on me to create memories for them," - Urshita

Trials and tribulations 

The journey, however, was not a smooth one. There were a lot of apprehensions she had to battle. For instance, it was difficult to explain the magnificence of capturing newborns' photos to people who thought that babies should not be shown to the world for the first 40 days.

Lack of technical know-how was another challenge that she successfully tided over after three months of aggressive research and medical training which made her confident of the execution of Birth Photography -- both from a Photographer and a Business personnel’s perspective.

"If the doctor feels the need for me to exit the room, I have to obey her. My presence should not be a hindrance to either the doctor or the mother,"- Urshita

Also: Photography with a twist: Meet some of the best women photographers in India

Her work, sometimes, can be very enervating. "With all the running around, being quick both in the head and on the feet takes a toll after every shoot. I have to be prepared to wait for 4-6 hours for the childbirth and during this time, I cannot let my spirits go down as the family is banking on me to create memories for them."

But seeing a baby take birth, Urshita mentions, is one of the most beautiful experiences one can have, but she tries not to let her strong emotions disrupt her work.

"I need to understand that I am here to carry out a job that I am hired for and any slack can lead to the dissatisfaction of my client. I also have to be aware of the pain of the mother and hence, my role also adds up to making her comfortable during this entire process," she explains.

Technicalities to be kept in mind

Besides getting the perfect shot, Urshita confesses that there are a lot of things running in her mind. Talking about the technicalities, she mentions that she cannot use flashes around the baby. She also needs to keep herself and her instrument sterile at all times around the baby.

Birth photography credits: Urshita

"If the doctor feels the need for me to exit the room, I have to obey her. My presence should not be a hindrance to either the doctor or the mother," she adds.

Making families smile

She recollects a shoot where the grandmother expressed her aversion to getting the baby photographed. Putting her concerns aside, Urshita got down to the work. But once she showed them the photos, the grandmother was brimming with happiness.

"She put her hand on my head and told me 'Beta you have given us the most important memories of our lives’. Whatever price we had decided on, she gave me extra."

It is wonderful to see women like Urshita who dare to charter into unknown territories and help other women relive the allure of childbirth again and again.

Read Also: Picture this: Mom & workaholic gets global accolades for her passion in photography