I’d like to introduce you to an amazing birth photographer right here in The Woodlands. I should say “in my opinion” but I don’t think I will . . . She is the best in our area. And, she just so happens to be one of my new favorite friends. We eat sushi together, talk birth, talk photography of course, talk life in general and crack up over random stuff falling out of our purses while paying for said sushi (for the record, The My Little Pony’s were the most normal things to be found at the bottom of my purse). Also notable, Wang’s on 242 has a really cute and delicious Dragon roll. Anyway, back to Nicole Noelle and her beautiful birth photography. You can visit Nicole’s blog and see more beautiful images of “birth” in general here. She covers it all, hospital, birth center, home birth, back yard birth. Wherever you choose to birth your baby. She’s the girl qualified to document your story. In this world of a new (digital) “photographer” on every street corner, quality, light, art & passion is what sets the true professionals apart (again – probably should say “in my opinion” but whatever – it’s my blog). Nicole is an amazingly passionate professional birth photographer & she specializes in just that. Birth. In general, women just simply aren’t told or educated to the fact that they have a lot of options! Whether you are in a hospital, a birth center or at home – there are a lot of options. Be sure you are educated enough to choose yours.     ~ Allison 

“Becoming a parent is one of life’s few huge transitions. More than your first kiss, more than your wedding day…the day your child is born is a day every woman throughout history replays in their mind over and over.   Whether your birth went as planned or took unexpected turns, whether it occurred in a hospital, birth center or home setting, the end result is a life transition that no amount of book knowledge and no childbirth class can prepare us for:  parenthood.  And within that major life transition is a beauty so intense, a strength so amazing, a journey so untouchable that it smacks of irony that most new family walks away with only those often fuzzy or vague memories, sometimes a few out of focus or underexposed cell phone photos and maybe a hospital newborn session that captures neither the journey both parents and child just completed nor the immense beauty that can be seen only in those first moments after birth.  This is, I think, because we are taught to view birth as something we just need to grit our teeth and get through – as quickly as possible – so we can get on with the business of Parenthood. But slowly, one birth at a time, we are becoming wise to the fact that birth isn’t just a means to an end. It’s a major life transition. We may read all the books and take all the classes and watch all the movies but until we experience it firsthand, we can’t truly understand what is about to take place. It changes us! And it should be honored, remembered and celebrated. Society implores us to spend thousands of dollars on a wedding photographer to remember such a deeply personal and beautiful day but what about a birth photographer?

Birth photography is a newer, but quickly growing, area of photography sought out by those who recognize and appreciate that this transition of husband and wife to parents and a child’s transition into the world are one of the most incredibly powerful moments in a family’s life.  It is not about unflattering and graphic imagery but rather photojournalistic art capturing your relationship with your partner, the small details you wish later you could recall and your child’s first moments of life.  Birth photography may capture pain, frustration, strength, power, emotion, connection, fragility, fear and then…complete and utter joy.  And as amazing as it is for a mother to hold her child outside of her body for the first time, this moment is often even more emotional for fathers who have not had the benefit of feeling a child grow so close to their heart for so many months. One of my favorite moments in every birth is the moment a man becomes a father. The look in his eye when  he sees his child, when he studies every inch  of sweet baby goodness and when his brand new child meets his gaze for the first time; the look in his eye as he adores his wife’s strength and courage…these are moments that are uniquely captured through birth photography.

Whether you schedule a cesarean birth or end up with one despite much planning otherwise, whether you are hoping for an unmedicated birth or are excited to bring on the epidural as soon as possible; no matter your birth choices, your birth WILL be a series of transitions: woman to mother, couple to parents and younger children into older siblings. And you will be left to process it and decide whether you view it with beauty or horror or indifference. You may struggle with post-partum depression – often exacerbated by a difficult birth experience. And as you process your feelings, photography will allow you to be able to see the unique strength and power you possessed, the courage you summoned or the look of love on your face that are all a part of EVERY birth experience. You may have trouble seeing yourself as you really were – a beautiful warrior for your child – until you see yourself through the lens of a camera. You may not ever know the look of absolute unrequited love in the eyes of your spouse when he looks at you and, later, lays eyes on his child for the very first time, until you see that moment captured for eternity.  Birth photography brings the whole story. And it leaves a legacy for children and their parents of a moment in time that can never be repeated.

To learn more about birth choices in the Houston area, check out these amazing resources:

• B.I.R.T.H.
• International Cesarean Awareness Network of Houston or Houston’s chapter
• Houston Birth Alternatives

Allison: adding another good read that Nicole shared on facebook today;o) Hope that’s ok! And Nobody Told Me

And if you or someone you know is considering a birth photographer now or in the future, the organization International Association of Professional Birth Photographers can help you find a photographer specializing in birth that serves your area.”

gorgeous work Nicole. Thank you.

What do you think? Do you think there is a single milestone more transformative in a lifetime than a birth?? I’d love to know.

]]> http://feather-nest.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/the-woodlands-birth-photography-nicole-noelle/feed/ 16 http://feather-nest.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/houston-breastfeeding/ http://feather-nest.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/houston-breastfeeding/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:07:11 +0000 allison http://feather-nest.com/blog/?p=1543  

. . .

. . .

hmm.

yeah – I don’t know what to say here & I think just about anything I say will dilute the amazingness of the images below. So fair warning – I’m about to vomit on “paper.”

These images are in my top 2 favorite sets of images I’ve captured this year – or ever maybe (the other’s you won’t see here – too personal). . . I’m a little facinated by birthing and breastfeeding and moms and their innate abilities. Maybe it’s just the stage  of life I’m in with two kids in the 0-3 range? I’ve been birthing or nursing somebody for the past 4 years now. I think it’s an amazing, powerful, and lovely God-given honor. I think it’s one of the things our country sadly fails at supporting every single day. And it bugs me. Because other countries GET IT. If  I could travel to every country/tribe/continent and document how mothers outside of America birth babies and feed them (a lot of times with no medical help what-s0-ever) through my lens. Oh my gosh -that would be a dreeeaaaam job for me. Anybody want to pay me to do that!!?? Ok, whatever, I’ll keep dreaming.

I  – am  – over – the – moon – happy (and honored) that she is letting me share these here.

These mental images would fade in 12 months when his baby leg rolls start melting away. However, these images will last forever. If the light is right and the mood is right, I almost always take these images at a newborn session. They just don’t usually get shared here. I will still be back with their full session – just wanted these to have  a post of their own. That is the very least they deserve. And, of course,  to do my part to promote the amazingness of 1 mom.

Good job momma. Keep it up.

do me a favor please  & comment if you agree?? I know I’m not the only one that feels this way.

Sooo many of us in The Woodlands - Houston area and across the world spent many a days praying for the family of Layla Grace Marsh as she was fighting a battle with the nasty cancer Neuroblastoma. Sweet Layla was here for a very specific reason. I’m quite sure it was to bring our community collectively and simultaneously closer to God. We wanted so badly to do what we could to end the tangible pain that Shanna wrote about on her blog. It was so real and she was so transparent that no one read it without stopping short of breath and crying out for it to stop. We pleaded, demanded, begged, stormed and cried for Layla to be cured.

And she finally was.

She is not forgotten . . . because it would be a shame for us not to realize that God had a hand in it all & we must, we must, we must look to him every minute of every day to see the kind of changes we saw in our city during those days.

So, this brings me to my friend Christie Lacy ) She asked for our help & I/we said absolutely . . . tell me what to do & I’m there. Not just for the family of Layla Grace, but also because she asked. I continue to be amazed that through this business/art-form. . . I almost daily run into the most amazing Christian/business women?!? It’s by no coincidence. It’s because I’m following The path that I’ve asked for. Don’t know where I’m going – which, yes, annoys this Type-A girl most days. But, I’m confident – that [today] I’m going where I’m supposed to. BECAUSE of the angels that keep appearing on my path. There’s no point in re-inventing the wheel – read Christie’s post about our event or visit the site here. It was a success! I have a few more to come, but here are a few of the images we managed to bang out in 20 minute mini sessions a couple of weekends ago! See – told you I’m blessed – He sent me the most awesome baby, kids and families too!  

Have a happy Friday!

“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection

and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like Him in His death,

and so,

somehow,

 to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,

but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV)

“Lay your sorrows on the ground . . . “

and be still. and pray. and listen.

::sigh::

So, what on earth is this Feather Bound stuff all about? I’m ’bout to tell you!! Sara might have summed it up most concisely on one of her scrap doodle pages that I ganked (what else is new??) . . .

“Where the wonder of words & photo art collide

and cherished memories forever reside.

We click for the cause & write for the fight

to keep the legacy of loved ones burning bright.”

Our primary purpose is to honor families who are fighting the battle with cancer by telling their story beautifully and gifting that story back to them in one amazing book. If you’ve known anyone who has fought this fight, the imagery associated with parts of that journey can be very painful and overpowering. We wanted to change this one thing for them. We want to help them capture the story in all it’s beauty. The strength, grace, unity and faith that weave themselves into their story. We want to be able to give freely to these families because they deserve that. We also want to help fund research along the way. So, the best way to do all of the above is to do what we do best. . .

click. create. write. bind.

The coolest thing is we will be doing custom albums, like the one I’m about to post next, to fund these special books! How fun are these??! I felt it deserved it’s own post so the people who don’t care could skip all this reading;o) I’m so excited about the possibilities. Also, Sara will be writing simple, but customized poems for Feather Nest Photography clients’ albums too!!! eeek – way exciting . . . she’s already done a couple for me & they are super cool and more unique than anything you’ve ever seen. One seriously extra-fantastical heirloom for you!

So, here’s where you, the lovelies that read this blog (still blows my mind why?), come in . . .

1) IF you are interested in a custom creation, like the one I’m about to feature next, featuring your kids, your family, cousins, couples, girlfriends, anything, etc. . . LET ME KNOW! We will help you style a custom photo session ( The sky is the limit as far as imagination!). Then Sara & I will set to work designing your book. A portion of the profit from these sales is already set aside to “pay it forward” for a specially chosen family to receive this service.

2) IF you know a child who is battling childhood cancer no matter what stage or a special survivor (specifically childhood cancers), please nominate them for this service by emailing their story to sara{@}feather-bound.com. We have a couple of nominations on the launching pad and are ready to start fielding inquiries.

The website will be here. The blog will be separate from feather nest photography sorta of. I will probably cross-blog so you can follow along easily if you want & if not, just skip it!

Ok, that’s probably too much to process for now. Like I said . . . it will have it’s own space soon & all the details anf sample work will be there!

So, next up, my favorite people in a “Signature Series” custom story book from Feather Bound Book Co.

OH! I forgot to mention too . . . these will be printed from my favorite album company. They have the thickest board book like pages and an image cover. Really cool. I’ll take pictures as soon as we get the first one ordered.

Yay!

Had a fun maternity session this week . . . I’ll be back to share more as I get them finished, just a quick one that I really like!