[Update] Jaydene Freund’s photo “Road to Deliverance” was just named the winner of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers 2017 Image of the Year Competition. » Read article in People Magazine
If you would have asked me when I was a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said “an artist.” As a child I loved the arts. As a student at MEI I loved the arts, but I didn’t see a life career in it soinstead, I studied political science at Trinity Western University. As life would have it, the arts were always in me and even after graduation I wanted a creative outlet. Photography started as a hobby. Then in 2009 I became a doula (a ladies birth assistant.) The first birth i ever attended was 24 hours long. I took my camera along since i thought the woman might want a few photos of her birth journey. I came home exhausted but anxious to upload those photos to see how they turned out. I sat their crying looking through all the marvelous raw emotions. It was that moment that I knew I wanted to become a birth photographer.
In 2009 when I started attending births, there was no such thing as a professional birth photographer. Yes, people might have been taking photos of their births for decades, but no one in their right mind would have thought to hire a designated person to photograph the event. I remember creating my website and advertising but I couldn’t even get friends to let me in their birth rooms for free at the time. People thought the idea of a birth photographer was bizarre and “gross.” When they heard the term, “birth photography” they could only picture only 1 graphic image, however I would explain birth photography is no more defined by 1 moment than a wedding is defined by a bride and groom’s kiss. It’s about documenting a unique emotional story that’s full of laughter, tears, hard work, boredom, bonding, love, affection and pure raw joy. It captures a woman becoming a mother, a man becoming a father or your only child becoming your oldest child.
» Read Vancouver Sun Article
When I started birth photography, my purpose was to capture the details women might have missed while they were inwardly focused on labour and delivery. Recently, my purpose behind the camera has morphed into a means to empower women. When I am able to share birth stories, it inspires other women across the globe to research their birthing options, to trust in their body’s innate ability to birth, and to realize birth is a beautiful journey despite unplanned turns and interventions.
Since I started calling myself a professional birth photographer, the industry has officially emerged. In 2011 I started Canadian Birth Photographers website with 6 members and it now lists 92 members across Canada. The industry continues to gain momentum because women in this generation talk about their birth experiences and want to preserve their priceless memories to cherish and pass on to their children.
About Jaydene
Jaydene Freund photographs 2-4 births a month and lives on call in Abbotsford, BC. She gets called out of bed at 3am and might be gone for 5 hours or 25 hours. Her husband Dustin Freund (alum 98) is extremely supportive and doesn’t mind picking up the pieces she leaves behind when she jets out of the house in a flash. Her work has been featured in Vancouver Sun, CBC, Global News, Globe and Mail, Canadian Family Magazine, BuzzFeed and Huffington Post. Follow her work at www.CradledCreations.com
