These incredibly powerful birth images have been deemed the best of 2020
They have to be seen to be believed.
In recent years talented photographers have been developing creative ways to capture each unique childbirth with still images that manage to convey the energy in the room during labour, birth and those precious fist moments as a new family.
Each year, Birth Becomes Her holds a national competition, calling for submissions from birth photographers around the globe, and we’re wowed by the beauty and power in each and every one.
The images in the gallery below have been chosen as the top ten in the 2020 competition.They were each ranked by multiple judges on lighting, storytelling, composition, focus, editing, sense of scene, overall artistic impression, and respect for the vulnerability of birth.
READ NEXT: See more images from our our favourite finalists in the Birth Becomes Her 2020 Competition.
This beautiful image by Sophia Williams has been deemed one of the top ten of 2020.
The top ten birth photography images in 2020
Neo Photography – Deborah Elenter
“We need to see more c-section images that capture the emotion and beauty of caesarean birth…and this image nailed it. The lighting on her face is perfection, highlighting her sense of joy and relief and pain with the tear being front and centre. The emotion, the colours, the power, its ALL here in one photo. Beautiful work!”
Katie Torres
“This takes me back to my my own birth and I can feel this moment so deep within me. Honestly, rarely, in this specific moment to I pause to think, let me change from horizontal to vertical shooting, but you had that brilliant idea and documented so much in such a simple and clean photo.”
Sophia Williams
“Such a spectacular capture of a breathtaking moment. Not only are we seeing impeccably sharp focus, perfect tones and clean editing that speaks to the simple innocence being told in the story, it’s obvious the artist was in the right place at the right time. We absolutely love this for its simplicity, perspective, and storytelling. Speechless!”
Dana Jacobs
“This feels artistic and just plain beautiful. The 70mm lens really makes the mother and the kids stand out so they don’t feel lost, and the image could still be captured without intruding in this incredible moment. The frame conveys so much emotion and I love everyone’s expression and the wonderful edit; perfect contrast and sharp, clean tones in this black and white conversion.”
Tinette Turton
“This image offers beautiful tones and skillful composition, a true work of art! There is a sense of calm and peace, and the artist tells the story of a gorgeous and strong birthing person, surrounded by love, the center of which the new baby taking that first gasp of air. Absolute magic and incredible talent here used in lighting and editing.”
Hannah Palamara
“What a beautiful and profound moment; the artist here was thoughtful in including a lot of relevant detail, from the placenta in the bowl to the shoulder tape on the birthing persons partner. The way the birth tub forms a circle leading to their intimate moment is pure perfection.”
Robin Weir
“The light is perfect and you can feel the connection between the mother and the baby right away. The colors, tones and edits are great, but even better are their expressions and the details. This makes me pause and study the image, and remember that first moment that I laid eyes on my children.”
Alexandria Mooney
“The composition and framing are just out of this world. Different layers create so much depth here, and gifts abound for the viewer that stays and searches the image. A sibling, a partner, the doctor, all surrounding this baby so perfectly illuminated by the lighting and framing.”
Kayla Reeder
“The choice of black/white is perfect for an image that is so clearly loaded with the unknown; nervousness, tension, and excitement. I love the use of lighting here and the way that the hallways naturally leads the viewer straight into the subject.”
Stephanie Entin
“Beautifully done. I love the sense of peace and serenity here, even the new baby seems to be saying ‘I’m right where I belong’. The way the light frames her face is absolute magic, and the entire story is told so beautifully here without any intrusion on what is clearly a very special moment for these two.”
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