This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.
The moment that a child enters the world is a special one, and excited parents often immortalize the event through photography. Megan Mattiuzzo, a photographer from New York, wanted to capture the experience of her first child being born. But instead of having someone shoot the pictures for her, she photographed the childbirth herself!
The intimate images depict Mattiuzzo’s newborn son, Easton, in the midst of being delivered, from a very unique point of view. Her reasoning for doing it was simple. “As a photographer (especially a wedding photographer) I'm used to capturing moments that you can't retake,” she tells My Modern Met. “So when I found out I was pregnant I knew that I wanted to capture my son's first breath, first moments seeing his face for the first time.” At 37 weeks along, she brought up the idea to her doctor, who told her it would be fine to try for the photos since she had a healthy pregnancy. “I was surprised by [the doctor's] reaction because I had a lot of people tell me I was crazy for thinking I could take a photo while pushing due to the pain,” Mattiuzzo recalls.
Mattiuzzo came prepared to photograph the event. She got her Nikon D5 camera ready and set it to the desired shooting settings before she went into active labor. “When it was time to start pushing, my husband’s job was to hand it to me when it was time for the last push,” she says.
Even in the midst of pain (her epidural wasn’t a 100% effective), Mattiuzzo’s artistic instincts kicked in and she directed the nurses in helping her get the best possible shots. “I made the doctor [laugh] when I had her tell the nurse to turn off the room lights and put the giant spotlights on above the bed to make for a better photo. I think at that moment everyone realized how crazy I probably was and how serious I was about getting these photos to be the best possible!”
When it came time for the final push, Mattiuzzo took the camera and tucked her chin to her chest. The device rested on her stomach, and she put her eye to the viewfinder and started pushing. “I then saw a moment I will never forget,” she writes, “my son’s hair, then his head, then his body… all while shooting. It was the most amazing moment of my life. I don't regret and never will regret capturing that moment so I can relive it over and over again.”
See the resulting birth photos below.
When Megan Mattiuzzo found out she was pregnant, she knew she wanted to remember the moment her son was born through birth photos.
As a professional photographer, she decided to take the pictures herself!
She had her camera set to the desired shooting settings and had her husband hand her the device when it was time for the final push.
“I then saw a moment I will never forget,” she tells My Modern Met, “my son’s hair, then his head, then his body… all while shooting. It was the most amazing moment of my life.”
Megan Mattiuzzo: Instagram | Facebook
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Megan Mattiuzzo.
Related Articles:
2019 Birth Photography Contest Winners Capture the Emotion and Beauty of Childbirth
Heartwarming Photo of Newborn Surrounded by 1,616 IVF Needles That Led to Her Birth
Heartfelt Moments of Mothers Supporting Their Daughters Through Childbirth
