Award-winning photos capture agony and ecstasy of childbirth
Striking birth photos capture the agony and ecstasy of labor and delivery, from heart-wrenching images documenting infant loss to emotional pictures of mothers’ first embraces with their newborns
WARNING: MATURE AND GRAPHIC CONTENTThe International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IABP) announced the winners of its 11th annual Birth Photography Image Competition Winners were selected across five main categories: birth details, labor, delivery, postpartum, and hardship and loss, a new category that was introduced this yearIAPBP director Liz Cook said in a press release that they wanted to ‘honor the 1 in 4 birthing persons who experience miscarriage and/or loss’ with the category
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Photographers from around the world are being honored for their breathtaking images capturing the wonder and raw emotion of childbirth, as well as heart-wrenching moments of loss.
The International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IABP) have announced the winners of its 11th annual Birth Photography Image Competition, which celebrates the best labor and delivery images of 2021.
‘We are incredibly proud of the entrants of this year’s competition because in spite of all we endured in our community in recent years, this contest represents the resistance birth photographers have to overcome unforeseen challenges,’ IAPBP director Liz Cook said in a press release.
Winners were selected across five main categories: birth details, labor, delivery, postpartum, and hardship and loss — a new category that was introduced this year.
‘We desire to honor the 1 in 4 birthing persons who experience miscarriage and/or loss and inviting images of these events into our celebration of birth photography is one way we can do this,’ Cook explained.
‘We are proud to present to you a breathtaking body of work that shares life’s most powerful moments from 2021.’
First place: Brazilian photographer Bárbara Aviz of Bárbara Aviz Fotografia won the competition with her heartwarming image titled ‘A Touch of Love
Best in Labor: Sara Hunter, from the United States, was honored for her black and white photograph titled ‘Ovarian Cancer Survivor – Hospital Transfer’
Best In Delivery: Australian photographer Ebony Allen-Ankins took a top spot with her emotional entry, ‘The First Look’
Best In Postpartum: ‘Twins First Latch’ by U.S. photographer Jessica Miles captured the sweet moment a mother first nursed her babies
Members’ Choice: U.S. photographer Sara Hunter documented a touching moment between a father and his newborn baby in her image ‘Crying Dad’
Honorable Mention: Dora Barens, from the Netherlands, was honored for her photograph titled ‘Touch of Love’
Best In Delivery: German photographer Danny Merz captured a waterbirth in his image titled ‘The Blessed Exhaustion’
Best In Delivery: American photographer Sara Hunter documented a water birth in her black and white photo titled ‘Dad Catches His Baby Girl’
Best In Postpartum: ‘Love Till Infinity’ by Inge Berken, from the Netherlands, captured a quiet moment between a mother and child
Honorable Mention: Australian photographer Jessica Henderson was honored for her heartwarming family photo titled ‘Daughters Of A Midwife’
Best In Labor: ‘Surrender’ by Renate Van Lith, from the Netherlands, captured a transcendent water birth moment
Best In Delivery: ‘Euforia’ by Inge Berken, from the Netherlands, was one of the top photos in the competition
Best In Labor: Mexican photographer Sara Avila documented a mother-to-be making a tearful phone call in the delivering room in her image titled ‘Accepting A New Plan’
Honorable Mention: U.S. photographer Lindsey Bartell was honored in the competition for her image ‘Held’
Honorable Mention: ‘Exhale’ by U.S. photographer Natalie Broders captured a sweet postpartum moment
Honorable Mention: U.S. photographer Lindsey Ellis was honored for her black and white photograph titled ‘Lean Into Me’
Best In Birth Details: Australian photographer Dania Lauren captioned an action-packed birthing moment in her image titled ‘The Tiniest Feet’
Honorable Mention: U.S. photographer Jacinta Lagos captured a blissful postpartum moment in her image ‘Ecstacy’
Best In Postpartum: ‘Swimming Interstellar’ by U.S. photographer Hayden Trace was taken from up above
Honorable Mention: Sadie Wild, from the United Kingdom, was honored for her photograph titled ‘Womb World To Our World’
Members’ Choice: Cindy Willems, from the Netherlands, got creative with her labor photo titled ‘White Noise’
Best In Labor: ‘My Sacred Birth Cocoon’ by Jessica Innemee, Netherlands, was one of the top entries in the competition
Honorable Mention: Ebony Allen-Ankins, from Australia, was honored for her magical photo ‘Into The Night’
Best In Birth Details: ‘She Roars’ by U.S. photographer Lindsey Bartell captured an intense labor moment
Honorable Mention: Russian photographer Lyubov Chaykovskaya documented a mother simultaneously breastfeeding her child and newborn in ‘Life-Giving Nectar’
Best In Postpartum: ‘Reunion’ by U.S. photographer Rachel Utain-Evans was another top image in the competition
Honorable Mention: Vannessa Brown, from Canada, was celebrated for her black and white delivery photo titled ‘Love And Support’
Honorable Mention: A crying mother was the subject of ‘Transition Tears’ by Canadian photographer Ashley Marston
Honorable Mention: German photographer Susanne Krauss was honored for her black and white image titled ‘A Calm Birth In Times of Pandemic’
Best In Birth Details: U.S. photographer Brittney Hogue was celebrated for her post-birth image titled ‘Nuchal’
Honorable Mention: U.S. photographer Natalie Weber was honored for her heart-rending image titled ‘The Reach’
Honorable Mention: German photographer Charlene Foertser captured new parents kissing post-birth in her entry titled ‘This Is Us’
