9 questions for birth photographer Jana Wiescholek

Jana Wiescholek is a birth photographer. I found (and still find) that very exciting and so I asked her if I could ask her a few questions about her work. Fortunately she agreed. I hope you enjoy reading!

Jana, maybe you can start by telling me something about yourself? Where do you live? Do you have children? What makes you tick?

I have been living in Bremen for many years, where I live with my husband and my two children. I have been self-employed in graphic design, web design and photography for over 8 years, and in an office community in Peterswerder for 4 years.

My children are 7 and 2 years old.

You are a birth photographer. How did you get into this? I find it totally exciting and would have loved to have such photos.

Yes, it was the same for me. After the birth of my second child, I came across a blog entry with birth photos by chance on the web and was immediately magically attracted to it. Again and again I looked at the pictures and then also explicitly searched for such pictures. What excited me was the rawness and authenticity that these pictures radiate and that they just depict things that you actually rarely get to see in the form.

We all know those romantic pictures of babies, nicely draped with little caps on a lambskin (which of course also have their raison d'être). And likewise, we know the "one big picture of childbirth" that we've been given in the media for decades: Woman lying on her back in a hospital after-shirt screaming with her legs spread ...

Birth photography does not want to show one, nor the other. Rather, it is about showing how it really was. What was the mood like in the birth room? Who was there? How did the baby come to light? What did the baby look like in its very first hours of life? The parents' reactions when they see and touch their child for the first time ...

All these are questions to which birth photos can provide a detailed and long-lasting answer.

How does your work proceed? Do you get to know the families beforehand?

Yes, we usually meet at the family's home beforehand for a non-binding get-to-know-you session. During this meeting all questions can be clarified and the parents (to be) can get a better picture of me as a person. For births that take place further away from Bremen, I sometimes do this via Skype.

It is not a matter of course that people like each other in every combination. That's why it's good and important to clarify this point for yourself. And finally, you no longer have the feeling of having a stranger with you at such an intimate moment.

Conversely, it helps me to perceive the wishes of my families and to implement them later. If a home birth is planned, I can also get a picture of the birthplace and think about where I will be, where there might be light sources. But also such banal things as the way to the coffee machine and the toilet. During the birth, every question can be one too many. That's why I prefer to clarify such things in advance.

Do I have to contact you early on if I want photos at the birth, or is that also possible at relatively short notice?

That varies from person to person. There are times when it is possible at very short notice because the calendar still has capacity. But there have also been several requests for one and the same period, where I then could not accept every request.

I could imagine that it would also be a bit strange if someone "stranger" would take photos at such an intimate and emotional situation like birth. What are your experiences?

Well, as I said before, yes, I am no longer a complete stranger to the families at the time of the birth. And yes, there should be a certain amount of sympathy and trust.

On the other hand, parents also meet strangers at births in the hospital, for example. No one will be able to tell in advance which midwives and doctors will be on duty in the delivery room on the day of the birth. And these people are then also strangers and much closer, much more intimate to the event than I am with my camera.

I also always talk to my families in advance about the fact that there is always the possibility of sending me out the door if the woman giving birth then still feels disturbed.

However, this situation has never occurred and, from experience, the women don't even notice me once they are absorbed in their birthing rhythm.

Do you attend all "types" of births, i.e. home births/ birth center births/ hospital? Have you ever had any negative reactions from midwives or doctors?

Yes, theoretically all birth locations are possible. Also a caesarean section.

For a hospital birth, I ask the family to inform the staff in advance that they will be bringing a photographer to the birth.

So far, there has not been any rejection. On the contrary - the hospital is rather proud of these pictures and you are sometimes asked if you may purchase one or the other photo.

Are you there for the entire duration of the birth?

I usually join in from the late opening phase. This phase in particular can vary greatly in length, and it wouldn't help anyone if I spent hours recording how the woman in labor breathes her contractions.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us - about yourself or your work?

I would like to say that this work means a lot to me and I am always surprised and overwhelmed by the wonderful people I get to meet. It is a wonderful feeling when complete strangers open their doors to you and invite you to accompany them in perhaps the most intimate and poignant moments of their lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my previous families (and I deliberately do not call them "clients") for their trust.

Dear Jana, thank you for the interview. It was very interesting to learn more about you and birth photography!

For more information about Jana and her work, visit www.geburtsfotografie-bremen.de.

The cover image comes from unsplash.com.