In the centre of a room in a dimly lit flat, a woman is sitting in a large tub filled with warm water. It is two hours past midnight and the air is quiet, save for the soft, calming instrumental music playing in the background. As the woman breathes deeply, her husband, two children, mother and doula mill about in anticipation. She lets out a grunt and a pained moan. She is getting ready to give birth.
Walking silently around the room is Keidi Lin. Upon arriving at the flat a few hours ago, she had scanned the cosy room for good vantage points and areas to stand. She has her camera with her, and in a small bag, are a few lighting accessories.
Without drawing attention to herself, she photographs the intimate scene taking place.
Lin is a birth photographer and the founder of The Unison Photo, where she captures women at their most raw and vulnerable, giving birth in the privacy of their homes.
Lin’s foray into birth photography started 13 years ago when a close friend invited her to be present at her home birth.
“When I stepped into the room where the birth was going to happen, I remember so vividly how peaceful and quiet everything was,” the 42-year-old said. “My friend was in the birthing tub and her husband was supporting her back. There was soft music and dim lights.”
In a home birth, a woman can choose to have all her loved ones, including her mum, older children and even close friends, present. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“It was nothing like what I thought childbirth would be like,” she said. “No screaming, no fear, no harsh lights, just my friend, a group of the people she loves, her doula and even her ob-gyn (obstetrician-gynaecologist).”
Seeing the baby being born and everyone cheering and celebrating was a “beautiful and profound” experience, Lin said. It made her appreciate how “natural, peaceful and loving birth can be”.
Lin was at a crossroads at that time. After having spent 11 years in the special education sector, the then 29-year-old wanted to move into a job where she could grow personally and professionally. But she was not sure where to go.
She had a diploma in visual communication from Temasek Polytechnic, where she specialised in photography but was nervous about becoming a photographer. The job didn’t appear as financially stable compared with being an educator.
Lin loves the tender moments between a father and his newborn and makes sure to preserve such moments in her photos. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“But the birth I attended changed my life,” she said. “The beautiful moment made me take that leap of faith and got me into birth photography. I became sure that I wanted to capture moments of childbirth, the most vulnerable moment in anyone’s life.”
As birth photography is an uncommon profession in Singapore, Lin wasn’t sure how to start. So about two years after attending the home birth, she approached her friend’s doula and told her of her interest.
“She was so open and welcoming. I ended up shadowing her and becoming a doula who also captured photographs of my clients,” Lin said.
This inducted Lin into a close-knit community of doulas, supportive obstetrician-gynaecologists, and women interested in home births. Photography is not permitted in hospital delivery suites.
In every home birth Lin has captured, she is moved by how present the husbands are for their wives. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
After six years of working as a doula-cum-birth photographer, Lin decided to focus on the latter and founded The Unison Photo in 2014. She documents one to three home births a month, in addition to maternity, family and newborn photo shoots.
“As someone who isn’t a mother, I find it such an honour to be able to capture images of childbirth,” Lin, who is married, said.
“I believe my work preserves the authenticity of birth, the strength of the human experience, and all the wide spectrum of emotions – from raw and frantic to deep joy and excitement – that come with the arrival of the baby.”
Lin added that she believes her work “redefines stereotypes of childbirth”. Before becoming a birth photographer, she had associated childbirth with anxiety, fear and loss of control.
Lin loves capturing the immense joy and relief on her client’s faces when the baby finally arrives. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“My work challenges the notion that childbirth is only about being scary, traumatic and an experience where women lose all sense of control,” she said.
“By presenting these photos, I highlight more of the laughter, the tears, the intimacy, and the love that surrounds women giving birth, even with the inevitable pain and mess that come with it,” she said.
“The setting a woman is in during a home birth also shows how everything was intentionally curated, such as the decor in the birthing room, the music in the background, and the exact people who are present.”
Lin is especially drawn to the candour of childbirth. When she was studying for her diploma, she was most drawn to “documentary-like, journalistic-style images that tell it like it is”.
Lin wants her clients to feel the affection and love in the photos when they look at them. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
When Lin first started her company, she used to only look out for the “crowning shot” – the moment the baby’s head is visible through the vaginal opening.
Now, however, she “pays attention to the small moments” and directs her camera towards them.
These can include a woman giving a pained smile to her children, a husband rubbing his wife’s back, a couple tightly gripping each other’s arms, the utter relief when the baby is finally born, the sudden tears that roll down a new father’s cheek, the gasp of a new grandmother and the innocent excitement of a young boy who realises he’s now an older brother.
“And that’s one of the many things I love about birth photography,” she said. “When you’re giving birth, nothing is staged, everything is completely candid. It’s capturing the raw and the real, and it’s exciting and wonderful to be able to be a part of it.”
Witnessing and capturing the right photos of childbirth may seem stressful, but, more than any other emotion, Lin feels honoured.
“I’m always mindful that this is a sacred space that I’m being invited to,” she said. “I approach the birth with deep respect and I come into it bringing calming, peaceful and gentle energy.”
She credits her introversion as the reason she’s good at her job. She has “mastered the art of blending into the background and making myself as small as possible”.
In the birthing space, Lin makes intentional movements, captures the photos she needs and immediately backs away. She also uses camera lenses that allow her to take shots from afar.
“I do not speak a single word, I barely use flashlights, which is hard because it’s usually very dim and dark, and I try to shoot from afar,” she said. “As a birth photographer, I must know how to move in a space such that my clients and their loved ones will feel as if I'm not there.”
Lin is skilled in the art of capturing intimate moments while staying unnoticed. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“Whenever I speak with the mums after the birth to give them their photos, a lot of them tell me they didn’t even notice me,” she added. “I feel flattered – it means I’m doing my job well.”
It’s especially touching when her clients react emotionally to her photos. “They’d gasp and cry, and it warms my heart so much,” she said.
“In the middle of their labour, they forget themselves and they wouldn’t notice the small things that happen around them. So it’s wonderful to be able to snap and share these tender and intimate photos that they can look back on.”
Lin’s role also involves being on standby around the clock from weeks 37 through 42 of her client’s pregnancy. Whether it’s at 2am when she’s sleeping or 1pm in the middle of a family gathering, when her client calls her to let her know it’s time, Lin must be ready to go.
She charges by each birth, so it doesn’t matter how long it takes – she’ll be there throughout the whole labour.
“I’m proud to say I’ve never missed a birth,” Lin said. “There are moments when I arrive just as the baby gets out, but those moments are very few and far between.”
Over the years, Lin has occasionally witnessed home births that required hospital transfers, either because the labour lasted too long or the mother decided to opt for medicated pain relief.
Thankfully, she said, there has never been an emergency that resulted in a traumatic experience for the mother. “And I pray it remains that way,” Lin added.
“In my line of work, I’ve missed birthdays, Chinese New Year and Christmas celebrations, family gatherings, hangouts with friends and so on,” she said.
“It’s hard emotionally sometimes, but it’s part and parcel of my work and I’m grateful to have my friends, family and husband be so understanding.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...
Walking silently around the room is Keidi Lin. Upon arriving at the flat a few hours ago, she had scanned the cosy room for good vantage points and areas to stand. She has her camera with her, and in a small bag, are a few lighting accessories.
Without drawing attention to herself, she photographs the intimate scene taking place.
Lin is a birth photographer and the founder of The Unison Photo, where she captures women at their most raw and vulnerable, giving birth in the privacy of their homes.
Lin’s foray into birth photography started 13 years ago when a close friend invited her to be present at her home birth.
“When I stepped into the room where the birth was going to happen, I remember so vividly how peaceful and quiet everything was,” the 42-year-old said. “My friend was in the birthing tub and her husband was supporting her back. There was soft music and dim lights.”
In a home birth, a woman can choose to have all her loved ones, including her mum, older children and even close friends, present. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“It was nothing like what I thought childbirth would be like,” she said. “No screaming, no fear, no harsh lights, just my friend, a group of the people she loves, her doula and even her ob-gyn (obstetrician-gynaecologist).”
Seeing the baby being born and everyone cheering and celebrating was a “beautiful and profound” experience, Lin said. It made her appreciate how “natural, peaceful and loving birth can be”.
Lin was at a crossroads at that time. After having spent 11 years in the special education sector, the then 29-year-old wanted to move into a job where she could grow personally and professionally. But she was not sure where to go.
She had a diploma in visual communication from Temasek Polytechnic, where she specialised in photography but was nervous about becoming a photographer. The job didn’t appear as financially stable compared with being an educator.
Lin loves the tender moments between a father and his newborn and makes sure to preserve such moments in her photos. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“But the birth I attended changed my life,” she said. “The beautiful moment made me take that leap of faith and got me into birth photography. I became sure that I wanted to capture moments of childbirth, the most vulnerable moment in anyone’s life.”
CAPTURING THE RAW AND REAL IN A HOME BIRTH
As birth photography is an uncommon profession in Singapore, Lin wasn’t sure how to start. So about two years after attending the home birth, she approached her friend’s doula and told her of her interest.
“She was so open and welcoming. I ended up shadowing her and becoming a doula who also captured photographs of my clients,” Lin said.
This inducted Lin into a close-knit community of doulas, supportive obstetrician-gynaecologists, and women interested in home births. Photography is not permitted in hospital delivery suites.
In every home birth Lin has captured, she is moved by how present the husbands are for their wives. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
After six years of working as a doula-cum-birth photographer, Lin decided to focus on the latter and founded The Unison Photo in 2014. She documents one to three home births a month, in addition to maternity, family and newborn photo shoots.
“As someone who isn’t a mother, I find it such an honour to be able to capture images of childbirth,” Lin, who is married, said.
“I believe my work preserves the authenticity of birth, the strength of the human experience, and all the wide spectrum of emotions – from raw and frantic to deep joy and excitement – that come with the arrival of the baby.”
Lin added that she believes her work “redefines stereotypes of childbirth”. Before becoming a birth photographer, she had associated childbirth with anxiety, fear and loss of control.
Lin loves capturing the immense joy and relief on her client’s faces when the baby finally arrives. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“My work challenges the notion that childbirth is only about being scary, traumatic and an experience where women lose all sense of control,” she said.
“By presenting these photos, I highlight more of the laughter, the tears, the intimacy, and the love that surrounds women giving birth, even with the inevitable pain and mess that come with it,” she said.
“The setting a woman is in during a home birth also shows how everything was intentionally curated, such as the decor in the birthing room, the music in the background, and the exact people who are present.”
Lin is especially drawn to the candour of childbirth. When she was studying for her diploma, she was most drawn to “documentary-like, journalistic-style images that tell it like it is”.
Lin wants her clients to feel the affection and love in the photos when they look at them. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
When Lin first started her company, she used to only look out for the “crowning shot” – the moment the baby’s head is visible through the vaginal opening.
Now, however, she “pays attention to the small moments” and directs her camera towards them.
These can include a woman giving a pained smile to her children, a husband rubbing his wife’s back, a couple tightly gripping each other’s arms, the utter relief when the baby is finally born, the sudden tears that roll down a new father’s cheek, the gasp of a new grandmother and the innocent excitement of a young boy who realises he’s now an older brother.
“And that’s one of the many things I love about birth photography,” she said. “When you’re giving birth, nothing is staged, everything is completely candid. It’s capturing the raw and the real, and it’s exciting and wonderful to be able to be a part of it.”
BEING ADAPTABLE AND RESPECTFUL AS A BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER
Witnessing and capturing the right photos of childbirth may seem stressful, but, more than any other emotion, Lin feels honoured.
“I’m always mindful that this is a sacred space that I’m being invited to,” she said. “I approach the birth with deep respect and I come into it bringing calming, peaceful and gentle energy.”
She credits her introversion as the reason she’s good at her job. She has “mastered the art of blending into the background and making myself as small as possible”.
In the birthing space, Lin makes intentional movements, captures the photos she needs and immediately backs away. She also uses camera lenses that allow her to take shots from afar.
“I do not speak a single word, I barely use flashlights, which is hard because it’s usually very dim and dark, and I try to shoot from afar,” she said. “As a birth photographer, I must know how to move in a space such that my clients and their loved ones will feel as if I'm not there.”
Lin is skilled in the art of capturing intimate moments while staying unnoticed. (Photo: Keidi Lin)
“Whenever I speak with the mums after the birth to give them their photos, a lot of them tell me they didn’t even notice me,” she added. “I feel flattered – it means I’m doing my job well.”
It’s especially touching when her clients react emotionally to her photos. “They’d gasp and cry, and it warms my heart so much,” she said.
“In the middle of their labour, they forget themselves and they wouldn’t notice the small things that happen around them. So it’s wonderful to be able to snap and share these tender and intimate photos that they can look back on.”
Lin’s role also involves being on standby around the clock from weeks 37 through 42 of her client’s pregnancy. Whether it’s at 2am when she’s sleeping or 1pm in the middle of a family gathering, when her client calls her to let her know it’s time, Lin must be ready to go.
She charges by each birth, so it doesn’t matter how long it takes – she’ll be there throughout the whole labour.
“I’m proud to say I’ve never missed a birth,” Lin said. “There are moments when I arrive just as the baby gets out, but those moments are very few and far between.”
Over the years, Lin has occasionally witnessed home births that required hospital transfers, either because the labour lasted too long or the mother decided to opt for medicated pain relief.
Thankfully, she said, there has never been an emergency that resulted in a traumatic experience for the mother. “And I pray it remains that way,” Lin added.
“In my line of work, I’ve missed birthdays, Chinese New Year and Christmas celebrations, family gatherings, hangouts with friends and so on,” she said.
“It’s hard emotionally sometimes, but it’s part and parcel of my work and I’m grateful to have my friends, family and husband be so understanding.”
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...