Capturing the magic of birth
Palmerston North photographer Tamara Milldove wishes she had more than hazy memories of when she first held her son, so she’s building a career on helping mothers retain clearer images of those precious moments. She was one of seven photographers honoured at the 2018 RISE International Photography Awards in Brisbane, Australia, this week.
The international competition recognised the world’s best maternity, birth, newborn, baby, children and family photographers.
Milldove was proud to receive both a gold award and win the birth photo category, which came with a nearly $3000 cash and prizes.
More than 2000 entries were whittled down to 120 finalists, 20 in each of the competition’s categories, and only 17 gold awards were presented.
Milldove started to specialise in birth and newborn photography five years ago, after her son Rikar Wolf was born.
She said giving birth can be exhausting, to say the least, and the recovery left her with hazy memories of her first moments with her son. ‘‘I realised how much I didn’t remember from his birth and that inspired me. It’s a big moment, and you should be able to remember these things and treasure them for ever.’’
She regretted not having a record of the moment to help jog her memories and bring them into focus, and realised as a photographer she could provide that for other mothers, Milldove said.
Milldove’s award-winning image was a near-perfect example of that.
The black-and-white photo shows a Wellington mother still in a birth pool, exhausted after a home birth, but content, as she held her child for the first time. Her partner cradled her head.
‘‘It my favourite image that I’ve ever taken.
Milldove recalled the parents calling her in the middle of the night, and taking a frantic drive through the dark from Palmerston North to Wellington to get there in time.
She said you try to plan and set up, but babies come when they’re ready, so she’s always on call. ‘‘But the long hours are worth it ... to be let into such a scared and important moment in a family’s life, and keep the record for them.’’