This birth was one of the most technically difficult births for me to shoot and also one of the most beautiful. The mom had requested that no flash be used and like most of the birth I attend, happened in the middle of the night. I was so grateful that my new camera body (Canon 5D M3) had amazing low light capabilities and I was able to edit them so you could see what was happening. In the picture right below it looks like the lights are on full power, when in reality they were barely brighter than a candle.
I wish more women could see a birth like this. The mom was surrounded by supportive midwives, family and friends. 
Seriously… How gorgeous is she! 
The baby was posterior and was born in the caul. Here is the midwife showing everyone the amniotic sac after the delivery. 
Oh wow – beautiful photos of a wonderful birthing experience!!
I love seeing the joy on this mama’s face. Great captures, Sarah!
Such beautiful photographs in low light. Can I ask a technical question? What settings did you use and how did you edit them to look so crisp?
The majority are shot at ISO 12800, f/2.5 1/125 – followed up with noise reduction software in Lightroom.
Thank you, Wow, they look great for that iso. When I’ve shot in low light my 5D has had trouble focusing and I’ve put on my flash purely for the focus assist beam (although that can be distracting for my subjects as well). Did you have to do that also?
I didn’t do that for this birth. There were a couple shots that I had to manually focus.
I didn’t do that for this birth. There were a couple shots that I had to manually focus.
Beautiful <3