25 Intimate And Powerful Birth Photos

Birth photography captures powerfully raw and vulnerable moments. To honour this work, the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers holds an annual contest with judging open to its 1,100-plus members in 51 countries ― as well as a panel of officials.

The IAPBP recently announced the winners of its 10th annual Birth Photography Image Competition, which celebrates excellence in the categories of Labor, Delivery, Postpartum, Birth Details and Fresh 48.

“Despite birth photographers worldwide losing a majority of their work and income in 2020 due to the global pandemic, I am thrilled to be able to feature the talent of our members in our annual image competition,” IAPBP Director Liz Cook said in a press release for the competition. “We are incredibly proud of the entrants of this year’s competition because in spite of all we endured in our community in recent months, this contest represents the resistance birth photographers have to overcome unforeseen challenges.”

Keep scrolling to see this year’s winners and honourable mentions. You can visit the IAPBP website to see all the entries. (Readers should note that the following uncensored photos depict women in the act of childbirth.)