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History of Brisbane Birth Photography

I founded Brisbane Birth Photography in 2011 after the traumatic birth of my third child. I was photographing weddings at the time and the first birth I ever captured was of my own c-section (with the assistance of my husband). A found value in the healing properties of my own images and knew this could benefit other families too.

No one else in Brisbane was photographing births professionally at the time and the genre hadn’t been formally recognised in Australia yet. As I bashed a path through the unknown, I very quickly became a pioneer for birth photography in Australia and a global influencer.

I’ve lost count of how many births I’ve captured now but it’s well and truly over 200…..from hospital birth suite deliveries to waterbirths, surrogacies, caesarean sections, home births, premature births, twins….and even stillbirth.

I now service around 20 maternity hospitals from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich and the Bay. I offer maternity birth, newborn/baby, sitter sessions, 1st birthday and family photography. And am a trained birth doula – being engaged to support women to achieve a wonderful birth experience since 2015.

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Where are you located?

I have an intimate little in-home studio and meeting zone based in Stafford Heights (15 minutes north of Brisbane CBD). When creating this client space, I aimed to achieve a place that had positive atmosphere and would make clients feel comfortable and at home when they come to meet me.

In this studio space I hold client meetings, capture studio portraits (from maternity to families), photograph newborn babies, conduct photo viewings and occasionally use it as a temporary dumping ground when I’m cleaning out the house (I mean we all have a place in the house like that somewhere yeah?).

I also have all my products and albums on display for clients to look through when they visit, as well as some of my most awarded images, treasured trophies and photography props. It is a little treasure trove of goodies that clients love to look at on visiting.

The studio is also wheelchair accessible and located less than 20 minutes from Brisbane’s main maternity hospitals. From this location, I service more than 16 different maternity hospitals from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Ipswich and the Bay.

Client meetings are by appointment only to book an appointment please email [email protected] or phone 0421 031 007.

An online booking link is coming soon.

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Yes I have kids!

I have 4 beautiful children (ok so they are beautiful MOST of the time) ranging from 18 to 4 years old at last count. They drive me crazy most days and I still can’t pee alone yet but my house is full of beautiful chaos and I love each of them to bits.

A mentoree asked me recently “Do you think that it is essential for birth photographers to have children or given birth?” My response – “No however it will yield better results. Why? Because woman that have given birth have a greater understanding of what it feels like and which moments are important to the woman and her partner. They can therefore recognise and document those moments with a improved vision and understanding……thereby creating more meaningful images.”

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My own birth experience – from Emergency C-section to healing VBA2C

Many people find my own birth journey quite interesting. Why? Because it is unconventional and uncommon in today’s birthing climate. Here’s the journey in a nutshell:

• 1st baby – emergency c-section
• 2nd baby – Vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC)
• 3rd baby – an “unnecessarean” (after I was bullied into an elective c-section)
• 4th baby – my beautiful angel
• 5th baby – a vaginal birth after 2 c-sections (VBA2C)

The first four were managed through the private system and, in hindsight, were not ideal experiences.

My 5th baby, Grace, was a healing birth for me – an untouched VBA2C in the public system with my amazing doula Cheryl. It was my only birth photographed and I’ve shared the video below for you to enjoy:

https://youtu.be/q8umDpf2aI4

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Photography Experience

I have held a camera in my hand since I was 12 years old being paid for my first photography gig (a wedding) in 1999 at age 20 (yeah yeah I’m showing my age now). My first camera was a Nikon F50 – it was one of those ancient items that you now find in antique stores……you know, the ones you had to thread film into and wait 5 million years to see the final photos on lustre paper.

Now, I live in the modern days of digital having photographed everything from landscapes to weddings. I have hundreds of thousands of photos and shot more weddings, families and portraits than I can count.

Birth Photography became a specialty for me in 2011 after I was left traumatized by the birth of my third baby. I figured that I could not be the only one in the world whose photos helped them process a traumatic birth experience and find healing in the smiles and memories of my new baby.

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Awards and Recognitions

I didn’t start birth photography in order to be famous for it. Yet that seems to have happened haphazardly on its own since 2014. I’ve now lost count on how many awards I have won for my work, from small birth photography competitions to national and international titles. In a nutshell, my most significant achievements include:

• 2x Australian Birth Photographer of the Year titles
• 3x International WPPI Photojournalist of the Year titles
• WPPI Grand Award winner
• Overall Queensland Professional Photographer of the Year
• 4 x Queensland Photographer of the Year category titles

I’m very grateful and humble for the awards that I have earned and probably don’t put these achievements out there as much as I should but most of the time, I do these competitions for myself and my own personal growth. That is where the power of awards comes into it’s own.

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Speaking, Mentoring and Publications

I’ve been invited to speak at some pretty awesome events worldwide over the years from Photography Conferences in the United States to workshops in New Zealand, and local camera club gatherings in Australia.

I also mentor up and coming photographers around the world who are keen to learn the art of birth photography. The beauty of the technological age that we live in means that one on one training can be done from anywhere.

Media wise, I have had my work and private interviews published on a global scale, including The Sun (UK), Huffington Post, CNN, BBC, Today Show, Sunrise and New Idea. Being able to share some of these amazing stories and beautiful images means a great deal to me because they help to normalise images of birth.

Visit my media hub below to read and watch some of these great articles:

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Some quirky facts about me!

Beneath the public us, there is always a private us, right? I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve. Which means that what you see is what you get…..and I’m proud of that. I’ve learnt not to be afraid of who I am and to wear it with pride. So here is some quirky facts about me:

• I am a self-confessed geek. I love Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Steampunk and fantasy. I play games, I dress up in cos play and simply enjoy the fun things in life.
• I love to Scuba Dive and play in the sea. Be it underwater. Be it Scuba diving. Be it freediving. Be it walking the beach and discovering the washed up
• I am a free spirit. I like to roam and discover new places….generally on my own. Sometimes I’ll pack my camera bag and simply “disappear” for a day. I love to camp on my own. Hike on my own. Leave the beaten path on my own….and simply find my own way around the world.

 Brisbane Birth Photography | Selena Rollason

Brisbane Maternity, Birth and Baby Photographer
0421 031 007    |     www.brisbanebirthphotography.com.au    |    [email protected]