Kind words

CATH HARRINGTON

I engaged Hilary as a birth photographer towards the end of my second pregnancy. It was my one regret from my first birth that although we took photos, they weren't the best quality and it meant one of our support people had to be behind the lens instead of where I needed them.

We were planning our second home birth and were so pleased to hear Hilary was available. Due to time constraints we didn't get a chance to meet before the birth but this didn't worry me - Hilary answered all my questions over the phone and we kept in regular contact through email and text.

After a false labour start or two (to which Hilary was very understanding) she arrived within half an hour of us calling her in the later stages of a rather quick birth. I remember feeling so relieved that she made it when I looked up and said hello between contractions. Hilary was completely inconspicuous and respectful of our space, caregivers, the lighting and the mood. I felt entirely at ease with her in the room capturing the intensity and raw emotion of the water birth of our son, Samuel.

The photos are magnificent, I've looked at them over 100 times and Samuel is only 10 weeks old! I can't thank Hilary enough for being a part of our birth team. I know we'd never have been able to capture the finer details that she did from so many different angles. We'd highly recommend Hilary to anyone considering a birth photographer and hope she's available in a few years time for number 3!'

BRIDGET JARRAD

I am so grateful to have had Hilary quietly and almost unknowingly capture the birth of my daughter Bonnie back in May.

After the births of my first two children I only had one or two images to look back on that were captured by my husband post birth. Even though you are present at your own child’s birth - as a woman in labor I found my eyes to be closed for most of the duration; managing my contractions and grimacing through the labour and birth pains. Euphoria kicks in immediately after birth and you forget so much so quickly.

Looking back at your own birth journey in photographs is an emotional yet wonderful experience. I personally believe most women experience some level of PTSD after birth… I mean, you’ve just made and pushed a baby out of your vagina, it’s not exactly a normal day to day activity. You fall into your new born bubble of bliss very quickly but in the back of your mind you wonder how on earth you just did what you did..!? Hello! Did anyone else see what you did….it’s flipping unbelievable, you made a human!

If nothing else, the comfort and warm fuzzy feelings you get from looking back at your birth in professional and tasteful images is truely special. I highly recommend Hilary as a birth photographer, she was so delicate and quiet with her work and we completely forgot she was in the room. Thank you Hilary xx

STEPHANIE FRANCIS

We are so glad that we had Hilary capture Raffe’s birth. She has such a lovely down to earth, warm and caring nature (with a great sense of humour to boot!) so we felt completely comfortable with her in the birthing suite. And the photos! Hilary captured our birth in her natural and beautiful style that we love. We will truly cherish the photos forever. 

Listen to Steph’s birth story here on my sister Sophie’s podcast Australian Birth Stories: www.australianbirthstories.com/steph

CARLA HACKETT

We feel incredibly lucky to have had Hilary photograph the birth of our first son. After feeling a little unsure about having photos taken of such an intimate moment, we are so glad she captured the labouring and those magical first moments meeting him. Hilary was very respectful of our birthing space, I didn’t even notice she was there until after he was born. Using the natural lighting (he was born in low lighting, no mean feat!) the photos are just beautiful. She even got a picture of the placenta! I’m so glad Hilary was there to share in our birth.  

SOPHIE WALKER

My sister was present at two out of three of my births. She would have been at the second, but was busy at home with her own newborn! My first labour was very challenging and after 36 hours I asked Hilary to put down her camera and hold my leg up. We have a great shot of this and we’re not sure who took it! Hilary was happy to help and still managed to capture some beautiful images of that birth. My first labour was such a blur and I have Hilary's amazing images to look back on and piece together the day. After a stressful recovery, Hilary captured my husband dressing our baby for the first time, my stressed-out Mother in the corner of the room and lots of other details. I was unable to see Niko get his first nappy and jumpsuit on, but I have beautiful images to look back on.

My third birth was quite different altogether. Hilary took a number of beautiful images of the way my husband and I worked together in that birth. After looking back over these pictures I had a completely different perspective on how that birth went. I felt a lot more confident in my own abilities. I love these images so much I've shared them widely through my podcast and Instagram channels on Australian Birth Stories. My images have also been shared countless times across Hypnobirthing pages across Australia. I can't thank Hilary enough for capturing the haze and beauty of my births.