30 Powerful Birth Photos That Capture The Emotion Of Labor And Delivery

No life event compares to the experience of giving birth. To honor this powerful moment, many families hire birth photographers to document the raw emotions of labor and delivery.

The International Association of Professional Birth Photographers holds an annual photo contest celebrating this intimate art form, and on March 22, the organization announced the latest winners. The 2024 Birth Photography Image Competitionwas open to the IAPBP’s 1,100-plus members across 55 countries and received about 500 submissions.

“Our association has grown by leaps and bounds and our members continually produce excellent, emotive, and educational birth photographs for the families that hire them,” director Lacey Barratt said in a news release. “I want to thank each and every person who entered this year and, of course, the families who agreed to share their beautiful and sacred birth moments with the world.”

Keep scrolling to see a selection of this year’s winners and other powerful submissions. You can visit the IAPBP website to see all the entries.

(Readers should note that the following uncensored photos show people in the act of childbirth.)