Atreyu | A Birth Story

When Stephanie asked me if I would be interested in capturing the birth of her little boy Atreyu, I jumped at the chance. It would be a whole new avenue for me and I was very excited for the amazing opportunity. As the days drew closer, the stress and uncertainty set in. What if I get lost trying to find her room, what if the room is dimly lit, what if I don’t make it on time, what if I do and miss him coming out.. WHAT IF I PASS OUT?! What if, what if, what if… I had to tell me self to shut up and fake a little confidence. Stephanie is one that really believes in my work and encourages me and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. I for one do not have children yet and had no idea what to expect. I did as much research as I could. I wanted to capture amazing photos for her without stepping on any toes.

I had everything packed and ready for a week in anticipation when the day finally came. I made the 30 minute trip across town and was greeted by 4 friendly faces in the birthing room. The one person who kept me most at ease and entertained was her 3 year old daughter, Essence; who I’ve had the pleasure of shooting before. We killed some time with walks down the hall hand-in-hand, watching movies and sharing snacks. What a blast as we all waited for the moment she would become a big sister and bear witness to Atreyu’s grand entrance.

Alas, only about an hour in, my trusty 24-70mm lens stopped auto-focusing for me. If only you could hear the cries in my head. I felt I needed this lens to get the best shots possible and did not want to get stuck with using my 50mm. Many photographers LOVE to use their 50mm, but not me. My 24-70mm paired with my D600 are my second baby (second to my Chi-baby Sophie of course). My confidence in myself went down and I was scared. Thankfully I received a few helpful tips from an awesome fellow photographer, Tisha and carried on using my 50mm lens.

I swear Stephanie is a warrior as she made it seem so effortless and almost painless. She did an AMAZING, amazing job and on January 4th, 2014 at 7:59pm, Atreyu Rylin Williams was born. Here is his story:

London, Ontario Birth Photography