Cape Town Birth Photographer » blomerusphotography.com

Ilze’s home birth happened in near darkness as the soft rain fell on a peaceful Friday night. She shared with us some of her photos and answered many common questions regarding having a home birth in South Africa, but seeing her video is an entirely different way to experience that night.

Film has this way of taking us immediately there. The small nuances and gestures, the feeling of the experience, the building emotions. As South Africa’s pioneer birth photographer, I’m making inroads into birth film story-telling. To answer the most common question, YES a client still gets all of their images. Their full story in still frames which are powerful all on their own, all their images in both colour and black & white. I believe in nothing but the best. Should they order a video as well, then they have a completely different way to experience their birth without sacrificing the images. It does mean ninja documenting skills on my part, but the final products for the client are worth it.

Every time my husband sees these videos he says, “Now that our kids are getting older, I wish we had films like these of their births. I just want to go back there, especially when its their birthday.” We all get more sentimental and aware as time passes. Its a joy to create these family heirlooms for my clients.

Enjoy seeing what a Cape Town home water birth looks like and the peaceful birth of wide-eyed David. Maybe grab a tissue or use the edge of your shirt! As always, shared with permission.

For more information on the care providers and preparations Ilze chose, be sure to see her article.

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Elzari & Pieter could hardly believe their son was turning 6 months old. Neither could I! It went by so fast! I covered their birth story and they contact me for my exclusive family sessions. They had the actual day off that the turned 6 months old and wanted to spend it as a family, especially getting a shoot done to commemorate it. At first we discussed something outdoors. It had to be relaxed and unique to them, capturing lots of candid and emotive moments.

When rain was imminent and we didn’t want to risk it with a baby, we opted for a trendy local coffee shop, Skinny Legs. They were so accommodating of us to have a window seat and let us do our thing so it didn’t feel awkward.

In this session, you can really appreciate how life as a couple in a coffee shop looks really different with a baby. Its so descriptive of their life at this stage. The start of solids, the new desire to reach for things, but not yet running for the door. His littleness is still evident in contrast to the big world around him. And unlike a phone full of selfies and baby photos, we were able to capture both parents in the frames, showing life right now in Cape Town for them.

Day In The Life Sessions  are exclusive for my clients as I have an ongoing relationship with them. They are not available to the general public. I believe it takes a certain level of trust and report to photograph a family this intimately and my availability is mainly reserved for births. Some book them annually or for milestones. But should you book me for your birth or maternity/newborn portraits, you will always be able to hire me again and again to capture the different stages your family is in as the years go by.

Thank you Elzari & Pieter, always a joy capturing your son.

Enjoy their morning breakfast as a family:

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You may remember this family’s birth story. Now as a family of four with a little walker, they wanted to have family photos that capture who they are in 2016 as a family. When I do family sessions with multiple children, I bring along an assistant to help with the challenges of chasing little ones. We want them to feel comfortable to play and run, I will focus in on them and then give them breaks from the camera by moving on to other segments of your family photos. We aim to do all of this in a relaxed way in under 2 hours.

I believe family sessions should include portraits not just your family, but of each child, your children together, you and your spouse with each child individually, and the often neglected… couple photos! Yes, because your relationship still matters and should be celebrated. By the way… Their couple photos are some of my favorites from this session. These are the photos your children will dig up for milestone anniversaries and their weddings.

Day In The Life Sessions or Outdoor Family Sessions are exclusive for my clients as I have an ongoing relationship with them. I believe it takes a certain level of trust and report to photograph a family this intimately and my availability is mainly reserved for births. Some book them annually or for milestones. But should you book me for your birth or maternity/newborn, you will always be able to hire me again and again to capture the different stages your family is in as the years go by.

Rifqah wanted a beautiful green setting and heart of their family captured. We achieved that together and I look forward to next year’s session. Enjoy just some of their beautiful session:

Thank you to Natalie for her assistance!

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The baby year flies by. The days and especially the nights might be long but the actual year slips by before you know it. Its only in looking back at how tiny they were both at their newborn stage and at their first year that you really realize how fleeting this time is. How details and the memories all matter. You blinked, it happened.

I captured this sweet little one’s maternity, birth, and newborn story. Although they wish to remain more private about their story and names (always an option for any of my clients) they have graciously let me share with you some of their first year family photos. These are called Day In the Life sessions because your phone may be full of photos of your baby, but where are you aside from the selfies? Where are the memories of life at home, maybe a little messy, maybe all the routines, maybe the realest form of what your family was like “back then”. Its a documentary style and I give you pointers on activities that will help facilitate memorable moments. I fully believe these images become more meaningful over the years. When you life no longer looks like that stage and you are full of nostalgia.

I spent this little one’s birthday morning with her parents in their cosy home, full of love and now toddler-equipped capturing life right now.

I’ve included here some images of her newborn session as a reference point. What a difference a year makes?! Right?! Same piercing soulful eyes. Incredible the progression of her precious life unfolding.

Day In The Life Sessions are exclusive for my clients as I have an ongoing relationship with them. I don’t offer them to the general public. So if you hire me for your birth or for a maternity/newborn package, you are then able to hire me again and again for family session. I believe it takes a certain level of trust and report to photograph a family this intimately. I so thank this family for their trust to chronicle their family chapters. Enjoy their images:

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A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society. – Billy Graham

Almost every woman I consult with tells me, “I just want to see the look on his face, I want to have that memory.” What is it about this that affects us so deeply as women? Maybe its because often men don’t express themselves emotionally in words as much, but their faces and reactions often reveal the depths of what they are feeling. This is especially true for older men of earlier generations who are becoming grandfathers and even great-grandfathers!

So I’ve compiled some of my favorite imagery of men on the day they meet their children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Some cry, some are stunned, some beam with joy, some are somberly taking it all in. I’m just a fly on the wall on the day they meet their new little human. And its images like these that show why fathers shouldn’t be given the task of photographing the day because they are not an outside documenter, they are deeply embedded in the experience.

Overwhelmed with Emotion

His daughter just born seconds ago.

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