my intention is to capture the powerful arrival of new life, honestly and intimately
Birth is beautifully unscripted. As a mother of three, I understand just how deeply personal it is. I've experienced birth in a hospital and welcomed two of my babies at home, so I know that every birth has it's own rhythm, emotions, surprises and beauty.
my own experience shapes the way i document your story
I believe the most meaningful photographs happen when nothing is posed. Rather than directing or staging your experience, I quietly observe and gently capture life unfolding. I want you to be fully present - not thinking about the camera, but breathing through the moments, holding your baby, taking it all in.My philosophy and approach is rooted in lifestyle photography: warm, honest, intimate, completely candid, and creating art from what is already there. I look for fleeting moments - one you may not even realize are happening - and preserve them as part of your story. I'm drawn to connection, warmth, tiny details and the raw emotion that makes birth uniquely yours. My goal is to create photographs that are more than memories - they are images you can return to and feel. As a mama who has experienced birth in different spaces and in different ways, I know there is no one "right" way to give birth. Your story doesn't need to look a certain way to be beautiful. It simply has to be yours. I'm honored to quietly be witness to and preserve it, and to turn those fleeting moments into art you'll hold onto for a lifetime.
Cradle & Ash specializes in birth photography. Based in Woodstock, IL, serving McHenry County and surrounding towns (including but not limited to Algonquin, Cary, Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, Bull Valley, Lakewood and Spring Grove) as well as Chicago's northwest suburbs, with travel up to an hour.
This is a safe space for all births, birthing folx and LGTBQIA+
This is a safe space for all births, birthing folx and LGTBQIA+