A Birth at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei

Jan 15

Documentary photography is all about documenting the real, raw moments of everyday life—how much more real and raw can it get than a birth?

New parents hold hands over their newborn baby daughter in a hospital bed at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

I am first and foremost interested in documenting the ever-evolving story of family, and birth is a big part of that. Birth photography isn’t just about capturing new life, it’s also about bearing witness to the expansion of a tribe. You’re making photos of a lot of new beginnings at once.

A newborn baby girl grasps her mom's finger for the first time at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

A mother and her newborn daughter rest together in a hospital bed at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Documenting this birth almost didn’t happen. While the birth centers in Taipei are generally open to having more people in the delivery room, a typical hospital may balk at the idea at first, which is what happened in this situation. However, the family told their doctor how important it was to them to capture their baby girl’s first moments and I assured everyone I would not be making any photographs featuring the doctor's or nurses’ faces, and so I was permitted to photograph this beautiful birth at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

The outside of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan at night.

The doors to the delivery room of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Every family is different and maintains a different sort of atmosphere for their birthing space. This family was relaxed yet excited to meet their little one; the mood was light and they kept in touch with their family members who I’m sure were waiting for each text update with bated breath. I loved how much fun they had together despite being so tired.

A woman laughs at something her husband said as they hold hands in the delivery room at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

A man holds his wife's hand as she's in labor at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Soon it was obvious that baby would be making her arrival. The mood changed—anticipation, excitement, and a little bit of nervousness were all mixed up together. What was about to happen is a story that’s as old as time and is probably one of the most mundane things ever when you think about it, yet it feels like a miracle every time. Things were about to change forever.

A man takes a deep breath as he waits outside the delivery room at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

Then she was here! Just like that. So many “firsts” happened in the span of a minute or two. A first breath, a first cry, and that first look—all captured forever.

A baby girl's cord is cut at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

A mom sees her baby girl for the first time after she's born at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

I already knew how important birth photography is, but witnessing this just confirmed it for me all over again. What a privilege to be there and document the moment when both a new life and a new chapter in a family’s story begins.