'First Hello' Birth Photos Capture The Emotional Moment Parents Meet Their Babies

Wow!

For photographers River Bennett and Bel Pangburn, there’s nothing more magical than the first time parents meet their new baby. That’s why the Australian photographers launched “The First Hello Project” to capture those precious moments.

Bennett and Pangburn use their birth photography project to document the labor, delivery and postpartum experience ― with a special focus on their tagline: “The first breath. The first touch. The first cry. The first hello.”

“The first breath. The first touch. The first cry. The first hello.”
The First Hello
“The first breath. The first touch. The first cry. The first hello.”

The women primarily photograph mothers in their local Sydney area, but they said they hope to document births in different countries and cultures.

Both photographers are mothers themselves, as Bennett has three sons ―10-year-old Zion, 7-year-old Rome and 5-year-old Knox ― and Pangburn has a 2-year-old daughter, Sunday. As a result, they know firsthand the power and emotion in that “first hello.”

Bennett and Pangburn both have children.
The First Hello
Bennett and Pangburn both have children.

“We are always watching for the tear on the father’s face as he meets his child for the first time, or the relief of the mother when she stops laboring,” the photographers told The Huffington Post. “The joy of life is so evident to everyone in that room, so watching and knowing when to click the button requires you to be fully present.”

Keep scrolling to see a sample of stunning birth images from “The First Hello Project.”

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