A Most Important Photograph: newborn baby & Mother

Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/13s f/2.8 at 14.0mm iso1600

LittleFish and her new baby Chris James, photographed just moments after his birth in Santa Fe, Philippines.

I'd taken my motorcycle over to see the Family for a casual visit, and found LittleFish already in labor and ready to give birth - needless to say I was quite nervous and apprehensive, as I'd never been present for a baby's birth, and I made my way through a dozen people there at the small concrete & bamboo room that was prepared with a floor mat & plastic, and little else.

Thank God I had my camera with me that day, and new right then I'd be venturing somewhere I'd never been before, in attempting to photograph this event, and half of me just wanted to forget the camera and try to make sure LittleFish was ok, as she didn't even appear conscious when I tried to speak to her, and her eyes were rolled back into her head.

Now it was me who was scared, but I had to trust the mid wives around her to make sure she would be alright.

UPDATED Wed. Oct.21, 2009:

I managed to get through the crush of people & Family crowded at the door to the room where LittleFish was, and found a corner of the room and sat right on the floor - a few people noticed me there, but all the attention was on LF and the baby who was being born as I was in the room.

After a few moments on the floor I actually left the room; I felt light headed and faint, so I got up slowly and popped outside for some air, then went back inside the room to find the midwife gently wrapping the new baby in clean white cloth, and clearing his nostrils with a suction device - and I remember thinking that 'the baby's not making any noise; babies are supposed to cry out, but I don't hear anything...'

That scared me, not hearing the baby.

But actually, the little baby was just being quiet; his eyes were open, he was calm and he was moving his arms around - he was breathing just fine, and in a quiet mood it seemed - and it took me a few moments to realize that he was really OK.

Sitting back down on the concrete floor, I brought my camera up and tried to stay as invisible as I could, and began to shoot a few frames (thank GOD the shutter release on my E1 is extremely quiet for a big digital SLR) without a flash - there was no way I was going to distract anyone there with a camera flash, so I had to shoot at ISO 1600 in the low available light, hand held, with a very slow shutter speed.

The result is above; one of the most important images I've ever taken.

I remember putting down the camera on the floor & kneeling over the baby, talking to him and telling him welcome to the world; welcome to the Philippines...and I turned to ask LittleFish if she'd named him, and she just slowly shook her head 'no'.

I turned back to the little baby and decided I had to call him something - he needed a name, if only a nickname for the few minutes with me;  couldn't stand for him to be nameless, so I began talking to him again '...well, your father's name is Christopher, and my name is James....and you deserve a proper name here on your first day in the world....little Chris James...how does that sound?...I think I'll call you ChrisJames and your mama can name you anything she wants later...'

Everyone heard me talking and calling the baby ChrisJames, and LittleFish turned to me a few moments later with a small smile (she was still very weak) and whispered said she likes that name....and that will be his name, he's ChrisJames, she said.

Thanks for reading today,

PJAMES