Birth photos and videos have really been trending the last few years.

I can totally see why, can't you? It's the miracle of birth! And our babies are our most precious gift. Not to mention those videos and photos are just beautiful.

Having a baby costs a bit of money. Documenting your birth is an investment, just like a wedding photography and videography, only you don't know when this party is going to start or when it's going to end.

Because of such, budgets don't always allow for both videography and birth photography for your baby’s arrival and we're faced with making the big decision: Do I invest in birth photos or birth video?

If your heart is dead set on video and don’t really care too much about photos - stop reading, and just go book a birth videographer.

But if you’re on the fence and you don’t know which direction you want to go - keep reading. This post is for you!

Choosing between having a birth photographer or a videographer at your delivery can be a tough decision to make, and I'm here to help. While I will totally admit I am biased toward birth photographs, here's a few things to consider and help you create a pro/con list Rory Gilmore would be proud of.

1. Technology changes - fast

Birth videos are usually delivered in one of three versions - CD, USB, or Dropbox download.

Apple computers have already kicked both CDs and USBs to the curb, and many Windows based computers skip the disk drives as well. Hard drives crash and well, does anyone really fully trust the cloud?

No matter what the current state of tech, we have to bow our heads and pay homage to the floppy disk, the zip drive, laser disk, and...magnetic tape. Soon the current data saving tech will join the list of ancient obsolete relics from the 20th century.

The one thing that hasn't changed since it's invention in 1839 is hard copy photo prints. This is the strongest pro for photos.

2. Sharing TMI

One of the main reasons for documenting our baby's birth is to share with friends and family. While video does a great job putting the viewer in the moment, we don't always want to share every part of our birth experience.

With photographs, you can pick and choose what parts of your labor and delivery you want to share and what you want to keep private without editing large chunks out of the story.

3. Damage

This kind of goes hand in hand with #1. Remember rubbing toothpaste on your CDs to "fix" the scratches so your favorite song would stop skipping? CDs, USBs, hard drives, and digital files are easily corrupted or crash after a period of time. USB drives have a life expectancy of about 10 years.

While, of course, paper photos can be damaged as well, even with some damage, you can still retain the image. Which is why we still have photos from our great grand-parents era (like this one). When was the last time you got out the old family projector to watch family photos from 1980?

4. The Story behind the story

Have you ever been watching a movie with people and you just HAVE to ask a question, or share a little anecdote? I'm so guilty of this and it drives the coach NUTS! The general response you get is "shhhhh...just watch."

While videos are an experience, they don't always allow for the story to be shared.

I know what you’re thinking. Excuse me, but it's the actual live story - what do you mean the story isn't shared?

Hear me out: How often do we hit pause to talk about what's going on in the video? Or what the people in the video felt and thought at that moment - something a video didn't, or couldn't always capture?

We don't. We say "Shhhh, just watch," don't we?

With tangible printed photographs put together in a gorgeous album, you can share the whole story, story behind the story, the deeper conversation, about your birth at the speed you choose (no need to rewind!). Our family's greatest stories are passed down through story-telling and discussion. Not only is this story-sharing, it's also quality bonding time.

5. Sensory overload

We love watching the stimuli of video, but turning through page after page of hard copy photographs uses far more senses that watching a video (which only uses two). Thus birth photographs trigger more of an emotional response to your birth story.

Our emotions and senses are very tightly intertwined. What we hear, see, taste, smell, and touch can provide us with information on how to feel. In the other direction, what we feel can be heavily influenced by what our senses are taking in.

With printed birth photographs, you are loading the senses by touching the paper and holding your album, smelling the pages, seeing the moments and details of the imagery, and hearing the story packed with emotion. So even if you weren't there, there would be a greater emotional response to your birth photographs.

So there we have it! Documenting your baby's arrival doesn't have to be an all or none decision. If your budget limits you to either-or, first, choose what you find to be most important; then be diligent about preserving your birth memories in a way that will last for generations. The is the reason Birth & Life Photography birth clients automatically get an album, and prints with your birth story. Plus, your birth photos are turned into a video slide show so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

Whether you go with birth photos, video or both, don't forget to swipe the Birth Story Plan Checklist. Because no matter what kind of birth story you choose, getting the moments important to you should be easy!

Grab it here!