Birth Photographer Glasgow & Central Scotland
Documentary. Unhurried. Built on months of preparation, so that when the moment comes, you can fully embrace every wave.
WHAT IS BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY
Your birth deserves to be witnessed. Fully, honestly, and without you having to think about it.
When your baby arrives, you want your partner beside you: holding your hand, looking into your eyes, present in a way they simply cannot be if they're fumbling with a camera and worrying about whether they got the shot. You want your midwife to focus entirely on giving you the best possible care. You want everyone in that room doing the one thing they're there to do.
That's where I come in.
I take on the job of documenting this moment so that everyone else can be completely present. And not just documenting: doing so with the skill, the sensitivity, and the depth that a moment this significant deserves.
Over years of working across the Central Belt, in living rooms and operating theatres, in hospital wards and birthing pools, in the early hours of the morning and the long stretch of a summer afternoon, I have built an expertise in this work that I bring to every birth I document.
These photographs are for you. They are for the moments when you want to return to that day and relive all those powerful moments again. And one day, they will be for your child, a record of the moment they arrived.
The Familiarity Method
You might be wondering: why would I want a photographer there at such a vulnerable moment?
I hear you. This question is exactly why I don't simply step into your birth space on the day and start taking photographs.
So we take time. Properly. Before your birth, we meet as many times as you need. We talk through your birth plan from front to back: where you want me, what you want documented, what you'd rather keep private, and the things that make you nervous. Your maternity session, included in every birth package, is where something important happens: your body learns that my camera, my movement, and my presence are safe. By the time labour begins, I am no longer a stranger.
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Before your birth
We meet as many times as you need. We talk, not just about logistics, but about you. Your birth plan from front to back, so that nothing is ever a surprise for me. Where you want me to be at different stages, what you want documented, and what you'd rather keep private. Who will be in the room and what their role is. The things you're excited about and the things that make you nervous.
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During your birth
From 38 to 42 weeks, I am fully on call: day or night, hospital, home, or theatre. I move through your birth the way a midwife moves: purposefully, quietly, and without ever drawing attention to myself. I stay for as long as your labour lasts. No overtime, no clock-watching, no moment where I need to leave. I am there until your baby is in your arms.
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After your birth
Within 24 hours, you receive a few previews, so you don't have to wait weeks wondering. Your full gallery of all the edited photographs is delivered within four weeks. Every photograph is edited with care. Nothing is rushed, because these photographs are not a product. They are a record of one of the most significant days of your life.
Hospital, home, or theatre: every birth is powerful, and every birth deserves to be documented beautifully.
Home birth
Your space. Your light. Your people. There is something extraordinary about a birth that happens in the place where your family lives, the particular intimacy of familiar surroundings, the freedom of your own environment, the way the light falls through your own windows.
I document home births across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr, Stirling, Lanarkshire, Falkirk, and anywhere across Central Scotland. I arrive prepared for every scenario: planned water births, fast labours, long labours, and everything in between.
What's documented
- The arrival of your birth team and early labour in your own space
- Active labour wherever it unfolds: pool, bed, floor, wherever
- The birth itself, in as much or as little detail as you choose
- First skin-to-skin, first feed, the first quiet hours at home
Hospital birth
The presence of a team around you, the moments of connection that happen even in a clinical setting. I have documented births across the Central Belt, including at Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and the Birth Centre Edinburgh.
And if you're working with a hospital you're not sure I've worked with before, don't worry. I will make sure that the relationship is in place long before your birth begins. I introduce myself to the midwifery team, understand the protocols, and ensure that everyone present is comfortable with my being there. By the time you arrive, the groundwork is already done.
What's documented
- Arrival and settling into the birth environment
- Labour, including the quiet moments between contractions
- The delivery, as much or as little as you want, is documented
- First skin-to-skin, first feed, the calm of the hours afterwards
Elective caesarean
Some people arrive at a caesarean having planned for it from the beginning. Some arrive there after a long and difficult journey. Some arrive feeling relief; some arrive feeling grief for the birth they imagined. All of it is real. All of it is valid. And all of it is worth documenting.
What I know from being in those theatres is this: the moment your baby is placed on your chest, whether your arms are free or your hands are held flat, whether you feel it immediately or it takes a moment to arrive, is the same moment every parent has. The one where everything changes.
I will be there for it. I will make sure you have it, properly held, to come back to whenever you need it.
I work with you and your surgical team in advance so that nothing about my presence is a surprise, and everything about your experience is supported.
What's documented
- Preparation and gowning: the calm before
- The theatre environment and the moment of delivery
- First look, first touch, first time your baby is on your chest
- Recovery and the first hours together as a family
A note on:When birth plans change
Birth doesn't always follow the plan, and whatever happens, I will be there. A home birth that transfers to hospital, a labour that takes an unexpected turn, a caesarean that wasn't planned. We will have talked through every possibility in advance, so nothing ever feels like a surprise for either of us.
Getting to know everyone in the room
Before your birth, I take time to get to know everyone who will be present: your medical team, your doula if you have one, your partner, your family, and older children coming to meet their new sibling. The more I know about the people around you, the more completely I can document what that day actually looks and feels like.
What's included in every birth package
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Birth photography isn't something you add at the end. It's something you prepare for together, which is why every package includes everything required to do that properly.
✓ Unlimited pre-birth consultations as many meetings as your family needs, no rush, no limit
✓ Full on-call availability from 38 to 42 weeks: day, night, weekends, bank holidays, without exception
✓ A dedicated maternity session at the Glasgow studio or on location, built in as preparation, not an optional extra.
✓ Complete coverage from active labour through to the first quiet moments after birth, for as long as it takes
✓ 50-100 photographs fully edited to the highest standard. The exact number varies depending on the length and nature of your birth.
✓24-hour preview so the wait doesn't feel endless, followed by full delivery within four weeks
Flexible payment plans
Spread the cost: interest-free, up to 8 months in advance.
Birth photography is a significant investment, and it should feel manageable. Payment plans are available so you can book early, pay gradually, and arrive at your birth knowing everything is taken care of.
What being on call actually means
For four weeks, your birth is the only birth.
From 38 weeks until your baby arrives, I put my life on hold for you. Not dramatically, in the same practical, ordinary way your midwife does. I don't take on other work during that window. I don't make plans I can't cancel. I keep my bag packed and my phone on.
I have attended births that started at 3 am and lasted through the following evening. I have driven over during false starts and stayed until a family was settled, then driven back when things properly began. None of this is unusual to me. It is simply what being fully committed to a family looks like. When you message me to say it's starting, I will be on my way.
38–42
Weeks fully on call, day and night
24 hrs
Preview after your birth
4 weeks
Full gallery delivery
★★★★★
"At the birth, I didn't even notice her near me taking the photos, so it was incredible seeing the photographs afterwards."‘‘
Marieke kept in touch on the lead-up, came out when we had a false start, but was happy to leave and come back when things really started. They were everything I wanted and more. So much so that I got her out for a newborn home shoot not long after. I will sing her praises and recommend Marieke and her services forevermore. Capturing this precious time in my life is something I'll cherish forever.
-Emily · Home birth, Glasgow
See the work
The best way to understand what this looks like is to read the stories.
Every birth I document is a story worth telling. The families who have shared theirs have given future clients something no brochure ever could: the honest, lived experience of what it actually feels like to have me in the room. Read them and see if this feels right for you.
Glasgow · Home birth
From Glencoe to Home: A Glasgow Home Birth
A planned home water birth: patient, peaceful, and completely unhurried.
Glasgow · Caesarean birth
Caesarean Birth at Princess Royal Maternity Hospital
Proof that a theatre birth can be tender, unhurried, and full of wonder.
Glasgow · Hospital birth
Hospital Birth at Princess Royal Maternity Hospital
The moment a father meets his child for the first time. Some things you have to see to believe.
Ayr · Home Birth
Home Birth in the coastal town of Ayr
A tranquil home birth that started at dusk that lasted till dawn.
Everything you wanted to ask.
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As early as possible, ideally between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Birth packages are limited to a small number per year so that every family receives the full preparation process. If your due date is closer, it's always worth getting in touch to check availability. Dates sometimes become available at shorter notice.
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This is the question I hear most often, and the one the preparation process is specifically designed to answer. By the time your birth begins, you will have spent real time together. You'll know how I move, where I position myself, and what I will never photograph without your consent. The vast majority of clients tell me afterwards that they forgot I was there entirely. That is not an accident, it is the whole point.
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Yes, absolutely. Elective caesarean birth photography is available across Glasgow and Central Scotland. I work with you and your surgical team in advance so that theatre staff are fully briefed. You arrive on the day knowing exactly what to expect.
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Yes. Home births are documented across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr, Stirling, Lanarkshire, Falkirk, and anywhere in Central Scotland. I arrive fully prepared for every scenario: water births, fast labours, long labours, and everything in between.
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Whatever happens, I am there. A home birth that transfers to hospital, a labour that takes an unexpected turn, a caesarean that wasn't planned: none of these change my commitment to your family. We will have talked through every possibility in advance, so nothing ever feels like a surprise for either of us.
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That is what on call means. From 38 weeks I am available day and night without exception. I have attended births that began at 3am and lasted through the following day. When you call me, I will be on my way.
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Yes, and this matters more than people often realise. Before your birth, I take time to understand who will be in the room: your partner, your doula, your midwife, a parent, a friend, older children. The more I know about the people around you, the more completely I can document what that day actually looks and feels like.
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Every birth package includes between 50 and 100 fully edited photographs, delivered within four weeks. You will also receive a 24-hour preview. The exact number varies depending on the length and nature of your birth, longer labours naturally produce more documentation.
YOUR BIRTH IS COMING
Let's talk before it does.
I take a very small number of births each year. Dates are booked months in advance. If your due date is on the horizon, the best time to reach out is now.