Photographer Gets Candid About Why Birth Photos Cost So Much: "I'm Worth Every Dollar Invested!"

As birth photographer and doula Dianne Hamre nears her 600th birth session, she's reflecting on her worth as a photographer after a potential client "expressed her surprise" and declined booking due to the rate. Of course it's understandable that photo packages aren't affordable for every family, but if you've ever thought that birth photo prices are a little steep yourself, you'll have a hard time arguing that photographers should lower their rates after hearing Dianne's eye-opening perspective.

"I'm gonna be real with you . . . It's an honor to do this job, but it's a hard one," Dianne wrote in a post to Instagram. "The hours are brutal, on call 24/7, the inconvenience of not being able to schedule dates, dinners with friends or family, missing birthday parties and holidays, or that concert I've been waiting for. Yes, I can go (as long as it's less than an hour away!), but we have to take two cars in case I have to leave."

Dianne continued, noting that though various articles about the prices of birth photographers have been previously penned, she wants one point of hers considered. "How many thousands of dollars do you shell out to have your wedding day photographed? How much more important is capturing the day you meet your precious baby? Every first moment and tiny detail frozen in time! I love what I do, and you know what . . . I'm worth every dollar invested!"