On May 7th there was a new addition to the Freyer/Angers family. Little baby Zuri. What a darling little girl!
Leah went through more than 20 hours of labour and what could subtly be called a “challenging” birth. At nearly 9 pounds, Zuri is a big girl. Leah, not so much. She did an amazing job. Rick and Joan (the grandparents) and Janelle and I were in the waiting room from a bout 8am until the the birth at about 10pm. Bond would come and give us updates every hour or so. Every time he came back, his face was a little whiter and he was a little more emotional. I know it’s a tough thing for a woman to go through, but you have to spare a thought for the husband, who sees his wife having such a rough time, but can’t do anything at all to really help her. I am amazed at the strength of both Bond and Leah through this whole thing.
I am not what you would call an emotional man. Well, I get angry pretty easily, but the rest of the emotional spectrum is a bit of a mystery to me! I think this experience may have changed me a little too. I wanted to shoot a lot of video to capture the emotional moments, but when they came, I was more caught up in them than I thought. Maybe because it’s family. If I was hired to shoot somebody else’s birthing experience it would be very different. I had always though I would make a great photojournalist. Stay detached, capture the scene, make a difference in the world by showing the truth, don’t get emotionally involved. But when I see how anxious Joan is getting, or when I see bond come out on the verge of tears… somehow it seems crass to point a video camera at them. It’s kinda like having to choose between love or art. Now, I love art, but I love love more!
The video I put together comes from several different sources, some recorded by me, but most of it is shot by Bond. There are some parts captured with a little camcorder, there are others captured with a 5D, there are a bunch filmed with the T2i and there are photos taken with a disposable camera…there is even some ultrasound footage! I had so much fun layering all this stuff together to create a simple storyline. I would have love to get more video at the hospital, but as I said… when it’s family you want to be in the moment and not a detached observer.
I just got a call from Bond, who showed the video to the girls, and tells me they were all in tears. Job well done!