For those who work in birth photography, it meant giving cameras to clients’ partners, taking photos over FaceTime, offering virtual support and scheduling “coming home sessions” to document the arrival of new babies. When they were able to be present at births, the experience carried a new sense of hope, loss, and strength in difficult times.

Instead of their annual birth photography contest with professional judges, the founders of Birth Becomes You decided to hold an “Image Celebration” to honor the best work of 2020. Members of the community’s Facebook group, which includes more than 3,500 birth photographers from around the world, submitted over 300 images taken last year.

“Every single member of the group was allowed and encouraged to vote on the images that moved them, so this collection was truly put together by passionate birth photographers and birth workers,” Birth Becomes You founders Monet Nicole and Jennifer Mason told HuffPost in an email. “As you might imagine, COVID-19 affected the birth world in both big and small ways. This collection of images showcases the strength of parents and humanity during the most trying of times.”

Below, we’ve shared a sample of top-voted images from the Image Celebration. Visit the Birth Becomes You website for the full collection of winners. (Readers should note that the following uncensored photos depict women in the act of childbirth.)

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