Rising Stars: Meet Kendra Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Miller.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi! Thank you so much! I am Kendra Miller and I am a birth photographer. I love my career and I love the road that brought me to it.

I have loved photography since I was 12. I know it was this age because I was gifted a 35mm camera for my birthday. I always saw myself having a career in photography. I did not see life with a chronic illness and in and out of hospitals from age 12-19. After that experience, I went to college for medical assisting. That lead me to a career as a vet tech. My heart has always been in a place of service for others. During this time I would still take photos for family and for fun, I just didn’t know how to make it a career then. How can I still feel in service and take photos?

After doing photography for friends and family for a few years, I wasn’t sure what type of photography I wanted to focus on. I had been told at 19 that I could not carry a pregnancy due to my illness. Well, the doctors were wrong and I felt I had been blessed to become pregnant and give birth to my daughter in 2012. While recovering in the hospital, I was talking with my mom, holding my new baby that I never thought I would have, and said, “I wish you could have a professional here to capture this as you do for weddings.” The nurse in the room informed me of the profession, birth photography. I quickly researched what I could and eventually had a friend who was pregnant and was thrilled I wanted to help her capture the birth of her son. I left that birth crying tears of joy, I had one of those moments of this is what I will be doing with my career. For me, it was a God moment. My heart found its place in service to others through the gift of photography.

Never could I have imagined where I would be today with photography. I also could not have imagined I would end up having five children!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There are challenges with birth in making sure you get there and trying to explain to people why these photos are important.

Having children myself, I have needed to take a break from shooting births over the years. It always felt like once I got started with getting my career going, I would need to take a break for my family. Also, having five children can get tricky with childcare when I need to leave for a birth.

I also have a chronic autoimmune disease and this can pose a challenge sometimes with the on-call life of birth and sometimes you are at a birth for only a few hours and sometimes you are there for over 24 hours. So I always need a little time after birth to let my body recover. On-call life is going whenever your client says they are in active labor. That can and has meant missing family events or holidays sometimes. I am thankful to have a wonderful support team around with my husband and family willing to watch my kids when I need to leave to capture a miracle.

My husband is even in the process now of changing careers to have more flexibility to be able to support this on-call life and my photography. It has been almost 9 years since I started birth photography and I am extremely excited to go full time and capture more births for more families.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a birth and lifestyle photographer and storyteller. Specializing in Maternity, Birth, brand new babies, breastfeeding sessions, and family. I now offer films as well as photos. I am there at the birth for labor, delivery, and postpartum. I love birth, talking about birth, photographing, and filming it.

Inbetween having five children myself, I have captured 42 births , each one has been a miracle! It is a true honor to be invited into such a sacred and intimate place. I want my photos to tell the whole birth story. For my clients to feel that their birth story is important because it absolutely is! I capture the small details as well as the big moments. My favorite moment to capture is the moment when the partner falls in love with mom all over again when they see their baby. Being able to capture that and include the partners in the photos is a gift to give. Also baby feet, absolutely love baby feet!

I capture birth how it is and strive to educate about birth through my photos. It is something that isn’t widely shown and yet we are all here because of it in one way or another. People know the value and importance of having a photographer at your wedding. What day is more important than the day you became a mom? The first day with your child? The first moment your baby cried? Those moments are captured for my clients forever.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I do think I come across as shy to most people at first. However, once I know you, I am not shy and actually can have a very goofy and sarcastic sense of humor.

The birth video of my 5th baby went viral in the birth community on Instagram. My oldest actually help to catch her little sister and got to announce her gender. It was beautiful, and I am so happy it was shared positively that family-centered births can be calm and beautiful. You can see the video at https://www.instagram.com/inspirationalbirths/.

I also really love sci-fi and have been to many comic cons here in KC.

Pricing:

• Investment for birth story photos and film is $1400 for 2021

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kendramillerphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kendramphoto

Image Credits:
8 birth images- Kendra Miller Birth Photography headshot image – Brittany B Photography