A picture is worth a thousand words...

Seriously. Check out National Geographic's 2011 photo contest, particularly this picture...and this one too. They are simply stunning. I'm especially inspired by their clarity and focus because the birthing process is not always easily captured via photograph. The moment of exit from womb to world can happen in the blink of an eye, before anyone has a chance to grab the camera, adjust the lens, turn on the flash, find the right angle...and many positions that women naturally assume make it awkward for picture-taking, such as under the water, on the toilet, in a deep squat, or on hands and knees. Both photos, though, present the moment of birth in such real, raw, up-close and personal glory I feel as though I'm in the room too! Yes, yes, yes, I love witnessing birth.