HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) —  Guest restrictions are in place at hospital labor and delivery units due to COVID-19 concerns. For some, not even a spouse or partner will be allowed in the room, let alone a photographer to capture those precious moments.

For birth photographer Sarah Neese of Lillybug Photography not being able to capture those memories is really tough, but she’s making sure the moment isn’t lost for her clients.

“For some, it’s something that they’ve planned since before they were pregnant and they knew that their baby was coming,” Neese said. “I will guide you through everything. I will walk you through everything. We will FaceTime or video chat.”

From poses to lighting and angels, Neese is sharing her secrets.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say secrets, I think it’s empowering others because they’re still going to come back and do family pictures because not all the time are they going to be doing selfies. They’re going to want stuff they want to hang up on their walls and share with family on Christmas cards and I think it just deepens the relationship between myself and my clients,” Neese said.

Neese is a mother of three herself and says two of her little ones were born during flu seasons. That means those restrictions kept photographers away from her birth too, so she relates to parents preparing for birth during this pandemic.

“I think for some that are so close to their due date, I think it’s more sadness, more devastation, especially if they don’t know that this is an option for them right now,” Neese said. “We can absolutely capture these first few days, these special memories and it’s not ideal. It’s not what everyone has dreamed of, but we can absolutely still capture them.”

Neese isn’t the only local photographer revamping her business right now. Cindy Johnson, a boudoir photographer in Franklin, is also offering self-portrait classes, including a free lesson posted on the business’ Facebook page.