¡MUCHO GUSTO!
I’m Aurielle,
Your go-to birth photographer in Santa Barbara, empowering birthing people and always down for an adventure.
I’m a birth nerd, I prefer sand in between my toes, and I’m always on the lookout for that #thriftstorescore.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Coursey
I have been specializing and documenting births for a decade (since 2012) and I’m continually investing in myself to make sure I’m the best birth worker I can be for my clients. I have a strong code of ethics and see myself more than “just your birth photographer”.
I didn’t always know I was going to photograph babies coming out of vajayjays!
I graduated SDSU with a BA in International Business, I met the man of my dreams, had my own studio, and thought I snagged that dream job. Things were going great…until that job broke several promises. So I took a leap of faith and moved to Santa Barbara to be with my soulmate.
In 2012 I was shooting a friend’s maternity session when she nervously asked me if I’d photograph the birth of her first child at the birth center. I excitedly said yes, because I secretly wanted to ask her too!
I was always a birth junkie, so uniting two of my passions was right up my alley! And I’ve never looked back.
Little did I know how life changing the first birth I’d document would be.
It was the most raw, intimate and empowering event I had ever witnessed. I was on a high for days and I felt so honored my friend welcomed me into her sacred space.
I had found my calling and knew I wanted to continue capturing the journey to parenthood.
There’s simply nothing like the joy that overflows parents as they look through their images and see the support from their significant other, the strength within themselves, and the very moments they welcome their child into this world.
My Own Birth Stories
Working in the birth world 5 years before I became a mother, I had the unique opportunity to witness and educate myself on the birthing options available to me.
In 2017 I chose to have my son, Finn, at home with my amazing midwives and I’m proud to say I had my dream birth. It was an exhausting 42 hours long and although I didn’t have a water birth like I had hoped (what birth goes to plan?), I felt like such a badass! I DID IT! And I feel so empowered by my decisions.
In 2020, with my second son, Tsavo, I chose to have another homebirth with my same birth team. It was fast and furious, and I ended up having an unplanned unassisted birth. It was a night and day experience from Finn’s birth, but just as beautiful with big brother there to witness him coming earthside.
I want you to have the opportunity to feel empowered, magical and powerful too! Don’t you? This is why I strive to make sure every client feels supported, loved and heard, and once-in-a-lifetime photographs are the cherry on top!
Photo Credit: Rebecca Coursey
Currently…
You’ll most likely find me tending to my plant babies, at the beach with my boys having a “happy picnic” as they like to call it or running a boat repair business with my husband, Eric in our local harbor.
We travel the world any chance we can get, but also love hanging around our fire pit or soaking in our jacuzzi.
A f e w o f m y f a v o r i t e t h i n g s
35MM FILM, ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM, FLOATING IN WARM TROPICAL WATER, GUACAMOLE WITH GARLIC, SANDALWOOD VANILLA CANDLES, THE SMELL OF RAIN, RAINBOW COLORED PENS, ORGANIZING EVERYTHING, WARM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.
My siblings and I at my brother’s wedding in Sayulita
You Never Would’ve Guessed
Sí, hablo español.
I grew up in Mexico and coming home with salt dried hair, sandy bums and sticky fingers from mango on a stick was an average weekend for our family. Some of my best memories were during this time and my mom always made sure to document them, even when she was embarrassing us!
Now as an adult, being able to look back at an image and remember the juiciness of that pineapple or my stomach hurting from laughing so hard with my siblings, is priceless. Reminiscing on the tenderness and innocence of my childhood is what inspired me to pursue photography.
Playing with the locals in Punta de Mita