Hey there!
I'm Kim Schneider, the owner of Bending Rivers Photo Doula.
I know it's been quite a while since I'm introduced myself on my social media and realized I never did it before on my website. So here it goes...
Ever since the 7th grade, when I was my middleschool's newpaper photographer, I have always had a camera in my pocket or bag. I've loved snapping away at friends, family, pets, flowers, insects, fish, and people walking down the streets or at the parks...not in a creepy way, I promise! And then one day a friend of a friend asked me to take some pictures of their kids and that's when I realized that this was my calling. I wanted to be a Photographer. It was something that I wanted to be better at each and everytime I picked up my camera not just for me but for anyone who was brave enough to be on the side of the lens.
There’s something incredibly humbling about being welcomed into the intimate spaces of someone’s life. Now, years later as a birth and family lifestyle photographer, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing some of the most sacred moments a family will ever experience, the anticipation of new life, the strength and surrender of birth, the softness of those early newborn days, and the beautifully ordinary moments that make up a family’s story.
Photography was what first drew me into the birth world. I started documenting births simply because I was deeply moved by them, but the more time I spent beside women during their pregnancy and labor journies, the more I realized I wanted to offer more than photographs. I wanted to support them, encourage them, and hold space for them during one of the most transformative seasons of their lives. That love eventually led me to become a doula, where I found an even deeper connection to the beauty, vulnerability, and power of women and birth.
I honestly feel that there is nothing more incredible than witnessing a woman step into her strength. Birth has a way of stripping everything down to what is real: instinct, love, trust, surrender, and connection. It’s raw and emotional and deeply human. And whether I’m supporting a laboring mother or quietly documenting those moments through my lens, I never take for granted the honor of being invited into that space.
My faith is also deeply woven into the way I serve families. As a follower of Christ, I believe there is something sacred in caring for others, loving people, and honoring the beauty of life and motherhood. My faith keeps me grounded, compassionate, and intentional in the work I do. It reminds me to slow down, to see people fully, and to approach every family and every story with gentleness, grace, respect, and gratitude.
My heart has always been drawn to the honest moments, the ones that often go unnoticed while they’re happening. The way your baby curls into your chest. Tiny hands wrapped around your fingers or hair. The chaos of family life, the tenderness between partners, the exhausted tears, the laughter, the comfort of simply being together. These moments may feel small now, but they are the pieces of life we ache to hold onto later.
As a mother myself, I know just how quickly these seasons pass. I know what it feels like to miss the little things once they’re gone. That’s why documenting women, motherhood, and family life means so much to me. I want mothers to be seen in the story too; not just as the one taking care of everyone else, but as the heart of the home, the comfort, the safe place, the memory keeper.
Whether I’m documenting a birth, capturing the tenderness of newborn life, or preserving the beautifully imperfect rhythm of your everyday family moments, my hope is always the same: to create photographs that feel honest, soulful, and deeply connected to who you are.
If you made it this far, I thank you for reading.
If you'd like to meet up sometime for tea/coffee, I'd love to chat away with you, I'm one of those old ladies that loves sitting one on one with others and connecting, so please reach out anytime!
With gratitude,
Kim
