It’s rare that a photo on social media makes me stop scrolling, but now and then, an image grabs hold of my attention and pulls me in in an unexplainable way. Some photos seem to speak straight to the heart — you can almost hear the laughter or feel the sunlight’s warmth of the captured moment. A while ago, I stumbled upon an image that did just that: a black and white image of a little blonde girl, eyes fixed on her mother’s pregnant belly, radiating anticipation – an image that spoke volumes about life’s awaiting moments. This was an image Tamara Pow Chong captured, and I just had to include her story about how photography and spirituality allows her to capture images like this.

Tamara is a born and bred Capetonian. Her maiden name is Breytenbach, and she met her husband Curtis, who is Chinese, after her baptism a few years ago. With a love for all things Southern and Country, she cherishes the changing of seasons and the stillness of nature. Deeply rooted in her faith, Tamara appreciates “the One who gently holds us through it all.” Her life motto is:

“You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

—Psalm 16:11

Tamara is a passionate photographer whose heart is set on candidly documenting life’s most precious moments in all their beautiful realness and rawness. Whether it’s a celebration of motherhood and family, the birth of a little miracle, or the start of a life together as a couple, she aims to capture people’s unique stories. She is a registered SABPA Birth Photographer and approaches all her work with contemplation.

She explained to me how she first discovered her passion for photography, and how has it evolved over time:

“My dad has greatly impacted and shaped my view on life. He was always a good listener and still is to this day. He makes you feel as though you hold his full attention when talking to him—a trait that I’ve come to value so deeply as I’ve grown older. This was also reflected in the way my dad saw the world—with curiosity, playfulness, and reverence. My dad also had a passion for photography, passed on by my grandfather, and my earliest memories are of my dad, camera in tow, whenever we went on a road trip or someplace special as a family. I have many, many memories of drives up the Garden Route, with us suddenly stopping on the side of a road for my dad to jump out and take a photo of a mountain range he saw or a sight that had caught his eye. That has always stuck with me—being attentive to that which is around me, even the ordinary, the everyday.

So it wasn’t long before I eagerly followed suit. I received my first point-and-shoot camera sometime during primary school, but it was only in varsity that I started to really gravitate towards photography as a creative means—a way of freezing moments in time. I’m quite sentimental, so having a way to capture a memory or season was very special to me. From there, I started to delve deeper into photography and bought my first Canon DSLR from the United States. I’ve done a few photography courses over the years—both in-person and online—but the best ‘education’ was always simply having my camera with me and shooting, that and learning from others. Photography, like any craft or creative outlet, has a beautiful way of bringing one alongside others who are also passionate about the same area. You spur each other on, push boundaries together, and have the chance to open up a side of yourself that can be understood on a deeper level.

After varsity, I nearly studied photography full-time through ORMS, having won a bursary, but at the time, I think God had other plans. He had a lot of work still to do in my heart.

I then kept it up purely as a hobby, with the dream in the back of my mind always being that one day I would try to pursue photography full time.

Fast-forward to today, and a defining turning point in my photography journey was when I met my husband, Curtis. He too was a creative and fellow photographer and sparked the fire in me to more intentionally pursue photography—but this time there was a genre that had slowly been creeping into my heart: that of ‘birth photography.’

I think it’s important in our story to note that this time was parallel to us going through quite a bit of heartache as a couple. I’ve had a few miscarriages, taking me to deep, dark valleys—valleys from which only the Lord has been able to draw me out. This, plus the death of my mum at a young age from cancer, has always drawn me to significant and life-defining moments. I think that once you’ve been through a valley, part of you will always remember and deeply feel for and empathize with others going through that same or similar feeling or season.

I have always loved the absolute rawness, authenticity, and emotion of birth photography. I’ve also had this theory that what you read up on or watch in your free time is often the area(s) that you are most passionate about. For me, it was birth photography and birth videos—not the medically inclined ones, but the ones that told a story, that showed the full-spectrum emotion of the birth and displayed the true miracle that birth is, each and every time.

I had always toyed with the idea of perhaps going down the doula route (holding space and being a support for mums during labour); however, when I realized that I could pair my love for photography with being a safe space and comfort to parents in this season, I knew that birth photography was an area that God had gently placed on my heart—and this simply grew from there.

I truly believe that everything that we go through in life—the good, the bad, and even the unbearable—is never wasted. God is a sovereign God, and His ways are higher. This is what has kept our eyes turned upwards time and time again through our own losses, valleys, and hills—and in turn allows Curt and me to be grateful for what we have. Likewise, this too has birthed in me a desire to share this same joy, safety, love, and care with others.”

Tamara’s website mentions her desire to “candidly document life’s beautiful realness and rawness”. I was curious about how faith influences this approach to photography.

“I recently came across a quote which reads, “Your photos are a reflection of how you see the world,” and this deeply resonated with me. I believe that the areas that God has placed on your heart, the things that interest you or have meaning to you, are often reflected in the images you create.

My heart is to capture the deep emotion of this precious life of ours through documentary photography and visual storytelling. I have a deep sense of awe and wonder for even the smallest of moments—the birds slowly waking up before the sun rises, the still air, and gentle breeze. I love to just sit and soak it all in. My favourite author, Ann Voskamp, calls these ‘glory soaks’—to soak in His glory.

This too influences the way I photograph. Ordinary moments that some might pass by without noticing, I can’t help but notice. So too are the deep and tender emotions of birth photography: the husband wiping his wife’s brow, or the gentle whisper that a midwife gives her birthing mum. Moments that are all filled with awe and wonder for me are what I’m drawn to, and this in turn influences how I capture and create the images that I do. They all stem from a heart space—a space that has been shaped by the ultimate Creator, a gentle Father, and sovereign Saviour.”

Tamara prays for her clients and considers it a privilege and honour to be invited into their spaces. She elaborates on how prayer plays a role in her photography process.

“The birth space, in particular, is a very sacred and private one. It’s entering an environment where a mum is at her most vulnerable, and so to be invited not only to be in that space but to capture that miraculous journey as it unfolds is truly such an honour—each and every time! I pray for all my clients in some way, shape, or form. Some don’t share the same faith that I do, yet that will never impact me taking them on as clients or treating them any differently from those that do.

I believe that God places people in my path for a reason. My ‘clients’ are never ‘clients’ in my eyes, nor is my photography ‘business’ a ‘business’ in the traditional sense. It’s a space where my biggest prayer is that the Lord will use and guide me—whether that’s praying for a mum over WhatsApp, or while she is in labour, or simply being gentle when another explains her insecurities and being a safe space for her to open up and feel heard. My heart is for God to use me however He chooses to; my only job is to be sensitive and attentive to His Spirit and trust Him with the outcome.”

She believes that photography can help us see the world differently or be more sensitive to the experiences of others…

“I think that photography is such a reflection of a very personal way in which we view the world and is therefore so beautiful in that sense because it offers viewers a perspective on a situation from a completely new vantage point. However, it’s up to us to choose how we respond to this perspective, and my hope is that it’s met with curiosity, softness, and an openness to see life from these perspectives, even if they are vastly different from our own.

In a way, it’s similar to how God invites us to view others—through His eyes and His lens—a lens filtered by love, humility, and unrestricted grace.”

And what is it that she ultimately wishes to achieve with her photography? Glorifying God!

“My hope and biggest prayer is that my work, and all the interactions that I have within it, will ultimately glorify God.

Being a photographer has been the greatest gift in this season! It’s brought me closer to God, to our Creator, and it’s broken my heart tenfold to witness the absolute miracle that this life brings! It is also my joy and pleasure to be able to document these moments for the families that I do. This has been a season of gratitude—deep, deep gratitude—surrender, and holding lightly onto my plans, for His name to be lifted high.”