Breathtakingly intimate pictures capture the miracle of birth and the first seconds of life in all their raw glory

A photographer has captured the wondrous, miraculous moment of birth – in all its raw and unglamourised glory.

Taken before a mother has seen her baby for the first time these amazing photographs show the reality of how we all enter this world.

The warts and all pictures are the work of respected Danish photographer Suste Bonnen who was given unprecedented access to mothers while they were in labour.

Suste, 65, who has worked as a portrait photographer for 30 years, was given permission to take these remarkable shots at the Copenhagen University Hospital.

Now she has produced this stunning body of portraits of perhaps the most exposed moment in any person's life.

Her compelling pictures show babies the instant they are born even before they are given over to the safety of their mother's arms.

Suste said: 'A life-long theme for my portrait photography has always been the affection and love displayed between a mother and daughter, a father and a son, a brother and a sister.

'I have portrayed heads of states, politicians, celebrities and CEOs, but family is what have always interested me the most.

'What suddenly intrigued me, however, was if that feeling of love for life was detectable at first eyesight. What are we emotionally like at the earliest stage in life? What are we like at the very first second?

'When the idea arose, I was therefore lucky to get exclusive and unprecedented access to the maternity ward, where I followed more than 22 caesarean operations.'

In the working world of the hospital Suste still managed to get great pictures despite having just the surgery lights to shine on her subjects – no flash was allowed.

She said: 'Just as the Dutch renaissance painters, my ability to use light setting as a key element in photography has brought me much acclaim.

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