1973 Feature: Brian Lanker, Topeka Capital-Journal

Moment of Life

Brian Lanker was a young, single photographer at the Topeka Capital-Journal, intrigued by the Lamaze method of childbirth. It took him six months to find a Kansas couple willing to be photographed.

Jan. 27, 1972: Lanker was in the delivery room with parents-to-be Lynda and Jerry Coburn. "During early labor," he said, "it was obvious to them that I was there. Later on, you have a bunch of doctors and nurses and I was able to blend in." But the photographer was "so caught up with the moment and the emotion," he needed a kind of "sixth sense" to stay focused. "Fortunately, your professionalism and artistry take over and allow you to do the work."

Tiny Jacki Lynn Coburn arrived, and Lanker captured "the incredible moment" — a baby's first breaths, a father's look, a mother's smile.