PLANNING YOUR MATERNITY SESSION
TIMING:
Pregnancy is a beautiful and blissful experience. Towards the end, you may feel less comfortable posing for pictures, despite how amazing you look! Planning ahead for your maternity session will save you time and sanity in your third trimester, so you can enjoy your time to nest and rest. I always recommend shooting between 28-33 weeks of pregnancy. I have noticed that many clients want to book a few weeks before their baby shower to have pictures on display at the event.
LOCATION:
This is an important factor with any shoot. Location changes the scenery, the lighting, and how comfortable you are. Outdoor, in-home, and in-studio are the most common options for maternity sessions. Outdoor sessions are the most used by spring and fall mamas. Locations such as wildflower patches, pumpkin patches, creeks, fields, and vibrant city areas. Summer and winter can be unbearable conditions for a mom-to-be. In-home sessions
THE VISION OR VIBE:
Every photographer has their own editing and posing style, but every client has their own story to tell. With my clients, we work together to create a mood board based on the elements they are wanting. For example, a client may ask for in-studio, moody, intimate, and casual attire. Another example might be outdoors, airy, and "cottage core".
"BUT WHAT WOULD I WEAR?"
—the grinch
THE OUTFIT:
Once you know the vision of the session, you'll be able to coordinate your outfit more seamlessly. Many clients start off with a dressier outfit and then have a more relaxed outfit for the moments with their significant other. I always suggest finding softer color palettes for outfits, avoiding bright colors/patterns, and if you want to coordinate with your partner or family members to only have one person wearing a pattern. For maternity shoots, try to find dresses that are form fitting or have a detail at the top of your bump to highlight where the bump begins. This will help prevent you from appearing "boxy". Although, we all know you are a glowing beautiful mama.
PEOPLE & THINGS:
Maternity sessions look different for everyone. Some families want to include siblings (fur and human), partners, or nobody but the glowing mom-to-be. You'll need to decide if you want to include props such as a onesie, ultrasound, teddy bear, etc. If you are bringing props, make a note to not forget them before leaving.
INSIDE THE SESSION :
MATERNITY SISTER:
The beautiful client for this session was my sister, Chelsey, so it was a lot easier to coordinate since I knew about this session five months in advance. This also meant that I was able to turn this session into more of a styled shoot.
TIMING:
Initially, Chelsey had planned her session to be the week after her baby shower. After some venue conflicts, she had to move the baby shower but kept her session date for when she is 30 weeks pregnant. I think between 28-33 weeks is a more comfortable week where your body is at the peak of pregnancy glow and it's typically before some moms hit the "get this child out of me" phase.
BEHIND THE DRESS:
"That's on Amazon??" - TikTok sound reference that was essential for this blog post. As a business owner, I am constantly browsing content and joining relatable groups in the industry. In one photography group, I found a photographer who posted a gallery that was taken at an all white studio with the mom-to-be wearing the sheer dress with pearls. I quickly sent the inspiration to my sister to see if she liked the dress and what she was planning to wear. Within a few hours, she had purchased the dress from Amazon. I could not believe it was from Amazon with how luxurious it looked! The revealing aspect of the dress isn’t for everybody, but I loved that she embraced the bump and the beauty of body!
LOCATION
For those who do not know, I am a local photographer in Corydon, Indiana which is in the Southern Indiana area. There is a BEAUTIFUL studio within ten minutes of my home. We knew she didn’t want to do the session outdoors with the heat. An in-home session would not have offered the lighting and textures we were wanting to create, so we decided in-studio would be the best fit.
THE FEELINGS OF DELIVERY
During the session, I feel so grateful for being able to help an expecting mama feel confident in her growing and glowing skin. It feels even better when I get the response that they feel so beautiful after seeing the images finished in the gallery. Maternity sessions should be a celebration and not an extra stressor. The journey or pregnancy comes with highs and lows and the gallery should tell the story of how much love you have for your body and for your little one.
