Whether this is your first pregnancy or your fifth, getting ready for your maternity photo shoot shouldn’t be stressful. This is a beautiful but short lived time in your life and it is so important to document these memories. Check out this Maternity Photo Shoot Guide before booking your photo shoot!
Timing
When deciding when you would like to have your photo shoot there are a few options. If you want the photo shoot to be more of an announcement to your fiends and family, you’ll want to schedule it earlier on in your pregnancy. There won’t be much of a bump, but you can still hold your belly in photos and use props like an ultrasound photo or some sort of baby clothing to announce the pregnancy.
If you would like to have a session featuring the belly a little more, you’ll want to wait until later in the pregnancy. A good time frame is about 2 months out from your due date. This gives you enough time to have a nice size to your belly, but not so close to your due date that you are super uncomfortable or pushing it too close in case you go into labor early. One month from your due date would, in my experience, would be the closest you’d want to push it for your maternity session.
Location
If you are deciding between a few locations for your photo shoot, you want to consider the time of year, terrain of the landscape and how much walking is involved. A maternity photo shoot shouldn’t be something that involves a lot of walking or climbing around on a trail. You don’t know how you are going to be feeling, especially if this is your first pregnancy.
Thinking about the time of year is important too. For example, if your session is going to be in the summer, try not to choose a location that is going to be in direct sunlight and very hot. That isn’t a comfortable situation for anybody, especially if you are growing a little human inside of you!
Outfits
I always tell my couples to coordinate their outfits for photo shoots, you don’t have to match! When deciding what to wear with your belly, something super flowy might not be the best option. You will be holding your belly a lot for your session, so when trying on outfits try holding your belly to see how it looks with different styles and materials. Dresses and skirts look really good with the belly, but if you aren’t a skirt person, wear what is going to be comfortable for you. You want to look back at these photos and reminisce on this pregnancy, not feel uncomfortable with what you were wearing.
Poses
As mentioned previously, there will be a lot of belly holding during your session. Whether it be you holding your own belly, your partner or both of you. If you are going to be sitting for any of the photos make sure to be careful and don’t feel like you need to rush around or anything. That being said, if you need to take a break at any point make sure you let your photographer know. It can’t be super conformable walking around with extra weight on you, so you want to try to stay as comfortable as possible during your session.
If you have other kids involved in your photo shoot there can be a lot of opportunity for cute poses with them kissing and holding your belly too.
Newborn Photos
Taking newborn photos is something that a lot of couples like to have done. I personally offer the option for a mini photo shoot for newborns when my couples are booking their maternity session. My style of newborn photos is more casual and lifestyle vs the photographers who do newborn sessions in the studio with baskets and other props for the baby.
When scheduling your newborn session I always tell my couples that we can schedule their newborn photos during that first week or two when they get back home from the hospital. This is more of a flexible schedule for me and we typically shoot in the home so it is very comfortable for everyone. This type of newborn session that I do is to document the new baby that is still so tiny for such a short time, and the couple in their new space.
Now that you are prepared for your maternity session, you just need to find a photographer that you love! Let me know how this Maternity Photo Shoot Guide helped you in preparing for your session!
