Professional Maternity Photography
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about professional maternity photography, it’s that not all women feel as confident in their new pregnant bodies as they should. As a society, we’re definitely getting better with equating worth with size, but that’s a concept that will be in the back of our minds for a while yet. I love when moms see their images and immediately say they look so glamorous and beautiful. For a lot of first time moms, it can be hard to see the stretch marks they’ve sometimes worked hard to avoid their whole lives so I’m always happy to hear that I help them see the beauty I see.
I just moved in to a new studio/home and I’ve been having a time of it trying to set up my studio so it’s functional but also cozy, so I’ve been doing some model calls to try and get my workflow down pat. One mom-to-be reached out after I posted looking for a studio model for a session with bodysuits and a sheer robe saying she was having some trouble adjusting to her changing body. Baby girl, I got you.
Celebrating the Curves
I loved being pregnant–the attention, the glow, the baby flipping around inside me, and it breaks my heart that not all moms feel like that despite my very best efforts to convince everyone that a pregnant woman is nothing short of radiant and awe inspiring. When I was buying maternity clothes and exclusively buying tops and dresses that hugged my belly to show it off when my mom talked about when she was pregnant in the 80’s and all she had available were mumus and babydoll tops. Then we talked about when my grandmother was pregnant in the 50’s and GOD FORBID anyone knew you were pregnant. Cut to unflattering baggy blouses and housecoats.
I spend a lot of time with pregnant people nowadays and whenever I compliment a big ol’ belly they lament their changing physique and how huge they feel. I wish our society had progressed enough to focus more on the fact that we’re literally growing a human from scratch, rather than the fact that shockingly we might get a little bigger because of it. Never mind the 10 pounds of person I’m lugging around, you’re right, I should watch what I eat. Insert eye roll.
Anywho, this mom and I clicked immediately and had several heartfelt conversations about what it means to be a mom and especially raising little ones to not carry on the toxicity we were raised with. Unintentional as it may have been from our own parents, it’s still hard to avoid in media and from strangers. Mom mentioned at one point that photography has a way of finding beauty where others may not, so I tried my very best to make her feel beautiful and dare I say, even a little sexy, as she grows her own little girl.
Posing in Maternity Photography
One of the many, many benefits of professional maternity photography is that I know how to pose and light your beautiful self so that all you see is gorgeousness. Don’t get me wrong, professional hair, makeup, and wardrobe definitely help, but a lot of it is in the posing. During your session you will no doubt hear me say “pop that knee” about 500 times. The goal is not to hide curves but to make them stand out and highlight what your body looks like when you’re creating a life. Shooting from just slightly above helps to hide the under-chin bloat a lot of us get and immediately feel insecure about. There are so many things that help make everyone feel their most confident in a photography session–that’s one of the biggest advantages of professional photography. Especially for maternity clients!
These are some of my favorite images from this mom’s session:
I love a black and white image in the studio. There’s something about nature that I have a hard time editing without color, but studio sessions can’t not look elegant in black and white. Timeless, classy, stunning. Just like mama!
And really, who doesn’t love a belly cradling shot? It’s just sweet. Like a hug for bubs before they’re even earthside.
I love the eye contact here–I love love love how content mama looks. I can’t wait to meet her little girl!
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