No long winded reason but I never thought I’d be taking maternity portraits. Just never thought it would be in the cards, but my wife and I are a mere week away from meeting our son.
Of course I’ve taken some progress photos throughout the process of the pregnancy but nothing as produced as we’d both like. With all the tools of the studio available to us, how would we make it memorable?
Once we got a date on the calendar to get the process going, we immediately contacted Christi Reynolds Beauty - a good friend and our first choice to create multiple looks with Make-Up and Hair. She is incredible and pulled out all the tricks for us, thank you Christi.
We took a simple, classic approach with a power suit vibe. This is when the music really played the most important role of the day. Choose the right music let it all happen.
My wife had some ideas for images she’d seen that she wanted to emulate and I wanted to put my own stamp on this very unique opportunity. In the end, we revisited a few looks we had created in the apartment we shared for years, only now there’s a big o’l belly. My wife was 34 weeks pregnant in these images and I think that’s a sweet spot for doing Maternity portraits.
A quick guide to making the most out of this fleeting moment with stunning images of your favorite pregnant Mom to be:
Concept: Start with an idea, concept, vibe, or look you want to create or mimic - a little communication and planning goes a long way. Compile inspiration shots to share with the photographer and Mama.
Wardrobe: Shop for wardrobe in advance and show up with both decisions and options. Our favorite images had a minimal wardrobe that let the body be the star. Amazon was a great resource for shopping in a variety of sizes to be sure of the best fit. Stretch or “body-con” fabrics work best for anything tight or form fitting.
Hair and Makeup: Hire a make up artist if you can; this could be the best in town or someone you know that is looking to level up. Not all Mamas feel their prettiest when pregnant, so having someone on set was instrumental to her confidence. It was great to be able to switch looks for each concept and pump up the glamour to create a few different looks in the studio.
Location: Determine if you are going to do these in a studio or an outdoor location. My preference is the studio because we have access to all the lighting tools and don’t have to match up the weather with everyone’s schedule. You could still do great work outside with a good plan, it just changes the approach.
Plan Ahead: This is a unique moment and you’ll likely not get a retake opportunity so you need to nail it the first time. She deserves it. If she has a visual guide to share that can be a great resource for you to see the overall look she’s hoping to make. Again, this needs to be shared with the photographer prior to the session. If you rent a studio and she shows up with her “outside in a park” ideas, you aren’t going to want to hear them haha.
Focus: Stick to the plan, there’s always room for creativity in the moment, but keep your eye on the prize of nailing all the ideas she has before you do your own spin on it, or bring a brand new idea to the table.
Be Flexible: Follow the magic of the moment. Take a few steps to the right or left, turn off a light, have her change poses by sitting on the floor, standing up, or facing a different direction, change the focal length or lens. There’s a lot you can do to improve the outcome without changing the concept completely.
Take Breaks: Have fun, take water breaks, and sitting breaks. She will likely be close to the end of her pregnancy and the fatigue is real. My wife was an absolute champion in this process but she will tell me when its time to take a break. Make sure you are offering lots of breaks.
Music: Start by playing her favorite music, and have her change the playlist to whatever vibe you’re aiming for on each shot. I can’t stress this enough. For all my clients, I always encourage them to choose the music.
Experiment: Trust your vision and if time allows push for an idea you have that isn’t represented on the internet somewhere. Maybe it’s a lighting idea or styling option that works well for maternity images. I had one idea that I wanted to push for but we couldn’t guarantee the setting so we ditched the idea.
The creative plan as was discussed with the photographer and Hair and Make Up Artist.
The below was a look in my head that I wanted to accomplish. It was a redo of one of my favorite shoots from our past but with the recently hand painted backgrounds.
Boho maternity photos weren’t on my bucket list but she wanted them and I love these. While we had all the lighting up it’s important to realize when it’s necessary to switch gears. I opened all the windows on the south facing window to let in the natural light to create this much softer look. These black and whites are all natural light from the large windows with v-flats on the left side to bounce light back in. Shout out to Hobby Lobby for all this foliage, fake plants are looking good these days and if you leave them out of focus you can’t tell they’re fake.
I think everyone is trying to emulate this look, but of course I couldn’t leave it alone. After we nailed the look she was after, I stepped into the frame but only showed my hand to act as a support for her in the photo. Triggering the camera with my iPhone, we took this idea to another level that I love. This is part of the creative flow and process, borrowing ideas and making them unique to your own situation.
This next look is more of a standard magazine or editorial shot, and it was a reshoot of one of our favorites originally photographed in our apartment while not pregnant. It’s meant to look very crisp and cool. One of her coworkers is an epic designer and made her into a No Limit Soldier style album cover. Check the video below:
Hope that gives you a bit of a jump off point for starting this project and gives you the tools necessary to create memorable images of your special fleeting moment. Hit the button below to send me an email, happy to help guide you. kevin@kevinfiscus.com