Maternity Photography is trickier than you may think. Sometimes I lay awake long into the night thinking of something unique for an upcoming photo shoot. I think about the person, who they are and what they love. I put together my whole set in my mind before falling asleep. Once I wake, I have a very clear plan of my day.
The day of the photoshoot
Arriving pretty early to the studio, I look around and start moving things around to form just what is in my minds eye. The key light goes there and the reflector here. The flooring is placed just so and the perfect background is chosen. I test the lights, my camera and everything is a go.
The momma-to-be walks into the studio and I show her to where the wardrobe is. I show her the setups and we begin. We have great fun exchanging various stories about the trials and tribulations of motherhood. We laugh about the feeling of being huge, but also revel in the fact that we are amazing creatures able to grow humans.
After spending nearly 90 minutes photographing this gorgeous woman, we say goodbye. It is awkward during this time of COVID. There are no hugs goodbye, but rather an alcohol wipe as a term of endearment. Sigh, will we ever get back to the days where we hug hello and goodbye?
Post Production
The maternity photo doesn’t end when I push the shutter button. In my vision, I see the end result. What I just photographed is only part of the equation. I have spent endless hours watching webinars, asking questions in my Facebook groups and staring endlessly at good ole YouTube videos. This is where I take a good maternity portrait and turn it into a great one. I know many people are opposed to photoshop believing somehow it is not authentic, but I am here to tell you I will use a myriad of software applications to elevate a photograph without hesitation to give you a piece of art. That is what I feel creativity is. You are hiring me to be creative and take portraits in a certain style. That creativity is a process from idea, to the technical lighting stuff to post production. I am not sure this needs to be said, but this really applies only to my studio work. Birth photography is an entirely different animal.
I really hope you love these as much as I do…this was almost exactly the idea I had in my head before I touched anything. If you would like to discuss your ideas for your maternity photography shoot, contact me here. A special thank you goes out to Nick Rail Music for their stunning instruments.
