Choosing a maternity photographer can sometimes feel like an overwhelming minefield. There are so many different things to consider and chances are that you have no idea where to start! Well I’m here to give you a little helping hand to point you in the right direction.
The first thing you want to do is to get a good feel for a maternity photographers style and experience. The best way to do this is dive into their portfolio. Do they have a lots of maternity images to share? A variety of locations, Mums to be, family structures included in the images will let you know that this photographer has plenty of experience.
And of course when looking through their portfolio you will be able to get a feel for their images and if they feel right for you. Wether you want to go for posed studio images or natural lifestyle images, spending time on a maternity photographers portfolio will help you find the right person.
If you want to create pregnancy photos (which can I say YES! I’m so happy when Mothers recognise that this special time deserves to be celebrated!) As I was saying, if you want to create pregnancy photos the chances are you will probably like to have newborn portraits created too. Now is a good time to think about this. Can your maternity photographer also provide you with images you’ll love of baby too? Do they have an option to book both maternity and newborn portraits in one package to save you money and time? P.S I do offer a bump to baby package, the details will be below!
Get clear on what is included in their prices. I’ve heard many horror stories from Mothers who were shocked to discover after working with some other maternity photographer that the price they paid didn’t include any images. Paying for just the session fee is a common practice in the photography world so be sure you know what your money is getting you to avoid any unwanted surprises.
See what everyone else is saying about your potential maternity photographer. If they have plenty of experience and offer a great experience for their clients they should have plenty of client testimonials for you to read. These can help a lot when your trying to make your decision.
Find out what you can expect from the whole process. Is it easy to book your session? Will you have the chance to speak with your maternity photographer before your session? How long will a session last? How many photos can you expect to choose from? How long will it take for you to receive your images?
Finally and in my opinion most importantly, do you click with your maternity photographer? This one is so often over looked but it’s so important! You are allowing someone in to your life to document a very special and very intimate chapter. You want to know that you actually LIKE and will feel comfortable with this person. How can you do that? One of the best ways to get a feel for a maternity photographer is to have a really good read of their website, spend some time on their about page, read blogs from other maternity sessions. Then find them on social media, personally I really like to let my personality and beliefs shine on social. This is so my potential clients can see if I am the right fit for them or not.
Please take some time with this last one. When you look at your pregnancy photos in years to come you want to only think about how beautiful you felt and how excited you were. Not about how awful the experience of creating those photos was and how much you regret picking that maternity photographer!
I really hope you found this helpful as I know how daunting a task this kind of thing can be! I’m always around if you have any other questions or concerns about booking a maternity photographer. I’d love to help you as I really feel so passionate about Mothers celebrating their amazing pregnancies!
If you liked this post then please read this blog where I’m talking about body image during pregnancy and how maternity portraits can help you! https://www.sarahhailephoto.com/post/body-image-during-pregnancy-empowering-maternity-portraits
For lots more lush pregnant Mamas you can head over to this page and dive into my portfolio. https://www.sarahhailephoto.com/pregnancy-photography-bristol
And as I mentioned above you can always find me on social, instagram is my second home so come say hi!