If you’re reading this I sincerely hope that means you’ve booked your maternity session and are ready to celebrate the miracle of your beautiful pregnancy! Such a wonderful time I can’t wait for you to create photos that capture all the excitement of waiting for baby. Please enjoy some of these simple tips for how you can prepare for maternity photos and get the most out of your session.
A great way to prepare for maternity photos is to indulge yourself in a good old pamper! Let’s be real you’ve probably been so busy focused on baby it’s likely you haven’t given much thought to yourself and the amazing work your body is doing! So having your maternity photos is a great excuse to focus on you for a bit. My favourite way for Mums to prepare for maternity photos is to go out for a manicure and pedicure, it’s lovely to have some time for yourself getting your nails done. And don’t forget that your hands are going to be appearing a lot in these photos so wether you choose to go out to a salon or do it yourself it’s a great idea to have your nails looking fresh.
The night before your session can sometimes have you feeling a little anxious, especially if you have never had photos taken before. So for you to prepare for maternity photos I suggest you spend the evening before relaxing and getting plenty of rest. Do whatever you usually would when you’re in need of a good unwinding, yoga, meditation, a long soak in the bath, rest, rest, rest.
Take some time before your session to connect with the baby your carrying, acknowledge just how miraculous pregnancy is and appreciate this time. There’s lots of superficial things you can do to prepare for maternity photos but it’s important to take stock of what you’re really doing this for. These photos are to celebrate the excitement, anticipation and love you have for this life that you are waiting to hold in your arms.
Here’s a fun way to prepare for maternity photos, do some research! Bear with me, I realise that doesn’t sound very fun. But taking a look online at other pregnancy portraits is a good way to prepare for maternity photos. It helps you to get excited and helps you to decide exactly what kind of photos you are wanting to create. You can take a look through my portfolio on this website, look through some of my maternity blogs or have a good rummage around on Pinterest. Lots of my clients like to send me screenshots of other peoples maternity photos that they would love to use as inspiration.
The most common question clients ask me about how to prepare for maternity photos is what should I wear? I always tell people the most important thing is to choose something that you feel comfortable in, that is priority! You can choose to wear something fitting to show off bump, something flowing and loose that skims over your bump. You might even want to bare bump entirely, would you feel comfortable to go entirely nude, just your underwear or opt for wearing an open robe or shirt to frame bump?
Finally a fun and maybe unexpected way to prepare for maternity photos is to turn it into a date! If your partner is going to be involved in the session it’s a wonderful idea to go on from the photoshoot to have some more one on one time with them. Your maternity photoshoot is about slowing things down and soaking up all the joy of this time so why should that stop once the photos are done? Head out with your partner for your favourite date spot and continue enjoying this space together.
Remember I mentioned taking a look at other peoples pregnancy photoshoots for inspiration? Here’s a session of expectant parents, Hannah and Josh for you to look through.
Haven’t booked your maternity photos yet? Then get in touch to talk all about it with me!
To see lots and lots of maternity and newborn photography come say hi to me over on Instagram.