5 Ways To Capture Creative Maternity Portraits

5 Ways To Capture Creative Maternity Portraits | Elizabeth

Maternity portraits are a really special time in the lives of couples. Hiring someone to capture this moment creatively is something that all clients strive for in a Photographer. Here are my top 5 ways to capture creative maternity portraits for my clients.

Having The Right Ingredients To Create

First and foremost, I believe that it is important that a Photographer have the proper “ingredients” to be able to create something memorable. This can take many different forms – but I will use a Chef as an example. If you give a Chef an egg and some water, I’m sure they can cook the perfect boiled egg. I’d also be willing to bet that there would be a 50/50 chance that you couldn’t tell the difference between the expert Chef’s egg and one I cooked. I actually make decent boiled eggs 🙂 Now if you were to give the Chef all the ingredients to make a five-star breakfast, all bets are off! They’d blow me out of the water!

I believe that the same goes for photography. The ingredients, in this case, could include the location, the time of day (for lighting), and even the clients. Anyone can take great pictures of super models. But can you work with clients who have never taken portraits before? If clients are excited for the session, open to instruction from the Photographer; and the images are taken at a great location, at the right time of day – these are really great ingredients.

Creative Composition And Framing

One of the first ways to capture creative images is by using composition and framing. Placing couples in the center of the frame has it’s place for certain portraits. But for DYNAMIC images, placing them in the upper/bottom or left/right thirds of the frame is more visually appealing. I will not go into all of the details of the reasons for this – but I will give you a place to look for this… the next time you are watching a movie – or even an interview, just look at where the subjects are placed. With interviews, the subjects dominant eye will usually be in one the “thirds” of the frame. You’ll also notice the next 4 tips, in movies, as well 😉 One of the things that I have also learned to do is to not include the subjects face in all of the images. This is something that I would rarely do for family portraits. But it works great for maternity portraits!

• 

• 

Looking For Reflections

• 

• 

• 

Reflections can be hard to come by – but when the opportunity presents itself, they can really make incredible images. Reflections can be found in water, mirrors, and windows – most commonly.

Different Perspectives

Similar to the composition of an image, the perspective that the image is taken can make a basic picture more dynamic. I think peoples natural instinct is to take every image at eye level. But shooting up at a couple or shooting down on them can make a really big difference in the feel of the image.

Using Leading Lines

• 

• 

There are not always leading lines to use for images – but when you find them it really adds interest to an image. Leading lines guide the viewer of the image to what is important. Almost drawing them in. Leading lines can sometimes scream, “look at this!”

Using Natural Elements In The Foreground

• 

• 

• 

One of my favorite ways to create interesting images is by putting things in the foreground. Most times it can be plants, flowers, trees – but it can be anything. Even shooting through people in a crowd. Placing items in the foreground naturally creates emotion to an image. And with maternity portraits, capturing emotion is really important… I have to admit, some clients think it is a little funny that I am shooting images with a bush in front of me – but it really works!

BONUS TIP: Everything Should Not Be In Focus

One last bonus tip: the subject should be sharp and everything else should be out of focus. For cell phone picture takers, you may know this as “portrait mode.” Professional cameras/lenses and Photographers are able to do “portrait mode” without all of the manipulation to the image. When your cell phone does this, it takes what it thinks is important and blurs the rest of the image. Sometimes it works, and sometimes the iPhone cuts of people’s ears, feet – and other things that may be important 🙂 I can almost always spot the difference between a “professional” image and one that is taken with a cell phone. Having the subject sharp and the background out of focus is one of the ways to tell the difference 😉

Hopefully these 5 ways to capture creative maternity portraits has been helpful! If you are looking to take your very own portraits, I would love to connect. The best way to reach out to me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!