How To Take In Home Maternity Portraits

How To Take In Home Maternity Portraits | 3 Suggestions

In most situations, I recommend taking maternity portraits at a place other than your home. There are many reasons for this. One of the most important reasons is because of the lighting. In order for a location to be a good place for pictures, there needs to be soft lighting. If you are thinking of scheduling in home maternity portraits, here are my top three suggestions.

Make Sure There Are At Least 3-4 Different Backgrounds

One of the main difference between on location maternity portraits and in home maternity portraits is the availability of backgrounds. Most of my maternity portraits sessions take place at a park. And there are typically at least 5-10 different places we can go to and take pictures at. This makes the session flow really easy and clients get a variety of different backgrounds. If the session takes place in your home, I recommend making sure there are at least 3-4 different backgrounds that can be used for portraits. The backyard, the front of the house, and even a room inside of the home can be used. Another great suggestion is to see if your Photographer can set up a simple white backdrop inside of your home. Having at least 3-4 places to take the portraits will make the session run smoothly 🙂

Consider The Time of The Session And How The Light Will Be

Perhaps the most important aspect of in home maternity portraits is the quality of the light. In my experience, this is one of the most confusing aspect of portraits for clients 🙂 Direct sunlight or a time of day where it is really bright does not always translate into “good” lighting. Shady areas or days where the sun is blocked/diffused by clouds is MUCH better than direct sunlight. I recommend taking a look in your backyard or front yard to see if there are areas of shade where portraits can be taken. Also keep in mind that the early morning or the evening will be the best times of day for even/soft lighting. As much as possible, try to schedule your session during these times of the day 😉

Plan on An Outfit Change

Last but not least, I would also recommend planning a couple of outfits. Since you’ll be at your home, this should be a REALLY easy process 🙂 In my experience, in home sessions take a lot less time than sessions at a park. This means that taking a 5-10 minute break to change into another outfit is no problem at all! Most clients choose a formal outfit to start the session and then a casual outfit for the last part of the session.

Hopefully these suggestions will help you decide on whether or not your home will work well for a session. Remember: make sure there are a handful of locations, check the lighting, and plan on a couple outfits. If you are looking to schedule maternity portraits, I would love to connect with you. The best way to reach out to me is through the contact form on my website or through a quick email: [email protected]