How To Take Candid Maternity Portraits | Three Tips
For most people, taking maternity portraits can seem a little intimidating. Especially if you have never taken portraits before or have only had a couple of experiences doing so. The great thing about maternity portraits, is that they are easier than you may think! My style of photography aims to capture natural and candid photos rather than overly posed images. Here are three tips on how to take candid maternity portraits.
Most Of The Focus Will Be On Your “Baby Bump”
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The first thing to consider about maternity portraits is that the main focus is going to be on your “baby bump.” Your outfits, the poses, and everything else will be geared towards accenting your baby bump. A handful of the images will even be just of your baby bump; and your face will not even be in it 🙂 In the images where you and your partner’s full body are also in the image, you’ll mostly be looking at the baby bump as well. Viewer’s looking at the image will naturally pick up on this and focus on the bump as well. Your hair, outfit, makeup, etc. will naturally be complimentary to this fact.
You Do Not Have To Look At The Camera
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Perhaps the most important thing to consider is that most poses will be of you not looking at the camera. There are a lot of ways to do this – so that the images feel more candid than posed. For example, there are plenty of poses where you and your partner will be looking at each other. Or both looking at the baby bump. And depending on the specific pose, your eyes may even be closed. All of these examples have more of a candid feel to them – than a “1-2-3 CHEESE,” posed image 🙂
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
One of the ways that I like to help make my clients feel comfortable is by a filling out a brief questionnaire before the session. This allows the client to communicate any poses that may make them feel uncomfortable. For example, one of the questions addresses whether or not you and your partner feel comfortable showing public displays of affection (PDA). Knowing this beforehand will enable the Photographer to focus on poses that you are most comfortable with.
Make Sure To Use A Couple Of Props
.jpg)
.jpg)
Last but not least, a great way to make your images feel more candid is to incorporate a couple of props. The most common props that clients like to use are baby shoes, a framed sonogram, or a custom made sign. Baby clothes can also be used. When using props, the main focus is on the prop. You and your partner are complimentary to the props in this instance.
Hopefully these are a few examples of how to take candid maternity portraits that feel more natural. If you are expecting a baby and want to take portraits, I’d love to connect. The best way to reach me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!
