How To Take Beautiful Maternity Portraits
The weeks leading to the arrival of your child are moments you will always remember. Capturing this moment is something you will never regret. If you have never taken maternity portraits, it can seem like a daunting task. Things like when to take maternity portraits, what to wear for maternity portraits, and how to pose for maternity portraits can seem confusing! The great thing is, it is a lot easier than you may think 🙂 Here are my 5 keys to taking beautiful maternity portraits!
1. Incorporate A Few Meaningful Props
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One of the best ways to take really beautiful maternity portraits is to incorporate props. Props add a personal touch to the images. Some of the most common maternity portrait props are baby shoes, a framed sonogram, or a custom made banner. There are many other props you can use during the session. And I recommend picking your favorite two or three. Anything more than this can take away from the focus of the session – which should be of you, your partner, and family.
2. Find An Outfit That You Really Love
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Another way to take your best maternity portraits is to find an outfit that you REALLY love. If you do not know where to start, a great place would be looking at what past clients have worn. When it comes to outfits, I recommend wearing something that clearly shows the shape of your baby bump. I also love the way that bright colors like red, purple and blue look in images; and the only color that I would steer clear of is black. Since we will be emphasizing your baby bump, it is important that we are able to see it. Unfortunately, black is a color that is difficult to show the shape of your baby bump.
3. Decide On A Location Well Ahead Of Time
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Once you’ve picked a few props and a really nice dress, you’ll want to pick a location. There are a lot of different options you can choose from. For example, there are a lot of beautiful parks or gardens that may fit what you are looking for. Beach maternity portraits have a totally different feel to them and are equally as beautiful. There are even some really nice rustic locations which may be more aligned with what you are looking for. When scheduling your session, I recommend reaching out to a Photographer at least 2 months before your due date. By doing this, it will give you more options to select the best time and location for your session 😉
4. Try To Schedule The Session In The Evening
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The best time to take outdoor portraits is going to be in the evening. At this time of the day, the light is really soft – which can create really flattering images. The light at this time of the day is also very colorful. For these reasons, you will want to pick a day where you and your Photographer can schedule the session in the evening. To determine what time is the best on any given day, you can look up a sunset calendar. The ideal time is going to be around 60 minutes before the sun is scheduled to set 😉
5. Pick A Couple Of Poses You Really Like
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Last but not least, I also recommend picking a couple of poses you really want to incorporate into the session. Your Photographer will have plenty of poses for the session – but I always love getting input from clients. The poses can be something really funny. Or it can be a romantic pose that you really want to create and capture. I would recommend looking through the images in your Photographer’s gallery to make sure that they pose maternity portrait clients in a style that you like. I like getting candid images that feel “un-posed” I enhance the images during the editing process – but I do not manipulate images to appear overly edited and unrealistic. Showing your Photographer images from another Photographer that does not align with their style can be problematic. This can end in a bad experience for everyone.
Hopefully these are some useful tips that you can consider for your very own session. If you are expecting an addition to your family, I would love to connect with you. The best way to reach out to me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!
