How To Prepare For Maternity Portraits

How To Prepare For Maternity Portraits – 5 Tips

You will never regret taking the time to take maternity portraits. It is such a beautiful moment in the lives of families. And it is a milestone you will always cherish and look back on. To make sure that your session goes as smoothly as possible, it takes a little preparation. Here are my top 5 tips on how to prepare for maternity portraits.

Get Children Excited For The Session

If you have younger kids participating in the session, it is really important to help prepare them for the session. In my experience, building up the excitement for the session really helps. You can let them know that you are going to the park to take pictures and to have fun. You can even practice some of the poses you plan on doing. And creating an incentive usually works well.

Plan A Few Accessories Or Props

Another thing you will want to consider before the session are any props and/or accessories. Floral crowns are really popular and there are a lot of maternity portrait props ideas such as baby shoes or sonograms. There are many websites which specialize in accessories and props made just for maternity portraits. Including a couple of props is a great way to personalize the session.

Communicate With Your Photographer Leading Up To The Session

Communicating with you Photographer before the session is also important. On your end, you will want to make sure to communicate any outfit changes you are planning on. And if you are not able to walk long distances, for example, this is great for the Photographer to know beforehand. In the days leading up to the session, you will want to touch bases with the Photographer on exactly where to meet for the start of the session as well. And if you need the images back within a certain time frame – make sure to let the Photographer know this as well.

Arrive Early To The Session

I recommend planning on arriving at least 5-10 minutes before the start of the session. This will give you a little bit of a cushion if unexpected traffic delays pop up. Or if you happen to be running behind. I recommend arriving even earlier if it is your first time visiting the location you are taking pictures at. This will give you enough time to find a parking spot and to reach the Photographer if you happen to get lost :).

Think Of A Couple Poses That You Love

Lastly, make sure to brainstorm a couple of poses you really love. Your Photographer will have a bunch of poses to go through – but make sure to mention any specific poses you really like. In the last 10-15 minutes of the session, I like to get input from couples to see if we missed any poses they were planning on.

Maternity portraits are a really big milestone in the lives of couples. Hopefully these 5 tips on how to prepare for maternity portraits has been useful. Remember to prepare kids before the session, think of a few accessories or props, communicate with the Photographer, arrive early, and to think of some poses you love. Thanks!