My secrets to a perfect Maternity Session

Posing pregnant woman for a portrait session can some times seems like a daunting task for a photographer. Moms can be self conscious, and add that baby weight, mom brain, and general stress- most women don't even want to take portraits while they're pregnant. As a photographer, we want them to look and feel their best which can be A LOT of pressure. But it's really not as hard as you would think!

Step One: LISTEN!

The best way to get off on the right foot is to LISTEN to your client. Figure out what she likes; what colors she usually wears will tell you what she looks good in and what shows off her eyes, hair or skin tone. What style and fit she likes best will tell you her level of confidence if she likes the fit and flare or the flowy style. But also listen to the feedback she gives you- "Do you have anything with sleeves? I don't like my arms." I know we hate to hear that because of course we find all our clients stunning! But instead of digging yourself a hole trying to talk her into a strapless gown with telling her you'll edit away, think of something that might cover all or part of her arm, or add something like a scarf. Also make yourself a note so that while posing during the session you can be sure to pose properly. We want mom to feel beautiful but also confident, because that will also show through in her images.

Step Two: Show her the options!

Once you've nailed down what she is comfortable in, show her lots of options and accessories. If you can, show her other clients around her body type in different gowns that fit her preference and narrow down to your best selections.

Step Three: Plan the Session!

Start thinking of poses and review all your past work, your friend's work, colleagues, Pinterest boards and Instagram. Familiarize yourself with different hand placements, body shape, and angles. If you're looking at your past work think about - "What could I have done BETTER with this shot?" Make sure you're looking at lighting and the direction of where it's coming and where it's falling on the body. How much shadow is on the face, chest or belly? Lighting is tricky to master for those new to photography, but makes a huge difference on the way a body appears to the eye and the camera.

Step Four: Work your Magic

During your portrait session it's important to stay focused and confident, while also changing things up. When you feel stumped just make some minor adjustments to the pose and shoot again. Every couple is different from their heights, curves, and hair placement so it's okay to take a step back and re-evaluate as you go. The more you work, the more confident you'll be.

Pro Tips:

Small adjustments like popping knees and hips in certain directions, changing arm and hand placement, the turn of her head can make a huge difference in shape. I always tell my moms to shift their position slightly after every three shots. This goes for everything- the tilt of their head, hands over and under belly, looking down over the shoulder, etc. I also always have moms bend the knee closest to the camera to get that hour glass figure. But remember it’s OK to experiment and shift posing. Once you review your images you can make note of what you like, what didn’t work, and what to keep doing. That’s the joy of photography- you can always improve, advance and experiment!

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Where to buy?

Another question I see a lot is “Where to buy” maternity dresses. This is a great question and of course as a new photographer or client you might think Amazon is a retailer of all. But in fact, the problem with that is most dresses supplied by Amazon come from independent sellers and are likely from China. The only thing wrong with that is what you see is NOT what you get. Below I’m going to list MY favorite designers and places to buy dresses for my Client Closet.

Pro tip: Any retailer with ads that cut off the model’s head to showcase the dress is 99% of the time a knock off site with poor quality. The images and dress styles are stolen from reputable designers and photographers and they just make dresses similar with poor quality materials.

Chicaboo https://www.shopchicaboo.com

Sew Trendy https://www.sewtrendyaccessories.com

Baltic Born https://balticborn.com

Forever 21 https://www.forever21.com

VICI Collection https://www.vicicollection.com

Agneshka Maternity https://facebook.com/BoutiqueByAgnes/

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My secrets to a perfect Maternity Session

Step One: LISTEN!

Step Two: Show her the options!

Step Three: Plan the Session!

Step Four: Work your Magic

Pro Tips:

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