Pregnancy Portraits – Frequently Asked Questions
A maternity session is an opportunity to celebrate this amazing, fleeting season of life. The beauty of an expecting mother is one of our absolute favorite subjects.
Pregnancy can definitely be a bit surreal. Particularly if you are physically uncomfortable or having a difficult pregnancy, you might feel that you are not the most glamorous you have ever been. But you would be surprised how others see you – from the outside you appear glowing, youthful, and full of life and promise. We know how to position your body in the most flattering ways, which camera angles are best, and how to light you to show the magic and beauty of this time.
We will talk wardrobe ahead of your session to determine your style – you might want to take advantage of our large collection of maternity gowns, or you may prefer to be photographed in your own jeans and t-shirt. And of course some women prefer to shop for their own perfect dress. We can help you figure it out once we determine what kind of look is most “you” – Bohemian? Glam? Classic Elegance? We also love dramatically lit, fine art nude images that highlight the lines of a pregnant woman’s body.
Lots of options here! We can create an album of all the images as a keepsake for yourself and your children and grandchildren, or perhaps as a gift for your partner. We can create a beautiful wall portrait – some of our clients have this hanging in their bedroom or master bathroom. And some women like to use their images for their baby shower – on invitations or a display at the event.
We do recommend having at least your hair done professionally the day of your session as it can really add a lot of polish to the finished images. Professional makeup is also a nice touch if you like, just make sure to *not* use any products with shimmer, as they do not photograph well.
A general guideline is somewhere around 32 weeks – usually by this time you are showing, but not yet super tired and uncomfortable. It gives us time to get your images to you before you deliver (hopefully!) and you are still feeling mobile and pretty good (hopefully!) Obviously everyone is different, so this is a very loose guideline! We can certainly do a session right up until you are in labor, or you might show very early and want to do a session sooner than 32 weeks.
For many pregnancy sessions we do both outdoor and studio images, depending upon weather and the type of image we are wanting to create. We have a home studio here in Ann Arbor, as well as ten acres outdoors for more beauty and variety. We will style your session ahead of time based on your preferences.
We are sure you may have more questions, or perhaps you are excited and ready to start planning your dream shoot – you can call us at 734.332.0412!