Every mom to be needs to do a maternity photo shoot! Maternity photo shoots have become extremely popular in the past several years.
Celebrate and document the bump! You will look back on these fleeting and magic days of pregnancy and love the fact that you captured them in photos that will last forever.
Maternity photography is best done in the latter stages of the pregnancy for the best visual effect.
Quite often Maternity photo sessions include the spouse, and can also include the other children in the family. This is a lovely theme for a family portrait: all the family members and the one on the way!
Why do a maternity shoot?
1. To celebrate the bump!
How wonderful it will be to look back at this magical time and see how glowing you looked, and how beautiful you looked with this bump.
This time is fleeting and special, and your body is doing something truly unique and miraculous. Celebrate it and document it!
Nowadays baby bumps are highlighted and shown off in figure hugging fashions, and maternity photo sessions have arisen to spotlight the growing belly of the mom-to-be.
2. To revel in how radiant and beautiful you look.
Play it up with beautiful makeup and hair, wardrobe, settings, and lighting. This is the time to really shine.
You will be celebrating a time that may not come again if you aren’t planning any more children.
This is a unique, short lived period that will be something you will want to look back on with great fondness.
3. To Strengthen your bond with your partner
If you do a maternity photo shoot with your partner, you will strengthen your bond and recommit to the excitement of welcoming the new addition to your family.
4. To have a cherished memento for your child to see later.
This is a miraculous, fleeting time in your life, and something to cherish and look back upon.
Your child can get a unique look at how excited his parents were while expecting him, and a visual document of the excitement and romance that existed between them. How special he will feel to know how eagerly anticipated he was!
Your pregnancy will fly by so quickly that you will wish you had captured this amazing time.
How great it will be to look back on this happy period and be reminded of what a magical time it was.
How do you do a maternity photo shoot?
You can do your own, but many cities have great photographers that specialize in maternity photo shoots.
Sometimes maternity photo shoots come with full makeup and hairstyling by a professional artist. For tips on doing your own makeup and hair see my blog post.
Maternity photoshoots can be all different themes, can be in a studio with props, or outdoors in nature.
Maternity shoots can be vintage and retro, like my company Iconic Pinups specializes in.
Or they can be romantic, sexy “boudoir” photos that capture the glamorous side of mom-to-be.
What should I wear for a maternity photo shoot?
Again, there are so many themes and photographers: if you do a vintage photo shoot there are many adorable outfit options.
We have sheer robes and lace gowns that are glamorous in photos, and are sheer enough to feature the bump.
It depends upon your personal style. We have had clients pose with hot rods and motorcycles.
The maternity photo shoot can all be uniquely tailored to the parents’ tastes and aesthetic.
When should I do a maternity photo shoot?
At our studio we usually tell moms to be that about 7 months is perfect. If she waits much later than that it is hard to get comfortable, and too much before that and the bump doesn’t show to full effect.
Should I do a maternity photoshoot?
It’s especially important to capture these moments because you won’t be pregnant forever, and your pregnancy will fly by quicker than you anticipated.
Having maternity photos to look back on will be a lifelong reminder of that magical time when new life was was growing inside your belly.
I hope that you found this blog post helpful, and if you have any ideas for future blog posts, please feel free to leave a comment about what you would like to see.
Hi there! My name is Stacy Lande, and I’m a Los Angeles based hair and makeup artist. At my photo studio Iconic Pinups, we do wonderful vintage and modern maternity photo shoots for many moms to be. I have been transforming women into the most glamorous versions of themselves since 2009
