Things to Consider for a Professional Pregnancy Portrait

by Anna Myers

Maternity Portraits have become very popular over the last ten years. The pregnancy of each child is looked on as a special event for the family that should be documented with professional photography - almost as significant as the wedding photographs in terms of the evolution of a family. For the professional photographer and client there are several key elements to consider when creating the maternity portraits.

So when is the best time to do the maternity session? The ideal time is when the belly is nice and round, and the hands and feet are not swollen. You also do not want to wait so late that you miss the opportunity if the baby chooses to come early, which they sometimes do. Given these considerations, 32 to 36 weeks along in the pregnancy is usually good timing for the session.

Another consideration is who will be in the photos? Obviously the pregnant woman will be in them, but who else should be in them? One approach is to include the family members that will be the most significant part of the baby’s life - which usually includes both parents and any siblings. A different approach would be to do the project as a study of just the woman and her pregnancy - which is then sometimes given as a gift to her partner as a surprise.

The location of the pregnancy portraits is a big consideration. There is likely to be a good amount of skin showing (at least the belly), so given that where would the woman be the most comfortable to have the session? Some women are OK with being outdoors and showing skin, while others may prefer the privacy of an indoor location like a photography studio or their home.

Deciding the location of the shots will have an impact on the overall style of the photos, and this too should be examined. Is the desired style of the pregnancy portraits light and airy, classical, modern and edgey, a study in black & white, etc? Figuring out the style you want can be aided by looking at other maternity portraits that can be found easily online on photographers websites or other sites related to pregnancy.

What to wear or not wear for the maternity session is a significant topic. By looking into the style and the location first, the woman should already have a sense of whether she wants photos with clothes, with some amount of clothing, all nude, or nude with fabrics. Many maternity photography sessions will include some of each of these styles, or mostly nudes and fabrics.

Once the decision has been made to do a professional maternity photography session, one thing to think about is what to do with the resulting images. Should they hang on the wall in the living room, the baby room, or will they be more private and be in the master bedroom? Or perhaps they will be put into a fine art maternity album so that can be seen by only the eyes they are intended for.

After having done the professional maternity session, adding an artistic newborn photography session would be an excellent idea. Framed body parts from the maternity session including close ups of hands and bellies can be combined into a modern wall collage with close-ups of baby feet, hands and face. Creating an album from the pregnancy portraits and newborn portraits is another wonderful way to celebrate the new life in your family.

About the Author:

Anna Myers is a contemporary, soulful San Francisco Maternity Photographer who specializes in maternity photography.

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