Tips for taking maternity or pregnancy photos

First of all “Congratulations!” We are very happy for you and your new arrival.
After many years of documenting maternity sessions, we would like to give you some tips for taking maternity photos. In our experience, this is what you need to know for your maternity session.
You are at one of the most amazing stages of a motherhood. These are some of the most special and changing moments, the feeling of bringing a life into the world is truly unique. Your skin has a special glow, your eyes and hair might be shining more than normal and you exude love and energy.
It´s the ideal time to capture this precious time in your life. Here are a series of recommendations.

Tips

All these tips will help you enjoy your pregnancy session in a comfortable, relaxed and calm way. You can also see more maternity and pregnancy sessions by clicking HERE.
We have divided it into several sections so that you have all the information you need:

When to do the maternity session?
Where will we do the maternity session and at what time?
What clothing is the most appropriate?
Can I bring different clothes and some props?
Makeup and hairdressing, yes or no?
Can my partner be present? Any other family members?
If I have more children, can they also come along?
If I have a pet, can I bring him/her?
Will there be meetings prior to the maternity session?
Do I have to know how to pose for the maternity session?
How do I receive my maternity session?

Tips for taking maternity or pregnancy photos

When is the best time to do a maternity session?

Normally, and based on our experience, we plan to carry out the session in the sixth-seventh month of pregnancy. It is at this time, when your tummy is visible, and you are not as uncomfortable as from the end of the seventh month onwards, in addition, obviously towards the end you are more tired.

Speaking in weeks, it would be somewhere between week 23 and week 31, of course this depends on every woman, but this is a general rule as a starting point.

Where will we do the session and at what time?

The ideal place to carry out a maternity session is wherever you feel most identified. If you like the countryside more, we will go to a cozy place surrounded by nature, trees and vegetation.

We always chose somewhere that is easily accessible and very comfortable to get to by car and we make sure you don’t have to walk much. Needless to say, the place is completely safe.
We can achieve a variety of images for you from a simple walk in the countryside and they will transport you to that moment in your life every time you look at them and enjoy them.

If, on the contrary, you prefer the seaside, that´s also great, we love shooting a along the seafront, even dipping your toes in the water if the weather permits!

We can also start the session at your house and then have a walk somewhere nearby or even in the garden, wherever you like.

When shooting maternity sessions, we like to shoot them in the afternoon, early evening for quality of light, we love to include a sunset if the weather and location is on our side, very rarely do we shoot in the morning. The exact time varies throughout the year depending on when it gets dark.

The duration is approximately one and a half to two hours. We normally like to meet half an hour before just to get to know you.

What should I wear?

Mainly, make sure you are comfortable

A maxi dress is an obvious go to! A fitted maxi dress is a very popular outfit for maternity sessions because it shows off a pregnant woman’s very best asset, her baby bump! Choose something that will accentuate your bump, like a dress, long knitted jumper, or any outfit you feel good in.

Don’t feel limited to just a dress you can wear a lace top with a pair of jeans or an open blouse with a long flowing skirt. They are plenty of options, hopefully you can see a few ideas from some of our clients in this post, above all, try to always keep your personal style. In other words, avoid trends. If you’re investing in quality maternity photos, you don’t want to look back in time and think “why was I wearing that?!” We prefer just wearing a simple flowy dress in a neutral tone.

White is beautiful and allows your bump to really show because it’s not distracting, avoid anything with a big logo on it or bold stripes. Solid colours are best! If you like a pattern then your partner should wear something that complements it.

You can bring a couple of changes of clothes with you to the session, this way, you will have variety in the images, but be mindful of the colours and that they blend. Wear your first outfit to the session and as we are shooting we´ll see if you would like a change of outfit or not, but it´s always good to have options with you.

You will most probably have a few of your baby’s items or clothes, bring something significant along with you and we can include it in your maternity session.

Tips for taking maternity or pregnancy photos

Do I need to wear makeup and go to the hairdresser for my maternity session?

Our answer is clear, if this makes you feel prettier, safer and better, why not? On our web you can see various maternity sessions, some of the Mums-to-be wear makeup and went to the hairdresser, others opted for a more natural and informal look. It depends a lot on you, treat it like when you get ready to go somewhere nice. In the event that you want to wear makeup, you want to look like an enhanced version of yourself, and that’s it. No need for crazy makeup, especially if you don´t normally wear makeup.

Tips for taking maternity or pregnancy photos

It is important to avoid shiny skin. If you´d like us to recommend a makeup artist, let us know.
Also try to avoid body oils or creams that can accentuate shiny skin, it won´t look great in the photos.
We will take detail shots of your hands, most probably on your tummy, so, make sure you take care of your hands. We can also recommend an amazing nail technician if you wish.

Can my partner be present or my other children? Any other family members?

Of course! We would prefer it! Your maternity session should be a memory of you and your baby along with those important people that are also part of your family.
We will have time for everything, photos of you, just with `baby bump´, photos with your partner, interacting with each other. If you have another child or children, they should also appear at some point in the session.
If there is another family member that you would like to be in your maternity photos, they should be present too, please don´t hesitate, we want to capture the memories that you deserve.

Pets? In a pregnancy session? ABSOLUTELY!

They are part of the family after all.
They are more than welcome, but if you bring your pet along for the session, we would ask if someone could also come along to take care of him/her when he/she isn´t in the photo.

Is it necessary to meet before the maternity session?

Normally, a maternity session does not require prior meetings. What we usually do after specifying date, time and place, is speak over the phone a few times to specify everything.
On the day of the maternity session, we meet beforehand, maybe over a coffee (or whatever you prefer), talk a little bit and it always puts you at ease, instead of just starting to shoot straight away.

Tips for taking maternity or pregnancy photos

How do I receive my maternity photos?

We have a few different ways. The most common is through the digital platform WeTransfer. It is fast, effective and you will have your maternity photos in a very short period of time. Normally within a few working days, depending on the volume of work.
We have a variety of albums which we guarantee you´ll love, if you would like an album, we will send you the preview of the album layout for you to proof in a separate file along with your photos via WeTransfer.
Another option is to receive everything in a personalized box, with a pen drive, printed photos (with or without an album), all presented in an elegant and lasting way.

We hope that these tips for your maternity session have helped you and you have an idea of how a session works and how to plan for it. Just below or by clicking HERE you can send us a message to ask any remaining questions you may have. We will be happy to help you.

Thank you very much for stopping by and showing interest in our work.