Choosing your maternity photoshoot vibe
Getting pregnant these days comes with its own challenges, but once it happens it can be such an exciting time in your life! There are so many things to decide on during the pregnancy; nursery color scheme or theme, what will the baby’s name be, will you try to breastfeed, and of course, should you book maternity photos?? I can’t answer all those for you, but I can certainly tell you that you should absolutely book a maternity photoshoot to forever memorialize this time in your life. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first baby or your 5th, each pregnancy will feel unique and you deserve to feel like a goddess during this time in your life.
Since we’re obviously making the right decision and booking maternity photos, what’s next?? Well you need to decide what your maternity vibe is. But Meagan, what the heck does that even mean???? Don’t worry, I’ll explain…
What I’m referring to here is the whole schbang, location, wardrobe, hair and makeup… each of these aspects together will form the vibe you want to portray in your images. Are you a Boho chic kind of woman?? Does your style jive well with long crochet gowns and sand between your toes or do you see yourself in something elegant with a modern or urban background? Do you want to wear a wide brimmed hat with long loose curls or maybe you want dramatic makeup and a crown to show off your true goddess side? How much skin do you want to show off? Some pregnant people are a bit more modest or conservative about how they feel about their bodies while others, like myself, want to show off how our body has changed and grown to accommodate the new life that is within. There is no wrong answer here and the possibilities are endless!!! It’s all about you.
Knowing at least a few of these things will help you when choosing a photographer to book with. Each photographer will have their own unique style and not every style will fit with your vibe so it’s important to pay attention to the photographer’s body of work to get a good idea of what their style is. For example, if you are drawn to images that have darker tones anda moody feeling then choosing a photographer whose body of work is light and bright would not give you the results you are hoping for. If you’re someone who loves images with those bright, true to life colors then you don’t want to choose someone who edits their images with earthy tones. Furthermore, some photographers that shoot outdoors in natural light may not be equipped to give you killer studio photos since working with natural light vs. artificial lighting can be very different.
Seeing a photographers style should be the easy part as so many of us these days have our work posted all over our social medias and our portfolio websites, once you’ve chosen a few that fit within your vision you can reach out to them and find out their rates, availability and start genuine conversations to see if they are someone you feel comfortable with.
Being in front of a camera can be nerve wracking so finding someone you feel at ease with, especially during a time in your life when you may feel more vulnerable, is so important. Be open with your photographer about how you want to be photographed and if you have any sensitive topics you’d like addressed. For example, I had the joy of photographing a woman who was celebrating her pregnancy with her rainbow baby and while she didn’t exactly want to talk about losing her first baby she did want to show that this was worth celebrating and chose to wear a rainbow colored dress to signify this incredible time for her and her husband. It was a pleasure for me to capture her joy while also honoring the babe that came before and will remain in her heart forever.
There really is no wrong way to go into a maternity session. It’s all about how you feel during this time in your life and how you want to be shown in those photographs, whether you choose to share them publicly or keep them for just yourself and family. A photo session like this is a chance to truly explore what makes you feel empowered, in my opinion.
As always, if you need help figuring out what your “vibe” is or if you’re stuck on choosing a photographer because the sea of talent in your (our) area is overwhelming, please feel free to message me!! I love helping others, even if they don’t choose me as their photographer. You deserve to have the best experience possible and I can help make that happen.
