How to prepare for your Maternity photo shoot
The best way to prepare for your maternity session is to relax and know that I am going to guide you through the whole process! I work with regular people, not models so I know that you’re not experienced in having your photo taken. I will direct you to create the best images possible. Here are a few tips on how to prepare, if you have other questions that I haven’t covered either ask below in the comments or give me a quick call.
What to (under)wear
If you are wearing a fitted style dress please wear something smoothing underneath. It is helpful to wear a shapewear slip under your dress, try to not have anything cutting into your skin too much to create lines. I can smooth out bumps or lumps in Photoshop easily, but creating deep lines from undergarments can make more work for me.
Remember to wear skin-tone underwear if wearing light colours, the sun will highlight any differences and it is sometimes impossible to edit out depending on the outfit. Sometimes at this late stage of the pregnancy, no underwear or bra is better!
Dress hire
For dress hire we recommend Mama Rentals, based in Sydney they have a huge range of outfit choices and offer next day delivery or pick up from Northern Beaches if it’s last minute!
Studio wardrobe
The studio has a small selection of outfits to loan to clients. I find most clients opt for their own outfits either as a purchase or to hire as styles and size preferences are huge, it makes it very hard to stock a wide enough variety to suit all clients needs. Chat with me about it if you’re interested.
Hair and Makeup & Nails
Hair should be reasonably freshly done before your session, if you have regrowth I can’t photoshop it out! If possible get a wash and blowdry with a few loose curls before your session- you will be so glad you did when looking at your photos later! Treat yourself, you are growing a baby, let someone else do your hair!
Makeup should, if possible, be done professionally if you are not confident in doing it yourself. It doesn’t need to be heavy, we are outdoors after all, but correct tones in foundations can make a world of difference! If your face is a different colour to your body it is going to look wrong. If you are fake tanning and don’t have a matching colour please look into that! I am a big fan of a light false eyelash too- it is often just enough of a pop that makes it wow! Also, mascara is known to crumble, rub and smear on your face (especially if you are snuggling with a partner or children) and we can avoid tidying all that up in Photoshop with false lashes.
If you have acrylic nails or similar please have them done before your shoot- it is happened before that I need to do a digital infill and believe me it is painful! This is not part of my standard editing process and will be charged an additional editing fee. The same rules apply to toes. No polish is better than grown-out or old nasty polish. Studio sessions are most often barefoot and although I am not doing close-ups on your feet, a half-polished red toenail will stick out! Also if you have children in your session with you please check their nails too.
If you’re looking for a hair and make-up artist let me know and I can recommend my favourites.
Outdoor Maternity photo shoot
Relaxed and in nature there is something wonderful about an outdoor maternity photo shoot. You are experiencing the wonder of nature first hand what better way to capture this moment than outdoors!
I recommend that you keep outfit options neutral and natural for being outdoors. Think white, cream, beige or tan. Denim or chinos for boys and dads, dresses or skirts for girls. Keep it seasonal and keep everyone in the same season. We will be walking for outdoor sessions so make sure footwear is appropriate. Boots or enclosed shoes are a must. You can bring shoes to change into for the photos if you like, that is sometimes easier.
Flowy, organic dresses are gorgeous for outdoor maternity sessions. I love the options from mama rentals but if you’d like a more relaxed vibe, wear something you already own!
Outdoor sessions take place in the late afternoon to get the best light so keep in mind the time of year and bring along a jacket or something to keep warm between photos.
Studio Maternity photo shoot
Studio sessions can be clothed and relaxed or styled and fine art or a mix of both! I have a lot of clients opting for a more nude style of studio shoot lately and they request that the images are not shown online so thank you to the few brave mamas who are happy to be on display.
If your not into going fully naked for your photos but want to create some nude(ish) fine art images we have the option of draping you with fabrics. This is very popular with our mamas at the moment and gives you the chance to show off your bump beautifully!
With nude or semi-nude sessions I suggest wearing a skin tone no show style g-string that I can edit out. We can shoot with or without it, up to you! There are a few options with studio sessions.
Plain backdrops-
We have black, white, mocha(the rust-type colour) and cream plain backdrops. These suit any number of outfits or poses. You can use these for your dressed or art-style images perfectly. Keep outfit choices simple to highlight you not what you are wearing.
Backlit-
Backlighting is when the light is coming from behind you. The perfect way to show the shape of your bump! Better for use with more fitted outfits or nude shoots.
Lifestyle set-
I have a little lounge set for those who like an organic style shoot, inside! Nice and natural and looks like you are just lazing around at home looking beautiful! You can use this set dressed or minimally covered if you like.