Tips for Your Maternity Shoot

For many expecting mamas, there’s no better way to remember pregnancy and chronicle the journey to motherhood than with a maternity shoot.

Here are a few tips to help you look and feel your best in your maternity photos!

• Choose a photographer whose style most resonates with you. There are so many styles out there—do you like in-the-home lifestyle maternity? Studio maternity? Soft palette, light and airy? Modern fashionista with vibrant colors? Boho chic? Belly boudoir? By choosing your photographer by style, you can be assured that you will get images you want.

• Schedule your maternity photos when you are 28 – 32 weeks along in your third trimester (around 7 – 8 months pregnant). Your belly is showing beautifully round but you are still comfortable to pose. For expecting mamas with twins (or more), come in earlier around 26 – 30 weeks as twins tend to arrive much earlier than singletons.

• Trust your photographer to direct you in posing so you can look your best. What makes maternity photos different from other portraits is that the images focus on you, your personality, feelings and the bond you have with your much-awaited baby. Many maternity poses such as hands on the belly and eyes looking down express emotions and connection to your belly. Other maternity poses empathize the beautiful curves of your body.

• Wear what you feel comfortable and pretty in, and keep in mind the location. For maternity photos at home you might choose to wear a bra and underwear set under a sheer robe but outside in the fall, you might want a flowy dress. If family/children are included in the photos, plan their outfits around your own.

• Bring sentimental items to add to your photos if you choose. This could be baby ultrasound images, the first pair of tiny shoes, etc.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy yourself! This is truly a time to embrace the beauty of pregnancy and the arrival of your new little one.

Astoria Families – read next! Building Your Birth Team in Astoria Oregon

Looking to build your birth team in Vancouver? Check out Building Your Birth Team in Vancouver Washington