Isn’t your body incredible? You are working so hard growing your baby, and your body has changed in ways you never imagined. There is definitely something special about pregnancy and it deserves to be documented. So how do you plan for your maternity photography session. Here are a few tips.

11 Tips For Planning Your Maternity Photography Session

1. Decide if you want studio, outdoor, underwater, milk bath, or lifestyle photos. Here are some examples of each.

2. Find a photographer that offers the type of photos you want and a portfolio that you really like. Do they offer package deals for newborn photos as well?

3. Schedule your session around 30-weeks pregnant to make sure you have time to get on their calendar.

4. You may be required to sign a contract and put a deposit down. Make sure you understand what your photographer requires.

5. Find out if your photographer has any relationships with hair and makeup artist, or consider scheduling your own.

6. About an hour before your shoot, especially if you will be nude in your photos, take off any undergarments that will leave marks in your skin (bras, tight elastic underwear, leggings).

7. Don’t wear heavy lotions as they will make your skin look greasy in photos.

8. Make sure your fingernails are neat and your rings are cleaned.

9. If you partner or family is joining you, make sure your outfits coordinate. If the mom will be partial nude I suggest the partner be as well so the photo looks more natural and balanced. Don’t surprise your partner with this info! Show them examples of what you want and make sure everyone is on the same page.  If siblings are going to be in the photos, I recommend starting out with those images while they are fresh and more willing to participate.

10. I offer my clients a variety of different maternity dresses to try during their session. It is nice to get variety without having to invest in a lot of dresses you may never wear again! If you plan on bringing your own I love when my clients share with me what it looks like so I can better plan the session.

11. Relax when your session starts. Trust your photographer is going to create beautiful images for you. If you are self conscious about a part of your body, let your photographer know so they can pay special attention to that area with posing and editing.

If you are interested in learning more about my maternity sessions, and how we can work together to create images you will cherish for a lifetime, please contact me. I service Fort Collins, Boulder, Estes Park, and Denver areas, or you can always come to my mountain property in Lyons, Colorado . You can use this link to contact me.