Maternity photo shoots happen around 30-34 weeks that showcase your growing belly and celebrate the beauty of pregnancy. For both my boys, I looked forward to taking maternity pictures.
But, I have friends (and even family) that don’t take these sweet shots at the end of their pregnancy because, well, we are swollen, tired, and feel downright gross. Oh yes, I went there. And I felt all of that grossness, considering I was preggo in the middle of a Louisiana heat wave. But that wasn’t stopping me!
So here’s my tips for making your maternity photo shoot run smoothly:
- Make sure you feel “put together” before you even think about outfits. I got my hair done that day and spent some time on my makeup. I even got an airbrush tan. I put a little time into my appearance because it made me feel good. People who feel good take happier pictures. I think that’s written down somewere. Maybe?
- Plan out ahead of time who will be in the photos. I knew I wanted a few shots with my big boy and my husband and a few with just me and the bump. After thinking about it, I realized I also wanted pictures of just my big boy with me because these were the last “only child” photos he would be taking. Once you know what you want, pass this info on to your photographer so he/she can plan for different locations (if applicable) or to give you more/less time for shooting. Knowing what shots you want to take helps make the session go smoother for everyone involved. Having things go smoothly when you’re super pregnant is always a plus!
- If there are other siblings, find a way to make them feel special too. My oldest son LOVES dinosaurs. So I had a custom shirt made that said “Big Bro” with dinosaurs on it and got a onesie for the baby to match from Personalized Bayou. It was super cute to take photos of my big boy and my belly with the dino tees and then using the same shirts when the peanut arrived. These made for some really special moments.
- Make sure you wear something that makes you feel good. The first time around, I looked at Pinterest for what was popular to wear in photos and then wore that. But now in hindsight, I realize the outfits I picked weren’t the most flattering on my body. So for this pregnancy, I wore my long black maxi by Old Navy Maternity (slimming, modern, made my blue eyes stand out) and a colorful pink maxi by Jessica Simpson (colorful, unique pattern, slimming) for my family photos. My guys wore neutral colors as well to help the background of our beautiful State Park location stand out.
- Bring water, plan for a bathroom. Recently, I’ve seen most maternity shoots take place outside and mine was no different. I wish I would have brought water to drink between shots. It’s important to stay hydrated while pregant, but sweating outside for a maternity shoot was seriously draining me. The restroom was pretty far away from our first location in the park though, so for that reason I was glad I didn’t have any water. My advice would be to bring water, know where the restroom is, and plan your shoots as close to one as possible. (I know this doesn’t seem like something that fits this list, but I’m tellin’ ya. This is the biggest “I wish I would have…” for the photo shoot.)
- If YOU are not feeling it, then what’s the point? Taking maternity pics are about YOU and celebrating the beautiful life you’re growing inside of you. If you don’t want to do it, don’t! If you don’t like what you’re wearing, get something else! If you’re feeling like a haircut and manicure before the photo shoot, then do that! You want to relax for these pictures…well, as relaxed as you can get when you’re carrying around a watermelon everywhere you go. And just add to that 105+ temps for me. It was brutal but so worth it.
Well, that’s about it. Let me know your suggestions for a great maternity photo shoot in the comments below and maybe post a pic or two of your own maternity shoot! Until Next Time, Ya’ll!
A big thank you to Erin Staples of Erin Rachel Photography for our beautiful family maternity photo shots! Can’t wait to take our Christmas card photos with her in just a couple of weeks!
