Pregnancy is a sacred time. It can be challenging physically and emotionally, and it leads to a major shift in the reality of your family, your experience of motherhood, your experience in your partnership, your sense of self. Maternity sessions are a beautiful opportunity to step outside of real life and take some true quiet space to reflect on what's to come.
These sessions last about an hour, and I love to schedule maternity sessions in beautiful outdoor spaces, or in the comfort and ease of my home studio in the Hilltop neighborhood in Denver.
These sessions last about an hour, and I love to schedule maternity sessions in beautiful outdoor spaces, or in the comfort and ease of my home studio in the Hilltop neighborhood in Denver.
Outdoor Maternity Sessions |
Studio Maternity Sessions |
Frequently asked questions about
Maternity Sessions
SHOULD I DO A STUDIO SESSION OR A SESSION OUTDOORS?
WHAT WILL I WEAR?
HOW FAR INTO MY PREGNANCY SHOULD I SCHEDULE MY MATERNITY SESSION?
SHOULD I INVITE MY PARTNER TO MY MATERNITY SESSION?
SHOULD I INVITE MY OTHER CHILDREN TO MY MATERNITY SESSION?
HOW LONG DO YOU TAKE TO EDIT PHOTOGRAPHS?
WHAT WILL I WEAR?
HOW FAR INTO MY PREGNANCY SHOULD I SCHEDULE MY MATERNITY SESSION?
SHOULD I INVITE MY PARTNER TO MY MATERNITY SESSION?
SHOULD I INVITE MY OTHER CHILDREN TO MY MATERNITY SESSION?
HOW LONG DO YOU TAKE TO EDIT PHOTOGRAPHS?
Should I do a studio session or a session outdoors?
The studio is such a specific space. It's intimate, it's small, it's quiet, it's controlled. This mama, pictured above, was feeling self conscious about her body, not great about her pregnancy, and unsure about being in front of the camera. But she still wanted to document her experience. She's strong -- she's a dancer -- and wanted to be able to express herself fully. That meant being in a private, quiet space, with her music playing. She danced, she did yoga, we laughed and talked about motherhood and pregnancy and what it means to feel this great shift in your body. What it means to change so very much at once. The studio made sense for her because she didn't want to have to think about being in the outside world. She didn't want to worry about passersby. She just wanted to be inside her experience. To document the feelings, the movements, the moments of her pregnancy.
A session outdoors can be relaxing, freeing, gorgeous in its own right. The setting becomes another piece of the photographs. And the wilderness weaves itself into the experience of really taking a moment to think about your pregnancy, your future, your babe.
A session outdoors can be relaxing, freeing, gorgeous in its own right. The setting becomes another piece of the photographs. And the wilderness weaves itself into the experience of really taking a moment to think about your pregnancy, your future, your babe.
|
|
What will I wear?
One of the most important things to remember for any photographs is that when you feel good in your clothes, that will come across in the photographs. And the reverse is true, too. If you're self-conscious, that's going to contribute to your anxiety or discomfort through the session, and will likely affect how the photographs look and feel.
So choose to wear something that makes you feel great.
I recommend wearing something super simple. I'm a fan of solid colors (although a deep, rich print can be super beautiful), and length. I'm all for midi and maxi dresses for maternity sessions. Here are some examples of dresses I love for maternity sessions. Solid, long dresses bring the focus to the bump. I recommend something that hugs you just a bit so you don't have to hold your belly for all of the photos. A maternity cut, like an A-Line, can also show off your bump beautifully. If the dress doesn't suggest that you're pregnant one way or another, the dress might just look misshapen or large if you're not holding your bump.
Your undergarments can play a surprising role in a session. Make sure that your bra line and underwear line aren't visible. Women wearing tight-fitting dresses can run into this issue. I don't edit out things like these, so best to make sure you take care of it beforehand.
I also think your shoe choice is really important. These sessions are often going to include walking through prickly or scratchy grasses, or uneven surfaces. I'll always try to make sure you're as safe as possible during the session, but wearing heels can be an unsafe choice because we'll be in a natural terrain. Wearing a long dress can mask your shoes if you want to wear sneakers or hiking boots.
So choose to wear something that makes you feel great.
I recommend wearing something super simple. I'm a fan of solid colors (although a deep, rich print can be super beautiful), and length. I'm all for midi and maxi dresses for maternity sessions. Here are some examples of dresses I love for maternity sessions. Solid, long dresses bring the focus to the bump. I recommend something that hugs you just a bit so you don't have to hold your belly for all of the photos. A maternity cut, like an A-Line, can also show off your bump beautifully. If the dress doesn't suggest that you're pregnant one way or another, the dress might just look misshapen or large if you're not holding your bump.
Your undergarments can play a surprising role in a session. Make sure that your bra line and underwear line aren't visible. Women wearing tight-fitting dresses can run into this issue. I don't edit out things like these, so best to make sure you take care of it beforehand.
I also think your shoe choice is really important. These sessions are often going to include walking through prickly or scratchy grasses, or uneven surfaces. I'll always try to make sure you're as safe as possible during the session, but wearing heels can be an unsafe choice because we'll be in a natural terrain. Wearing a long dress can mask your shoes if you want to wear sneakers or hiking boots.
How far into my pregnancy should I schedule my maternity session?
There's some wiggle room in this...
If this is your first pregnancy (and a single baby), you'll start having a perfect bump around 32 weeks. If you're pregnant with multiples, we'll want you scheduled no later than 30 weeks. Second and third pregnancies often show earlier, so I'm happy to schedule you as early as 28 weeks. It's great to do the session with a nice cushion before the end of your pregnancy so that if we have to postpone for any reason (weather, illness, etc), we will still have plenty of time to find a new date.
If you're farther along, and want to schedule a maternity session, just let me know, and I'll try to find a time for you! The mama in the photos below was 39 weeks along when I photographed her.
If this is your first pregnancy (and a single baby), you'll start having a perfect bump around 32 weeks. If you're pregnant with multiples, we'll want you scheduled no later than 30 weeks. Second and third pregnancies often show earlier, so I'm happy to schedule you as early as 28 weeks. It's great to do the session with a nice cushion before the end of your pregnancy so that if we have to postpone for any reason (weather, illness, etc), we will still have plenty of time to find a new date.
If you're farther along, and want to schedule a maternity session, just let me know, and I'll try to find a time for you! The mama in the photos below was 39 weeks along when I photographed her.
Should I invite my partner to my maternity session?
A lot of women want to involve their partner in the maternity session, and if we do an outdoor session, I leave that choice up to you. I don't invite men into my studio. It's a super intimate space, and I reserve it for photographing mothers.
In an outdoor session, the feeling of the session will be completely different depending on whether or not you invite your partner. The session is such an amazing opportunity to reflect on the coming changes to your relationship and family, and that means that it could potentially be a really amazing time with your partner. But make sure that your partner has complete buy-in emotionally, and really understands the value of what you're looking to capture. These photographs are a beautiful marker of the transition into motherhood, or the transition into a larger family. That's something worthy of your time and energy.
These sessions can also be a really fantastic excuse to get some time away from everyone else, and just sit with your body, with the transition. Pregnancy can be a busy time, so give yourself permission to just be calm and separate from your to-do list and expectations for a little while.
In an outdoor session, the feeling of the session will be completely different depending on whether or not you invite your partner. The session is such an amazing opportunity to reflect on the coming changes to your relationship and family, and that means that it could potentially be a really amazing time with your partner. But make sure that your partner has complete buy-in emotionally, and really understands the value of what you're looking to capture. These photographs are a beautiful marker of the transition into motherhood, or the transition into a larger family. That's something worthy of your time and energy.
These sessions can also be a really fantastic excuse to get some time away from everyone else, and just sit with your body, with the transition. Pregnancy can be a busy time, so give yourself permission to just be calm and separate from your to-do list and expectations for a little while.
Should I invite my other children to my maternity session?
This is a completely personal decision. It definitely changes a session when anyone is added to it, adult or child. Our energies shift when we are being a care-taker. We're not the focus anymore, and are distracted by and aware of our children at all times. But that role-change can be an amazing, deeply meaningful shift.
Your children are a huge part of this transition in your life, and your relationship with them will evolve once the baby is born. I like to think of maternity sessions with children as an amazing way to document your relationship as it hovers between what was and what will be. There's so much beauty there, and emotion. Your maternity session can be a love letter to both your older children, and your unborn babe.
Your children are a huge part of this transition in your life, and your relationship with them will evolve once the baby is born. I like to think of maternity sessions with children as an amazing way to document your relationship as it hovers between what was and what will be. There's so much beauty there, and emotion. Your maternity session can be a love letter to both your older children, and your unborn babe.
|
|
How long do you take to edit photographs?
I typically deliver private session galleries within 7-10 days of our time together in the studio. You'll get a link to see the edited digital images from our session together, and you'll get to choose digital images and purchase paper prints.
|
|