Love and Light Family Photography

Maternity Portrait Sessions

Q. When is the best time to get Maternity photo’s done?
A. I keep getting asked on daily basis when is the best time to shoot. It totally depends on how you feel! I've photographed at around 13 weeks as the girl wanted to get in to maternity modelling and needed images as soon as possible, at 19 weeks as the excited couple found out the gender and wanted it captured, and also at 39 and 41 weeks as women finally stopped working and could think and breath. Myself I had my maternity shoot at 7 months, morning sickness finally went away and since my mum was certain he will come early (ended up 1 week after due date!) I didn't want to leave it too late. In general I would say 6-8 months is best for the tummy to show but before you get too swollen, or unable to move / pose. At the end it's your body and your choice.

Q. What clothes work best?
A. Black pants or long black skirt with black tank top photograph is simple and shows off your beautiful shape best. This type of clothing puts the accent on your beautiful belly while being complimentary to your body. Please wear under-belly pants or roll the waistband of your pants down several hours before the portrait session so you don't have elastic marks on your skin. Pull out those jeans you wore before you were pregnant, you probably won't be able to zip them up but it looks great in portraits with the zipper undone to show your beautiful belly. Also a bit of material to wrap yourself in could work great. Spouses should try to where black pants or dark jeans with a dark shirt or even go shirtless. Be wary of summer styles dresses as they can balloon out and obscure your pregnancy, however for those of you that want a more covered look then a tight stretchy knitted long dress can look very amazing.
But don't worry too much about clothes. I can work with anything.

Q. Nothing fits me anymore?
A. We have invested in some beautiful long Maternity dresses. They open at the front so you can show your beautiful bump. They are strapless and cover sizes from 6 to 14ish. There is a Black lace, Peach lace and a very long flowing White chiffon dress. Please bring Black, nude or white underwear to use with the dress, and if you wish a strapless bra in the same colour. Have a look in our Maternity gallery to see them in action.

Q. I'm worried about my stretch marks?
A. The retouched images that we supply as part of our packages (or retouched extra’s) we remove them as standard (please advise if you do not want this done). We can also tuck those areas that have grown a little through your pregnancy.

Q. Do you do timeline’s?
A. Yes we certainly do and it’s a great way to showcase the process of your growing bub. We can do the traditional style (usually on a white background but have found black works really well for a closer look), or we can do a fun style where you bring something relevant to you for that period of time. Alexa did one with Zane and it was a great reminder on not only the physical changes during her pregnancy but the emotional and feelings of it. You can find it here.

Preparing for a Maternity shoot

Decide on whether you'd like to get professional make up done. We can book a make up artist / hair stylist for you here to do it on the spot, or recommend someone you can go to and get it done before the shoot (cheaper).
If you are doing your own make up please take the time to get it right. Hair styling is important also, especially for indoor shoots (outdoors the wind will rearrange it anyway :-).
Clothing - Pre pregnancy jeans left unzipped could look good. Long flawy skirts or dresses, boob tube tops, strapless bras, maternity cute lingerie, tight lycra (tights, top, body suit). All white, grey or all black usually looks good. Bring high heels if you are doing a pretty or formal look with a dress.
Materials - stretchy or just long, we can always play with them.
Nude shots can look great too, will place your body / hands in strategic spots so you are still covered up. Nothing more beautiful than a female body with child.
Props - Ultrasound pics, little baby shoes, bows, flowers (for hair or to spread around or hold around belly), petals, notes like "do not open till ..." baby toys, your baby's name written on something or in cubes, or anything else you can think of.
* If wanted of course! We don't need them to make shots look great :-)
For outdoor shoots please bring a large towel.
For partner - going topless can work, all black - jeans and shirt, blue jeans with white or black singlet, a suit if wanted for a formal look. Try to match what you both will be wearing.
Get a good nights sleep if possible, schedule the shoot at the time of day when you feel the best.
Bring water, fruits / snack with you.
Please let me know if you are uncomfortable in any position, if you can't lie on your back or stand up or just need to have a rest.