Studio maternity sessions are some of my favorite, I think that goes without saying. I was so excited when Shilla contacted me. She said she grew out her hair so very long (pregnancy tends to help with that) but will be cutting it pretty short when baby arrives and wanted to show it off in her photos. She had her hair and makeup done for her session and I love how it turned out, pin straight to show off that length. We used it in all different ways to our benefit to create very unique and beautiful fine art images.
For my fine art studio maternity sessions I use three different set ups. I love my white backdrop and sheers for some beautiful bright and timeless images, capturing the emotion and special bond between a momma and her baby. These can be done nude (hands and posing are used to cover), in a lace gown, or in an all white gown. I love the way white clothing on a white backdrop looks, so peaceful and elegant. My second set up is the black backdrop. These are typically done nude. I love using this for dramatic fine art images with dramatic lighting techniques to really feature a pregnant woman’s baby bump. The last set up that I use is a gray backdrop. These are done typically with draperies or nude. This is a set that I love to create black and white images with and add some texture in post-production for visual interest. These can be equally as dramatic, yet subtle and beautiful.
I always recommend these sessions between 26-34 weeks pregnant. This allows time for the bump to grow and be adorable and round for its debut. It is all personal preference though, as all women carry different and nude sessions are so intimate and personal.
Shilla is expecting her baby in just 6 weeks. She opted not to find out the gender, so that will be a very exciting surprise! I asked her if she had names picked out for both genders yet, but she said it is so difficult picking one name, let alone two! I cannot even imagine. For my babies, my husband and I agreed I would name the first baby, if it was a girl and he would name if it was a boy and then whoever didn’t get to pick would name our second and final baby. This worked for us because we couldn’t seem to really agree 100% on any name. Shilla mentioned, it’s a hard decision, you think of what they will be nicknamed, job interviews, first perceptions, if they will be teased in school, the list goes on. Naming seems like the hardest part of having the baby, well…maybe other than labor!
