Pregnancy is such a special time (well, once you get past the vomiting & etc.), especially for your first child, and never more so than in those last few weeks before you deliver. You are just weeks away from meeting someone you’ll spend the rest of your life loving more than you can imagine!! I never did maternity photos, but I wish I had, especially with my first. (I was much cuter the first time around!) If you’re pregnant, or hope to be in the future, DO IT! I shot Tiffany's with my Nikon D80, but even if you just grab a friend and a basic point and shoot digital camera, take a second to snap a few shots. Not sure how to pose or what to do? Google maternity photography and you’ll have dozens of cute shots to replicate. Do it in a place you can feel comfortable, preferably with great natural light and especially with someone you can relax with. (Fore some great tips for the photographer, check out this article by the amazing Natalie Norton.) Don't worry about baring your belly if you're not comfortable with it... a fitted top looks just as cute! We don't all have adorable little buddha bellies, but that belly you're carrying around is perfect and beautifully shaped uniquely like your little one. While we don't always feel our most beautiful pregnant, just find some flattering angles (YES you do still have some!) and shoot away. It might take a bunch of tries to get it just right, but I promise you it will be worth it in the end!
The prospect of maternity photos can be daunting for a variety of reasons. First of all, though we want to capture the memory of being pregnant, especially for the first time, the idea of what we look like may be better than what we actually look like in a maternity photo (I’m just sayin…). I asked myself, really how committed am I to documenting the extra lumps and bumps I’ve acquired during pregnancy? On the other hand there are so many amazing emotions I’ve experienced during pregnancy—both about my changing body and about the remarkable being that is growing inside of me. Regardless of how imperfect my body might be, I definitely wanted to etch the memory in maternity photos that would prompt me to reminisce about being my baby’s first home and just how amazingly beautiful that made me feel.
That said, I really couldn’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars on maternity photos. And because I was a little apprehensive about the idea, spending a lot of money seemed like a risk. I am lucky enough to have an incredibly talented photographer friend who was open to trying something new. Meg wouldn’t call herself a photographer but she totally is. She may not have all the technical pieces down (yet!), but the basics and the stuff you can’t learn (the spirit of the shot and the creativity behind it, for instance) she has down pat. She made me feel comfortable and was open to my suggestions. We researched maternity photo tips as well as poses (who else loves Google images?!) for ideas. We weren’t afraid to copy some of those poses but Meg also used her creativity to capture some unique shots and angles. I’m pretty sure I look better in the photos than I do in real life (which again is a testament to how freakin awesome Meg is!).
So I guess my point is (wait a minute; do blog posts have to have a point?!) even if you are a bit wary of taking maternity photos, you may just want to consider it. Whether you want to invest in professional shots or have a friend or spouse take some pictures of you, it’s worth capturing the moment. There are so many resources and tips online [Meg will post more on that later] to assist you in taking the best photos you can. Check back tomorrow for more of Megan's work. For me, the end result was above and beyond my expectations!
