Maternity Photo Shoot - Part I

This past weekend I was privileged with the opportunity to photograph the very beautiful couple, Charla and Leandro. Charla is on her last stages of pregnancy and is due to have her baby girl in the beginning of the month. In this blog, I will walk you through the photo shoot and mention how I was able to capture some of my favorite images of the photo session.

1. CHOOSING THE LOCATION

For this photo shoot in particular, I suggested a local park that I was familiar with. Charla and Leandro were also familiar with the park, and agreed to my suggestion. Although I was familiar with the location, I still wanted to arrive extra early to scout the park for specific background details that would create a great image. This was one of the best things I could have done, as the park had gone through some changes since my previous visit.

2. CAPTURING THE ESSENCE AND DETAILS

Since this was a maternity photo shoot, I wanted to ensure I was able to emphasize that in the images. Having a baby is a very exciting event in a couple's life that brings out specific emotions. These emotions are what I always want to come through in my final images; as well as the specific details and accessories you might expect in maternity photos.

Although there are many different styles of photography, one major factor in my opinion to the outcome of an image, is in how the photographer poses their clients. Personally, I like to be very free when I pose couples. I believe that if you are too structured with poses that the individual's personality won't show through in the final result. However, if you are more laid back as far as posing the couple goes, more of their personality will come out in the images. With this being said however, some structure and suggestions may be needed for fine tuning the image.

Details also play a big part in any photograph. The major detail in a maternity photo

shoot is obviously going to be the mother-to-be. Some other accessories that could be brought into the image as additional details could be items such as baby clothes or the baby's name being spelled out somehow. These accessories allow the couple and photographer to use their creativity. There are really endless amounts of possibilities as to incorporating accessories into a maternity photo session.

3. BE FLEXIBLE

Something that I find very important as a photographer is being flexible with my clients. Some of my favorite images from the photo shoot only happened because I was willing to be flexible and accept new ideas. As I said previously, I was familiar with this location and had my own ideas of where I wanted to shoot. Leandro suggested an area in the back of the park which wasn't on my list, however, I was open to the idea and quickly scouted the area while they changed outfits.

During my quick scouting, I found an old small boardwalk on the river that is generally used by fishermen. I was able to exchange some new ideas with the couple that wouldn't have worked in the area of the park we were previously shooting at. This boardwalk gave a completely different and unique feel to the rest of the images I had taken up to that point, which I believe was great for the photo shoot.

I strongly believe in the importance of listening to the client and working with them to create great results. After all, these photo shoots are meant to capture their great events, moments and memories, not mine. The photographer's job is to make sure those moments are captured well and that the client is happy. Hopefully, those happy clients and excellent photographs will result in more clients in the future.

To continue reading Part II of this blog you can click here. If you're interested in booking a photo session with me I would love to hear from you! My contact information can be found here. Thank you for taking the time to enjoy reading my blog! I hope to see you on the next one!