maternity shoot

Life Events That Require A Photographer

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There are a lot of events in life that can be fun or exciting time. During these times you may want to consider inviting a photographer to capture the moment for you. Some events you may not even think of, which is why I made a list of life events that require a photographer. 

Engagements- Getting engaged is an exciting time in one’s life. It’s also one that should be professionally documented with photos. Whether you want to hire a photographer to take pictures of your spouse as you surprise them and propose or you’ve already proposed and just want to stage some photos for invitations and memories, a photographer can help you get the perfect pictures to remember this special occasion. 

Weddings- This is another big event in your life that you’re gonna want to document and look back at over the years. A professional photographer can capture both planned and candid moments of your day. They can make sure they get pictures of not just you and your spouse but your family members and the decorations as well!

Maternity- Having a baby, especially your first one can be an exciting and new experience for both you and your partner. This is another occasion that should be documented not just for you and your spouse but for your future child as well to look back on. A photographer can help you come up with themes and locations for this type of shoot. This will also be a good time to help the pregnant person feel special and pampered. 

Baby Showers- This event is another one that you’re going to want to capture once again not just for you and your partner but for your future child as well. This is a great time to capture family members as well who you maybe don’t get to see as often as you would like. 

Newborn Babies- New additions to families are another great time to get pictures taken. Newborn photos will be the first professional images you get of your bundle of joy and can share with the whole family. These pictures are especially important if you want to start a photo album for your child or family or use some of the images in their baby books. 

Significant Birthdays- These photoshoots are super fun for everyone to look back on over the years to see how you or your child have grown over the years. It’s also a great way to celebrate another year of life. Some birthdays people like to highlight include one year, ten years, sixteen years, eighteen years, twenty-one years, twenty-five years, thirty years, forty years, and fifty years. 

Senior Portraits/Graduation- These are important pictures to highlight yourself or your child when you graduate from high school or college. These pictures are a great way to celebrate graduating and starting the next chapter in your life. These pictures can also be useful for graduation invitations.

Prom- When your child goes to prom they are going to want some photos to remember the day and to show off to their friends and family members. These pictures can be great memories for them to look back on especially since some of their friends who they may take pictures with that day may be moving away for college soon. 

New Holiday Portraits- During the winter holidays, it’s a great time to take some family photos. These can be used for holiday greeting cards or just as a way to update your current family portrait. 

New Family Portraits- Family portraits are important so that you can have photos in your home and photos of everyone together at one time. It only gets harder to get family photos with everyone together s everyone gets older with busier schedules. If you welcome a new addition to the family or it’s been a while since your last family photo that means it’s time for a new family portrait. 

New Business Ventures- If you’re entering the workforce, starting a business, or haven’t updated your headshot in a while that means it’s time to get some new headshots. Headshots are essential when reaching certain work milestones. They can help give your client or job a good first impression of your personality. 

I hope this list was helpful to you and I’ll see you all next week!

4 Reasons You Should Have A Double Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

Double maternity Shoots. They’re super fun to do and I had the pleasure of doing one for two sisters this past month. Both were pregnant and expecting baby boys. They wanted to do a maternity photoshoot together and with their spouses as well. It came out beautifully and made me want to do more photoshoots like this one. So, I’m here to give you 4 reasons you should have a double maternity shoot!

  1. You can get Both Pictures By Yourself and With Your Double Maternity Partner! How many times have you taken professional pictures with your sibling or best friend during adulthood? Probably not many because life happens. Or if you have it might be a family or group portrait instead of just the two of you. If you both happen to be pregnant at the same time, this could be not only a great opportunity to get pictures taken together but also a great time to share an experience of your pregnancy journey with each other. It’s not quite often that you see both siblings or two best friends pregnant at the same time, especially if you’re twins! Now I know what you might be thinking. “I still want to be able to take pictures by myself. I don’t only want pictures with just another person.” Well, no need to worry about that. Another benefit is that even though you’ll be taking some pictures together, you can still take pictures separately and have your moment to shine. 

2. You Won’t Feel Awkward. If you normally feel a little awkward taking pictures by yourself then a double maternity shoot could benefit you. This would allow you to take pictures with your sibling or best friend, who can help you to relax a bit more or even come up with some pose ideas. This is especially true if your sibling or best friend may be more outgoing. They’ll be able to get you out of your comfort zone and into the photoshoot mood. Even if both of you are shy, you’ll both feel more comfortable trying poses together instead of apart.

3. You Might Could Save Money! This, of course, depends on the photographer but usually, it’ll be cheaper for the both of you to do a double maternity shoot together than to schedule two separate photoshoots apart. With me for example, I was able to shoot both of the mothers-to-be within an hour. So they were only charged for an hour instead of them both being charged for an hour separately. Keep in mind that every photographer is different and they may have different ways or prices for doing a double maternity shoot. 

4. You and Your Future Kids Will Get To Spend Time together. Perhaps one of the best benefits is that you and your sister or best friend will get to spend some quality time together. This could be a great time to catch up and bond with each other especially if you two haven’t seen each other lately. Another benefit to this is that by having a double maternity shoot together, the two babies to be will get to be together in pictures for the first time, even if they are still in your bellies! This will hopefully set them up to be very close friends once they are born into the world. 

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope I have convinced you to try a double maternity shoot with a sibling or best friend. Be sure to share this with someone you would do a double maternity shoot with! I’ll see you all next week. 

5 Ways to Prepare for a Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

According to the USA Swimming Foundation: 64% of Black kids do not If you’ve never had a maternity shoot before or it’s your first pregnancy in general then this next post is for you! I’ll be discussing 5 ways to prepare for a maternity shoot. We’ll go over everything from booking your session to what to bring on the day of the shoot. 

Book During The 3rd Trimester- First things first, you need to find a photographer that does maternity shoots and book with them during your third trimester. Typically pregnant people like to book between 28 to 35 weeks. This is when your belly is the most noticeable but you’re (hopefully) not too uncomfortable. If you have an idea in mind that you want to shoot you’ll want to speak to your potential photographer to make sure they can make that idea into a reality for your photoshoot. 

Find the Perfect Theme- After booking your photographer, if you don’t already have a theme in mind, you’ll want to speak with your photographer to come up with a theme. Pinterest and google images can offer you some good ideas. Your photographer might be able to show you past maternity shoots that they did to help you decide what you want. If you need any ideas I have another blog article that discusses some potential ideas for you to use here: 

Book A Hair/Make-up Appointment– A lot of Pregnant people like to get their hair, make-up, and nails done. If that’s something you’re interested in you’ll want to book those appointments before your session. You want to make sure that you give enough time to your stylist and yourself to get to your photoshoot on time. A good rule of thumb is to get your nails done 1-2 days before the shoot, and hair and make-up done earlier in the day before the shoot. Usually about 3 hours or so. If you’re not interested in all the glitz and glam, just be sure to give yourself enough time to do your hair, make-up, and or nails. 

Choose or Order an Outfit- Once you figure out a theme, you’ll want to make sure you pick out an outfit that matches. For example, if you’re doing a milk bath maternity shoot, you might want to consider a light dress or a bra and panty set that can get wet. Or if you’re doing a theme that involves flowers you may want to get a flower crown for your hair and a dress or another outfit that has flowers attached to it. The opportunities are endless. When it comes to getting an outfit, you can either find one in your closet, order online, or go shopping so that you know what to wear before the shoot. 

Pack Your Props The Night Before- Finally, we are onto our last tip. If you already have any baby toys, clothes, decorations, or even a sonogram, this can be used during your photoshoot. Many parents to be like to include these items in their shoots as props. You’ll want to pick those items to bring with you the night before so you don’t forget. You might also want to pack other non prop items that come in handy such as lip gloss, lotion, a brush, etc.

Remember to eat and drink before your shoot to take the best photos possible. You don’t want to be hangry during the shoot or dehydrated. Good luck on your journey to parenthood! I hope this article was helpful for you. If you have any other tips, recommendations, or theme ideas, be sure to leave a comment at the bottom and share. I’ll see you next week!

8 Reasons Why You Need a Maternity Shoot

Photog Blog

Whether you feel like a million bucks while you’re pregnant or you feel like you’re just ready to get this pregnancy over with, you should still get maternity pictures done. There’s so many benefits but for the purpose of this blog I’m going to give you 8 reasons why you need a maternity shoot.

1. Documentation & Memories. Maternity shoots are great ways to document your child’s journey from before they were born, up until the time that they’re an adult. You can use the photos you take for a photo album that you look back on with your kid when they’re older. The photos will also be great memories for you to look back on whenever you’re feeling nostalgic or to just document your transition into parenthood, if it’s your first child.

2. Couples Bonding Time. If you plan on doing a maternity shoot with your partner, this can be a great bonding experience for the two of you. You’ll be able to spend time together and get some updated pictures with each other before your new bundle of joy comes along. You can even make a date of it and go out to eat somewhere fancy after the photoshoot since you’ll already be dressed up.

3. Sibling Bonding Time. If this isn’t your first kiddo then this can be a time for them to bond with the new addition to your family. They’ll get to have some pictures of them holding up signs saying they’re going to be an older sibling, touch the baby in your belly and if you have more then one kid already they’ll be able to take some pictures together and bond with each other before the new addition to the family.

4. Pictures to Display in the House. Another good reason to have a maternity shoot is that you’ll get some updated pictures that you can hang up around your house. You can hang some of the pictures in the new baby nursery, in the living room or even at your office at work.

5. An Excuse to Get Dressed Up. Some pregnant people feel beautiful during pregnancy while other’s don’t. No matter which of the two you are, this can be a great excuse for you to get glammed up. If you’re already feeling beautiful it’ll be a fun time for you to show off the pregnancy glow. If you haven’t been feeling as beautiful lately, it’ll be good for you to dress upland let a photographer capture your beauty, it can definitely help you feel better and see how beautiful you truly are.

6. Surprise Celebration. Another reason for a maternity shoot is that you can reveal your big news to everyone through pictures. Instead of telling everyone you’re expecting one by one you can send out pictures or make social media post using your maternity pictures for the announcement. This is a great option if you’ve been keeping your pregnancy a secret/surprise for awhile.

7. Updated Family Portraits. Maternity photoshoots can be a good way to update your family portraits as well, especially if you already have kids. This is a great time to capture your family as they are, while showing that they are about to expand. Once again this can be a great idea if you haven’t ever taken any family portraits or if it’s been awhile since the last time that you did take them.

8. Capture the Moment You Learned the Gender. If you don’t know the gender of your baby yet then why not do a gender reveal maternity shoot. It can be a great way to capture the moment you learned if you were having a boy or a girl. The photos could then be used as baby shower invitations.

I hope this article helped you decide to do a maternity shoot. Good luck on your journey to parenthood and I’ll see you all next week.

10 Maternity Shoot Ideas

Every Post, Photog Blog

Maternity shoots are one of my favorite things to photograph. It captures the beauty of pregnancy and a parent with their child before it’s born. Since it can be hard to pick a theme, I’ve made a list of 10 maternity shoot ideas for you to choose from. 

A Walk In The Park- This can be a gorgeous option for a maternity shoot. There are so many different options you do depend on the type of park that you choose. For example, if your park has a sunflower field you can take pictures walking through it. If your park has a bridge you can walk across it while showing off your bump. And if your park has trees that are in bloom it can be fun to take pictures near blooming flowers or near trees. 

Mommy and Me-This is an option for a mother who already has at least one kid. For this idea, you would take pictures with your son or daughter doing different poses. Some common poses include your son or daughter kissing your belly or holding up signs that say something witty like ‘bun in the oven’ or ‘big brother’. Some mothers like to have their kids match them in their clothing for this type of shoot. 

The Happy Couple-The perfect option for a couple that wants some pictures together. In this idea, the couple will be doing poses together instead of just the pregnant person alone. The couple might want to go to the park together for the pictures, they might want to be in a studio together, there are many different options. Typically these poses consist of one person kissing the pregnant person’s belly, the couple holding hands and walking, or holding up a sonogram picture.

The Milk Bath-Many mothers love this next idea. It’s become pretty trendy over the last couple of years. In this idea, the mother will get into a bathtub in a studio. The bathtub is filled with milk and flowers. The mother may want to be nude, wearing only undergarments, or wearing a dress that they are okay with getting wet. They will then pose while the photographer snaps the images. 

A Day At The Beach- For the lucky couple that lives near a beach, this next idea is for you. The beach can offer you some beautiful photos. The couple can walk down the beach, pose in the shallow end of the water, or even set up a pallet on the sand with an umbrella for a more staged photoshoot. 

Classic Glamorous Studio- The next idea requires a studio or to be inside a fancy room. The couple or just the pregnant person would dress in their fanciest attire. The couple can pose together standing, dancing, or sitting together on a couch. If the pregnant person is alone at the shoot then it’ll be their time to shine. They’ll be able to pose in many different ways and have the camera all to themselves. 

The Big Happy Family- This is for the family that would like some portraits together in addition to a maternity shoot. This type of shoot could be executed in a couple of different ways. You could have a family picnic at a park together while your photographer clicks away. Or you could walk on a beach or in a park together. The main focus is on your family and the new addition to the family. 

Two is Better Than One- If you and your sibling or you and your best friend both happen to be pregnant at the same time, this is the perfect shoot for you. The two of you could pretend to be hanging your future kid’s clothes on hanging pins together or you could both just wear matching outfits in your pictures. There are many different options you can do. 

Boudoir Beauty- Some new mothers like to do boudoir maternity shoots. In these types of shoots, the mother might only wear a special fabric as their clothing or undergarments. They’ll usually pose either on a couch, bed or on a seamless backdrop in a photographer’s studio. Sometimes with these sessions, the mothers like to have silhouettes of themselves taken as well. 

The Nursery- This type of session is unique because it is done at the couple’s home in the nursery. This photoshoot lets you show off your new nursery and all of the baby nicknacks that you have. 

I hope this list has been helpful and that you have a successful maternity shoot!