How to Prepare For Your Maternity Session

April 25, 2019

How to Prepare For Your Maternity Session | Calgary Maternity Photographer

How to Prepare For Your Maternity Session

You are expecting a sweet little bundle of joy! Whether it be your first, fifth or fifteenth pregnancy (can you say 19 kids and counting?), congrats! What an exciting time for your family! These final months and weeks of your pregnancy are filled with anticipation, emotion, joy, nerves, and lots of planning and preparation for the new arrival. Just let this thought sink in: you are creating life and that’s AMAZING! These session should be all about you and your growing family. Maternity sessions should be natural, candid, fun and the perfect opportunity to capture your unique family before welcoming that sweet newborn into the fold.

I get a lot of questions about how to prepare for a maternity session. Here are a few tips + tricks I have compiled to help you rock your next session.

Typically the best time to book your session is between 31-36 weeks. This way your cute bump is visible but you can still comfortably move around. I have shot sessions anywhere between 6 months to days before your due date but 32-36 is ideal.
Wear whatever make your feel your best, and your comfortable in. You need feel confident and relaxed in your style or it will show in your images. I would stay away from busy loud patterns or logos as they will draw attention away from you. Adding textures and layers is always a good idea as it adds dimensions to the images as well. this can be anything such as Cardigans, belts, necklaces, scarves, hats, blazers, etc.
Plus you can take layers off to give you a variety of looks in the session. I also would suggest staying away from black. Everyone thinks black is slimming but in this type of session we want to accentuate the bump not hide it. More fitted dresses and tops are better then the loose flow types. We want to show off that cute bump in your session.
If you are including your hubby, other kiddos or pups make sure they are all wearing outfits that compliment yours. Matching is out. Coordinating is in! This means you have coordinating colors, and patterns. This doesn’t mean you all have to wear exactly the same outfits. Choose one color and incorporate that into each outfit. This means if your hubby wears a blue shirt, you have on a blue scarf and your kiddo a blue pair of shorts. This way when you stand next to each other your outfits are seamless and blend well.
Go get pampered. This may be the last time for awhile that you get to have a kid free afternoon. Head to the nail salon and get your nails done, and feel free to get your hair and make up done as well. The camera always down plays make up in photos so feel free to book a makeup artist and fully get pampered. Can you say SPA DAY?!?!
These photos can be of you, you and your spouse, or a whole family affair. The focus of the session will be on your growing tummy, but it’s always important to capture that very amazing moment of your life with your most special people. This can mean bringing your cute pooch to the session too!
Relax and have fun. The more you are yourself the better your photos will be. I will absolutely pose you but I also like you to sink into the pose and make it your own. Chatting with your hubby, or interacting with your kiddos will help add candidness into your images and create those authentic lasting memories. The best photographs are often the ones where everyone is engaged or interacting with each other. Understand that not every picture needs to have everyone looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. If you are engaged as a family and loving on each other, your eyes will be on your family members and your smile will be natural. These are the photographs that you will cherish most because they depict your family connection and love.
Also, bring your patience and your fun. Your kid(s) might have a meltdown. They might not be perfect listeners. I’m here to tell you that’s ok! I’m not there to see perfection. I’ve found that when parent’s are super happy during a session and make it something fun, kid’s have a much more enjoyable time and the outcome reflects that.

In the end the sessions are all about documenting your family as it changes and grows, so lets have fun and create memories you can cherish for a lifetime.