Timing and Tips for Perfect Maternity Photos

Pregnancy is an incredibly fascinating journey. I came across a really creative/cute video on Buzzfeed.com this morning that reminded me of this completely obvious fact. I just had to share it with you guys since the timing was perfect with this blog post about the timing for Perfect Maternity Photos!

The female body grows and transforms to BRING a precious little LIFE into this world (with dad’s help of course, haha). As many times as I photograph growing bellies and brand new babies, that is still mind boggling and amazing to me. Maybe that’s why I enjoy photographing beautiful bellies so much. It’s an extremely special time that passes all too quickly, and the beginning of something brand new and perfect.

 
One of the questions I get most often is “When is the best time to take Maternity photos?”. There is no completely right or wrong answer to this question, as it varies drastically for each individual woman. From her body, to the growth of her baby, to her personal preference. Over the years I have found that the beginning of the third trimester, and more specifically their 7th month seems to have worked well for most of my beautiful moms. They are big enough to actually LOOK pregnant and embrace their bellies, but not big enough to feel miserable and bloated. Repeat mothers tend to show a little sooner than those that haven’t had children already, as well as if she’s expecting multiple babies is definitely a major factor to keep in mind also. If one of my moms is unsure about what to expect of her pregnancy, I personally prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to scheduling her Maternity session. We can always reschedule and push the session back a bit to allow more belly growth if needed. Becoming a mother is a fabulous thing, and that’s just what I want each of my mothers to feel like when taking their Maturity photos…FABULOUS. Any mother would agree that there is a fine line there, and I would rather take her photos when she’s a bit too small, than a bit too big and uncomfortable. Plus, if you wait too long to take her maternity photos, you run the risk of missing the opportunity all together, if her little one making their brand entrance to the world early!

The timing of when to take Maternity photos is key, but another important thing to consider is your photographer! When you probably have a gazillion other things on your mind, you want to invest in a photographer that clearly, absolutely, without a doubt knows AND cares about what they are doing. Your time is limited, you’re hormonal, you’ve recently gained lots of extra weight, you’re exhausted, you probably STILL have an adorable nursery to complete, and you CANNOT wait for your little one’s arrival… You don’t want to have to worry about things like your photographer putting you in some uncomfortable, unflattering pose in front of a cluttered background! The female body is beautiful, but we all know that there are angles that do it NO justice, and even more so with a big baby belly. Again, it’s very important to me that all my Mothers-to-be to FEEL and LOOK fabulous in their Maternity photos! A huge part of having great confidence during your session (in addition to the timing) is being fully prepared for it, and informed on what to expect. To make sure of that, all my Savvy Moms get an electronic Welcome Package with LOTS of helpful information before their session. It includes great information like what to wear. Your Maternity session is to capture photos of you and your beautiful belly. Crazy patterns can potentially be a distraction, as well as loose/baggy clothes. You want to be sure to wear something a bit fitted to show your baby bump off. I believe that a great combination of classy and comfortable is key, and you can always add accessories to jazz up your look if you’d like. As your photographer, I do everything I can to set your session up to be a success, INCLUDING brainstorm cute/meaningful shoot ideas! Whether we get together for tea, chat on the phone, or set up a private Pinterest board for session inspiration, I want to make sure we have lots of potential for a super unique AND meaningful Baby Belly Session!

 
GET THE GIFT OF MEMORIES CAPTURED BY SAVVY IMAGES:
Another great thing that I have set up especially for our proud expecting parents is our Newborn Registry. You can make it extremely easy for your family and friends to give you the best Baby Shower gift EVER… A Savvy Images Gift Certificate (aka the gift of YOUR memories captured by Savvy Images)!! You can use your gift certificate credits toward your Session Photo Collection, newborn announcements, wrapped canvas prints, a session album, and/or many other beautiful photo products. You’ll enjoy the beautiful items you get from your newborn photo session well after your little angel blows thru or grows out of all the many diapers you got at your baby shower! You can read more about our Newborn Registry Program here!
 

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