I've recently done a maternity session for a couple whom I did engagement photos for as well. It's so awesome to share moments like these with clients, especially returning ones! As I was posing mama, it got me thinking more about the difference between engagement & maternity sessions.
During engagement sessions, I help get the couple comfortable, put them in particular lighting & give them small tasks or ask them questions. I let their body language & personalities create the magic, so it is their genuine love shining through. With maternity, it's a bit different. There are only so many "poses" or scenarios you can create with momma, dad & baby bump looking beautiful. When I saw this momma-to-be in her long, beautiful dress, my jaw dropped. She looked amazing & was totally glowing. But the thing about maternity is, you have your weight on the wrong foot, aren't quite turned enough, or have fabric hanging or bunched in the wrong spot, it can really make all the difference in the way a certain area of your body looks. Luckily my momma chose a beautiful dress that not only made her feel comfortable, but look it too!
Here are some of my suggestions for choosing what to wear for a maternity (or other) photo session.
Also, the best time for a maternity session is 28-36 weeks because your belly is full & round.. the closer to your due date the more likely for things to be more swollen!
STAY AWAY FROM
• Patterns- They can be too busy, distracting, & make you look much bigger everywhere.
• Horizontal Lines- They shorten & widen you (vertical lines elongate you, creating a more slimming & tall appearance, just not too bold of a line).
• Same color as your partner- try to choose complimentary colors, not the same bold color. Different shades of a color would be just fine, but being too matchy-matchy is distracting and unnatural.
• If you're wearing a sweater, jacket, scarf or using a blanket, make sure they are new or don't have lint balls on them (you can use a razor to get rid of them though!).
GO FOR
• Solids are best!- They don't have to be bold colors, neutral or muted colors look great too!
• Pick a complimentary color for your partner, trying to match precisely can actually clash. (See below fir examples)
• Consider the scenery- Are you going for a greenery background, stay away from wearing green, neutral or patterns, as they may camouflage you more than you'd like. A muted or bold color would really make you pop (not literally lets hope)
• Fitted or Flowy- This is totally your preference! Maxi dresses seem to be the way to go for maternity, but you may be surprised how amazing you look in a fitted dress or pants and top combo! A big, flowy maxi dress can hang off your belly making you look larger in some places, if you choose to go this way, make sure you are aware of any unflattering fabric areas. I recommend looking for something clingy at least (see my photo below)! A more fitted dress can really accentuate your belly, not leaving any extra fabric hanging in unwanted areas, so don't rule it out even though you feel large and in charge. A flowy dress may have you actually looking more large and in charge! I recommend more of a t-shirt material for fitted dresses perhaps! (see Maiya's below). Here is the dress I wore for some photos, it was a maxi but more clingy in all the right places... careful though because I wore this for my shower too, and you could see all the dimples in my ass (just being real!) Thinking the darker shades wouldn't have been so bad. Slips aren't necessary for a photo session but perhaps would have eliminated this problem for the shower or any other time wearing it.
• Belt- An added belt can help define your waistline but accentuate the bump! Or again, for for a dress that cinches above the belly, to create a built in belt effect (see my photo below)
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