Why should I have a maternity photo shoot?
Over the years of photographing expecting moms, I have come up with several reasons why I believe in the importance of maternity photos. I did my best to narrow all of my thoughts down to 6 main ideas… :)
A time to pause
My first pregnancy went by SO fast! We had just built and moved into our home, we were finishing up on projects, I had a waiting list for shoots, and planning for a baby was crazy foreign to us. The family rocking chair that I had reupholstered for the nursery was literally delivered the day before we unexpectedly went to the hospital 3 weeks early to have our son.
So when I tell you that the time FLEW by, I’m not kidding!
There was no real down time. The maternity shoot was our only scheduled time to stop and be. I slowed down, I paused, I left my ‘to do’ list at home, Matt and I were together without anything else demanding our attention, and we gave ourselves the room to feel every emotion. If we didn’t have those photos to look back on, we would have very little to say about those 8 months of pregnancy other than we remember being VERY busy and I remember eating A LOT of bagels.
You really do look amazing
This little life has taken over your body and your skin, your waistline, your ankles, and your booty and your everything. But you are still you! This is just the you that you are sharing with your baby.
You are beautiful.
You are beautifully carrying and nourishing a child that knows nothing of the world other than what you have given her. That, in and of itself, is breath-taking and awe-inspiring and worthy to be captured.
If you need direction for outfits, here are some of my thoughts on what can be the most flattering.
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You can’t go back
Time is most definitely not on your side when it comes to pregnancy.
That baby is coming no matter what! And if you think you know when that will be, I have a list of about 83 moms that will tell you otherwise. Ha!
So, if you aren’t sure about a shoot and don’t know how to plan, I urge you to take a leap and just schedule one. I can promise that I haven’t had anyone regret having a maternity shoot. But, I can definitely say that there are people that regret not having maternity photos taken.
Let’s plan it together! I will do my best to make it as simple, easy, and comfortable as I possibly can!
A milestone for your baby
Milestones in life are special. Why not treat pregnancy like a milestone that you and your baby both share? Because one day your newborn is going to grow into a toddler, and then go to Kindergarten, and then get a driver’s license, and then want to drive across the country on his first road trip, and then want to show off childhood photos to his date.
I mean, have you ever seen the holiday movie “The Family Stone” with Diane Keaton and Craig Nelson? Yeah, the black and white photo that Sarah Jessica Parker has framed of Keaton sitting in front of a window with her hand on her stomach. Uh, I melt every time! THAT’s the reason right there, friends! Your baby will cherish that one iconic photo of you pregnant with him/her. And, I can promise that your grandkids will think a photo of their grandmother during pregnancy is just so cool!
Your partner
I have a photo framed in our bedroom of me pregnant with our firstborn. Whenever I look at that photo and remember that day, I instantly recall how my husband looked at me. He had tears in his eyes and literally just said, “wow” and shook his head. We hadn’t had much time to stop and just be during my pregnancy and I didn’t realize how much we both needed these moments to be together.
Another thing I noticed after our shoot was how important it was for my husband to feel included and be remembered in the process. Almost every aspect of my pregnancy was centered around our baby and me and this was a special opportunity for Matt to step into the frame also. Not all maternity photos include partners, but for the ones that are involved in the shoot it can be an incredibly meaningful experience for them as well.
To Remember
Having a maternity session with THIS baby is a once in a lifetime experience. You will never have this specific pregnancy ever again.
That alone is my perfect two-sentenced answer to why a maternity session is so important. :)