Maternity photography ideas : the essential guide for 2022

maternity photoshoot

We have all gone through this phase, once your wife is expecting, you want to take photos of her with the growing belly. This is the best phase where you see your wife/gf/soulmate glow with happiness. You want to capture this magic.

When you are expecting, you are all over the place, you are happy, you are stressed, you are happy some more, you are sad, you are on an emotional roller coaster.

This is the only period of your life that you will go through something like this, don’t let it slip away.

In this blog we will talk about why maternity photography is important, when to go for the maternity shoot, and some best maternity photography ideas… which can help you to preserve the memories in the best way.

Change your mind about maternity photography –

Pregnancy has always been a very private affair. Women who are pregnant tend to shy away from the world and prefer to be left alone.

This is why maternity photographs are a recent phenomenon. In the past, it wasn’t possible for women to be photographed when they were pregnant because they were often tied to the house and not allowed to go out and socialize.

Nowadays, there has been a shift in the mindset and women want to document their pregnancy for posterity and to share with others.

Pregnancy?

Every woman on earth will have a baby in their life once. If you are going to have a baby, then it is important that you have a beautiful memory of your pregnancy.

Pregnancy is the most beautiful and sensitive time in a woman’s life. You will be going through a lot of changes and you will want to preserve those changes for posterity.

Also, pregnancy is such a precious time for a family. It is a time when they can look back and share those memorable moments with their children and family. With the help of a maternity photographer, it can become even more special.

Maternity Photography?

Maternity photography is an art that captures the beauty of a woman’s pregnancy. Many women believe that maternity photography is for celebrities; however, celebrities, along with celebrities, undergo the same process.

We all know that we will not be able to preserve our memories for a long time and we will not be able to capture it in the future.

So, we need to take some steps to ensure that we can really capture these memories in the right ways and they will remain in the right way and they will remain in their original form.

Maternity photography is no longer an option when expecting a baby. It is an art form that is being indulged in by the woman to be.

There are very few photographers that are trained to shoot maternity photos. Thus, parents are usually left with no option other than hiring a non-specialized photographer or even worse, they depend on their camera phones.

Maternity photographers?

Pregnant women are often the focus of attention, but the experience is not the same for a lot of fathers-to-be. With a lot of attention going to the women, it is a good idea to hire a professional photographer to capture the story from a different perspective.

Whereas, maternity photographers are one of the most important parts of any shoot. They make sure that your images look good and that you get the images that you came for.

If you don’t hire a good maternity photographer then you can end up with bad images that don’t look good.

Factors to consider while hiring a maternity photographer –

There are so many factors to take into account when you are looking into maternity photography.

You have to find someone who is qualified, who is qualified, who is willing to work for you, who is willing to work for you, who is affordable, who is affordable And, who is willing to take maternity photographs in the intended time frame.

When is the right time to take maternity photographs?

We all know that we need to document our children growing up and to celebrate the significance of growing families.

As you know, maternity photography is a beautiful way to capture the growing belly and all the changes that come with carrying a child.

However, the emotions of the first pregnancy, the weeks leading up to the birth, and after labor can be intense. When is the right time to take maternity photographs?

Maternity photography ideas
Source: 500px Blog

A pregnant woman’s body is constantly changing. As her body prepares to give birth, the baby stretches, kicks, and changes positions which can cause some discomfort for the mom-to-be.

so, when is the right time to take maternity photographs – well you can capture or photograph whenever you wish to?

However, the best time according to the photographers is when you’re around 28 – 36 weeks.

Generally, during this gestation period your bump is the biggest and cutest. Also, during this period most women are more relaxed and comfortable to pose in front of the camera.

Maternity photography ideas?

Pregnancy photography is not like normal photography. It’s more about capturing images for the mother to look back on when the baby is born. It is not about creating an image that will stand on its own.

That is why you need to think about how you approach maternity photography. You have to focus on creating images that have heart and soul, while still being captivating.

Here are 10 maternity photography ideas that you can use to help capture the beauty of pregnancy…

8 maternity photography ideas –

Wear Flattering Dress for The Shoot or Twinning Outfits with The Father –

maternity shoot twinning outfits
Source: Pinterest

Well, during gestation women prefer to wear loose tops, loose dresses – for comfort and in order to hide the bump.

However, during maternity shoots you can wear a crop-top, which is tight above the belly – showing off your cute bump.

If you’re not comfortable with wearing a top, then you can go for beautiful long dresses that flares out down till the floor or a long trail dress. Don’t go for a dress that is tight under your belly.

When it comes to wearing a matching outfit – like a dress, t-shirts of the same colors. This idea emphasizes the love, care, connection and unity between the parents.

Focus On the Belly –

Well, you went for a maternity shoot but not focused on the belly bump? I know you women might feel shy during the shoot.

Remember women – show off your belly, focused the camera on the bump, after all that’s the main aim of a maternity shoot.

Take a close-up photo, a portrait with the hands of the pregnant women over the belly. Like holding it or heart hands with both the parents.

The heart hands convey the family’s love for the future baby, excitement, understanding and peace.

Portraits With Sonogram or Pregnancy Test Kit –

maternity shoot with sonogram
Source: Freepik

There can’t be any other perfect way to show excitement, gratefulness because of the pregnancy news.

Choose a timing during the day, take a portrait picture with a sonogram or the test kit in your hand.

Also, you can add your husband or other family members in the shot with their excited, smiling, happy faces. And end with an eye-candy picture.

Aesthetic Silhouette –

Aesthetic Silhouette maternity shoot
Source: Pinterest

A simple aesthetic silhouette, which can be taken by the pregnant woman herself. It is more like a personal shooting.

As you must be aware, a silhouette photo shoot is a portrait shoot where the subject is deliberately out of focus.

The silhouette photo shoot uses a soft box or a paper box for lighting. This gives a soft diffused light on the face and a hard light on the background.

This way the photo shoot is not really about the person but instead is about the details in the background. The silhouette photo shoot is an extremely popular concept that is great for beginners.

It is a way of using pregnant women to create interesting, aesthetic images by blocking out the background.

Photo Filled with Sparkling Glitter or Flowers and Milk Bath –

milk bath maternity shoot
Source: TheBump.com

We all have seen the photo of someone taking a bath in glitter. This idea can be best used to make the maternity photo more attractive.

They are cool, unique and are being used by many social media influencers.

Enjoy the floral and glitter elements – in a swimming pool, in a bathtub, or in the bed, or anywhere with a tender and serene atmosphere.

You can choose glitters and flowers with soft shade, like blue, white, golden and soft pink etc.

How to prepare the milk floral tub for shoot?

You just need to fill the tub with some warm water, a little bit of cornstarch and milk. Mix them well then sprinkle some flowers of your choice… and the tub is ready to shoot.

Before And After Pregnancy –

maternity-pregnancy-photography-before-and-after-baby-photoshoot
Source: Bored Panda

This is the commonest but difficult idea. However, it is famous among pregnant women. After all, it is the best way to show growth.

It show’s how excited she was when she found out the life changing news, and how she waited for the baby to come out to the world.

If you decide to go for this idea, keep these things in mind –

  • Both the pictures should be similar as much as possible
  • Wear the similar clothes
  • In the similar background
  • Similar body movement
  • Similar color scheme
  • Similar light/shadow or filter.
  • Similar angle etc.

In The State of Nature –

Nude photography is a thing of beauty, even if it isn’t the type of photography that you would typically associate with the word beauty.

It is a type of photography that tests an artist’s ability, not just to capture the physical beauty of the subject but also to capture the beauty of the form.

It is an art form that is often overlooked because of its controversial nature, but there is no denying that there is just something about this art that captures the imagination.

For pregnant women this can be the boldest thing to do. I think one must try this new form of photography only if comfortable.

Underwater Shoot –

This kind of photoshoot can show the feminine side of pregnant women. But it can be the hardest kind of shoot. Underwater photography is an art not many can perfect.

Getting the right lighting, getting the right angle, getting the right light, getting the best photo all takes time, effort and patience.

So, if you go for this idea, hire a professional and experienced photographer. However, if the shoot is successful the result will be great.

Other options –

  • In a garden
  • With whole family
  • With tiny baby shoes
  • Some candid of teamwork (husband & wife)
  • Edit photos
  • Take adventures pictures in mountains
  • On a walk
  • On the beach side
  • In the future baby’s room
  • With your loving pets
  • Fairy style
  • A healthy and active mom
  • Some creativity in the bump – art & drawings
  • With helium balloons
  • With kids’ soft toys
  • In traditional attire
  • Beautiful vintage black and white shoot
  • Father holding the belly or kissing the belly