Trying to figure out if it’s worth it to have a maternity photoshoot? Here’s some advice and tips on taking amazing couple pictures that feature your baby bump!
I was 35 Weeks pregnant at our maternity photoshoot. My Husband and I weren’t sure if we’d get a baby bump shoot in or not, but we ended up finding an amazing photographer in our area!
Her name is Erin Walker, and you can find her here: In the Click of Time Photography
BEFORE YOU START LOOKING FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER
Before you even begin looking for a photographer, look online at some maternity photography. I mainly looked on Google and Pinterest for ideas and to figure out what I liked. This helped me to have a vision for what I wanted, and the memories I wanted to create for our family.
There are different types of photography, you will see that when you begin looking. Some women have their baby bump exposed, some don’t. There are indoor shoots in homes, outdoor shoots in nature, some with cityscapes. I mean, there are soo many options! Have a look around and figure out what you want.
HOW TO FIND A MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT PHOTOGRAPHER
I did have to do a little digging to find our photographer. It took a few weeks to narrow things down. Here are a few tips to help you in your search!
Do Some Online Research
I started with Google, checked Groupon, and Living Social. I also used word of mouth and asked around a bit. Every name I got, I’d check to see if they had pictures posted on their websites, and I checked to see if they had social media accounts.
I’d look to see if I liked their style of photography, and if there were any photos that made me think, “Yes! I love that!” I also checked to see if I could find any reviews on their services.
Have a Budget in Mind
It was definitely helpful to have a budget in mind for our bump photos. They can get pretty pricey depending on the level of extravagance you are wanting. Having a budget helped us narrow down our options.
Send a Message
When I found a photographer that interested me, I reached out by sending a message to make contact with them. Some of them had their packages listed on their websites, some didn’t. Some allowed you to schedule your shoot right on their website (like ours did), some you had to contact them directly.
See how quickly they respond to your inquiry, and how you feel when you speak to them. Do they take forever to respond? Do they seem rushed or hurried when you speak to them? Service is super important and you want to make sure you work with someone that’s great with connecting with you as a client and customer.
When I spoke to Erin on the phone, I immediately felt comfortable and I could tell she was confident in what she does. I was able to talk things over with my Hubby, and I scheduled our photoshoot online on her website!
MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT LOCATION
I love outdoor photoshoots and I love water, so I knew I wanted to be in an area with water. Thankfully our photographer Erin provided a few location options for us and we picked one! Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan, it’s such a beautiful park! They have botanical gardens, a small lake with a bridge, it was perfect for our shoot.
At 35 weeks pregnant, I was so glad she took the guesswork out of my hands by providing some ideas for location. I knew what I had in mind, but I wasn’t familiar with locations. So if you can find a photographer that doesn’t mind providing this type of info, that will be so helpful!
MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT DRESS
I knew I wanted a long dress look for my shoot that featured my baby bump, and I also knew I wanted to be comfortable. I looked around a bit but honestly, I was so exhausted by this time I didn’t feel like shopping! So I ended up wearing the same dress I wore to my baby shower, and it was the perfect dress!
Here is the dress I wore: JustVH Maternity Fitted Elegant Gown
My feet were swollen so I ended up wearing flip flops, but it was fine because the dress covered my feet! If you’re tall this will be the perfect dress for you. I normally have issues with long dresses not being “long” on me. But this one was actually long! I got tons of compliments on it at my baby shower as well.
MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT HAIR
I wore braids for my entire pregnancy. Yes, my entire pregnancy! My favorite style was crochet braids as it was super quick, and the braids look nice for a really long time. I get my crochet braids from Amazon, here are the ones I wore in the photoshoot: 18″ Senegalese Twist Crochet Hair Braids
I loved the look of them for our shoot, I just wore them down. It was one less thing for me to worry about, and being outdoors I didn’t have the worry about the wind blowing my hair around! Ah-mazing!
YES, IT’S WORTH IT!
The photos came out beautiful and Erin did an excellent job at guiding our shoot. I’m so happy with our pics. I was definitely exhausted after all the walking, but walking is good for you so it was okay.
If you can muster up the energy to do one, it’s definitely a memorable experience and you’ll have pictures to remind you of this awesome time in your life!
I hope you have an amazing pregnancy, and an amazing day today, and every day!
