Baby Steps for Maternity Photography
Out of the Norm
This last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting maternity photos for the lovely Ashley. We were blessed with a great night for some fun pictures. 75 and sunny is not something that generally goes along with April in Iowa. This shoot was special for me in a couple different ways. First it was for my Sister in law who is pregnant with my future niece/nephew, but also because this was my first ever attempt at shooting maternity photos. I have taken thousands of pictures over the years, but I have never tried this. Not even for my own wife (who hates having her picture taken). Since this was a new experience I figured I would bring you along on the ride.
The above picture was actually the last picture of the night. I had mentioned that this was such a nice day for being so early in April. Well because it was still so early in April most of the prairie grasses that were at our usually shooting spots had recovered from winter yet. All the prairie grasses were matted down and not ready for their prime time appearance in the photos of the century….but I digress. On the way home from the original location, I spotted this patch of long grass that was fairly intact. I yelled to stop the car to a lot of raised eyebrows. With everyone weary of what was going on. I told Ashley to jump out really quick for just a couple of quick pictures and the results were some of my favorite from the shoot.
More Than Maternity
One thing I wanted to focus on with this shoot was not just showcasing mama and the baby to be. Being a dad of 3, I know how much this impacts everyone in the family. The hardest change in the house is likely to be the other kids. I know when our youngest was born that was the case for sure. One minute they have all of their mom and dad’s attention and the next it is cut in half. Because of this I knew we needed to make their oldest a crucial part of the pictures. I don’t think of it as just taking a couple family pictures, I think of it as capturing a moment in time. Something you can look at to remember every part of of that special time. The below picture has nothing to do with maternity photos. It was actually part of him walking away, so that I would chase him and play more tag.
They Are Never as Bad as You Think
This is a quick tip to anyone out there with kids. This is not specific to this shoot, but kids are never as badly behaved as parents think. Most family shoots I go to, parents are very concerned about kids smiling perfect and standing still. I personally am not worried about it. 7 years of parenting have prepared me for just this occasion. Ashley’s oldest for instance now loves taking pictures because we play tag. I chase him, he chases me. We have a blast. All of this said when you remember back on these days 5, 10, 15 years from now, you will not remember the time they sat perfectly still for a picture with a perfect smile. That picture won’t make you go awwww, but the ones where you get to see their real personality will. Those are the ones that pull on the heart strings the most.
Success
Overall I couldn’t be happier with my first ever maternity shoot. I appreciate Ashley letting me experiment on them. Such a good looking group really makes taking good pictures easy. The family is happy. I am happy. Everyone is happy like they should be during this exciting time. We are going to have to make this a regular thing so me and EP can play some more tag!
