3 A’s for Acing Your Maternity Photoshoot

The maternity photoshoot is a rite of passage for most pregnant women but with everything else going on with you and baby it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Have no fear, Mommy Star is here and listed below are three A’s that helped me to organise my photoshoot and create memories of a lifetime.

Times have changed since my mom sat in a studio on a stool and held her stomach while smiling at the camera. Today we hold our stomachs while smiling at the camera underwater, in bathtubs filled with milk and flowers, or butt naked in a studio. Where you choose to shoot is totally up to you, but the first A in “Acing Your Maternity Photoshoot” speaks to “location, location, location”; let’s call it ARCHITECTURE.

Architecture refers to the character or style of a building, usually with some regard to aesthetic effect. What you choose to have in the background of your photos will have an effect when you look at them so it only makes sense to ensure that you love the background details.

I’ve always loved Cooper’s Castle in Grand Bahama. The architecture set the tone for a photoshoot worthy of my princess while adding elements of glamour and magic. Freeport is known as the Magic City and because I grew up there, I wanted my baby and this experience to have a connection to home. The castle is white, trimmed with blue and is set on gorgeous grounds that would allow us to take shots in different places all with an air of whimsy.  The architecture was perfect for what I wanted but the mood the photos would elicit might have another feel if the subjects of the photo weren’t dressed for the landscape. Here is where A number 2 in “Acing Your Maternity Photoshoot” comes in: ATTIRE.

Attire

Fashion tells a story. Pictures from the past paint portraits of life long before our time. Clothing can be used to celebrate things like the liberation of women as we review hemlines from the 1900’s to now. Your attire highlights the time in which you find yourself and I just happened to get pregnant during the era of the flower-crown-flowing-dress maternity scene. My attire is a true reflection of this maternity era so I won’t claim to be inventive, overly creative or a fashion icon in these shots but I will say that the colour scheme and styles I selected for my husband and I fit the theme and mood we wanted to create.

The flower crown (which cost like 10 bucks on Amazon) represents baby’s place as Queen of my heart. Its filled with the colors of the castle and highlightsthe blues worn by my husband. The pink dress (so cliche’) represents my baby girl and the simple David Yurman pendant is filled with colors of the crown.

(Makeup by https://www.instagram.com/colorluxe242/

Hair by https://www.instagram.com/tressesbycosmo/)

To capture our Bahamian roots and love of culture, Carlos is wearing an Androsia pink tie made by local Bahamian company “The Bold Catalouge” (https://www.facebook.com/TheBOLDCatalogue/). His suspenders represent the gentleman he is and type of man we hope she’ll marry and the classic blue pants and polished shoes speak to understated elegance.

If in doubt about what to wear, feel free to consult your photographer. I had two style options for both Carlos and I but made the decision with the consultation of the final A in “Acing Your Maternity Photoshoot”, the ARTIST taking our photos.

Artist

You might have gathered by now that I really wanted a magical photoshoot fit for a Princess, that meant I had to find someone who could bring the magic to my photographs. As you create your maternity shoot, it’s important to find someone whose work fits your vibe. You will also want to consider whether the photographer has taken pictures with the type of architectural landscape you have in mind, and if they have the actual equipment that is necessary to get the shots you are looking for. Your price point and the physical location of where you shoot also plays a factor. I was shooting in Grand Bahama Island which meant I needed a photographer on the island or the budget to fly one in. I chose Lyndah Wells who resides in Grand Bahama but does work all over the world. I’d seen Lyndah’s work several times and knew that she would have the right tactics and technology to get the shots I wanted.

This picture is an example of the lengths she was willing to go through to get the shot, including laying down in the grass in white pants on a day when it was 94 degrees out just so she could get that green foliage you see at the bottom. Lyndah also has a great personality that made shooting with her carefree and fun and when you are shooting for two hours in the hot sun, personality is important.

Other things to consider include the number of photos you will get as a part of your package, whether you or the photographer own the rights to those photos and the costs associated with printing them versus downloading them online.

Ultimately, I trusted Lyndah not just as a photographer, but as an artist to combine the carefully selected architecture and attire to create the masterpiece I hoped for. You can see more of her amazing work in the photos below.

Did I ace my maternity photoshoot? Let me know in the comments below!