Maternity Photography is all about YOU!
As it should be!
Okay to be fair, all of my photography packages are all about you, that’s their job. But I like to think that there’s something special about maternity photography, because it’s capturing such a fleeting stretch of your life. Even though I know it feels like forever, been there, done that, Mama. Anyway, your session is all about you, what you want, and how you want to feel. Which of course is “GORGEOUS,” right?? And to feel gorgeous, you’ve gotta be prepared. So today, we’re going to walk through the ultimate prep guide for maternity sessions!
The First Steps for your Maternity Session
If we’re doing this right, we have to start at the VERY beginning, and that’s with getting booked! I mean, without booking your session, you can’t have a session in the first place… so even if it feels silly, we’re starting here. Before you choose a photographer, you’re going to want to walk through their portfolio, make sure you love their work, and ask them any questions that aren’t already answered on things like their frequently asked questions lists. You might find those on the individual session pages on their website, or on one big list! But make sure you look, it can be super helpful in making sure you’re not spending time sending inquiries to photographers who aren’t going to be a good fit for you. It’s no fun to write all those emails, and get a bunch back saying “No, I don’t offer travel” and things like that.
Speaking of travel – one of the things you should do at this stage is talk to your photographer about locations! Do they offer studio maternity? What about on-location? Will they come to your home? Depending on how pregnancy is treating you, you might not be super duper up for an on-location session, and need someone who specializes in studio maternity sessions. Talk this through, and make sure that your photographer is all good with making changes to those kinds of details, depending on how you’re doing when we actually get to the session itself! Pregnancy is an unpredictable time, and I know I’m personally ALWAYS willing to work with clients unique situations to make sure you end up with maternity images you love, even if we have to get a little creative about location.
So that means steps 1-3 are:
- Choose a photographer local to you whose work you’re obsessed with
- Ask them the burning questions you’ve got
- Talk about locations
- Get booked into their calendar!
Up to a Month Before Your Maternity Photoshoot
So, sometimes I lump this into the “one to two weeks” category, but I’m going to go ahead and put it earlier because I know how difficult it can be to get on hairdresser’s calendars sometimes!! If you’re thinking you’re going to want your hair done or your nails done before your session, as soon as you’ve booked it, it’s time to think about scheduling those sessions into your stylists’ calendars. Now I do have to tell you that this one isn’t required by any means!! You don’t HAVE to get your hair done, and you don’t HAVE to get your nails done. But if those are little details you want to have taken care of professionally before your session, then absolutely go for it!!
If this is something you’re going to do, that makes step 4:
- Schedule styling appointments with hairdressers, or nail techs
One to Two Weeks Before Your Maternity Photo Shoot
After you’ve chosen your photographer and scheduled all of the things, you’ve got a few logistical items to do on your side in the lead-up to the session!
The first, is picking outfits. Sometimes, that’s going to mean a consultation with your photographer! If they, like I do, have gowns in their client closet that you can wear for your session, then they might offer a consultation where you can look at the dresses and choose one (or more!) to wear for your session. Make sure you discuss any wardrobe limitations with your photographer, in case there’s a specific number of wardrobe changes included in your package!
Once you’ve chosen what YOU’RE going to wear, it’s time to make sure anyone else who’s going to be included in the session also has appropriate wardrobe items chosen. Whether that’s your other kiddos, your partner, or your bestie, they’re going to have to wear something, right? So go through your little ones’ closet(s) and make sure you’ve chosen clothing items that fit. Or, if it’s going to require a trip to department stores… do that NOW, not later!! It’s the absolute worst to realize you need new clothes two days before your session, and you don’t have time to make it happen.
Then of course, if you’ve got family members (or people in general, I don’t judge!) coming to your session, it’s time to get them excited!! This is especially important if there will be neurodivergent kiddos (or adults!) coming along, who might need a little extra mental preparation before the session itself.
This means your one-to-two-week list is:
- Choose your clothes
- Get the humans excited!
3-5 Days Before Your Session
Once you get to the 3-5 day lead up point, you’re in the home stretch!! There are a few things you need to think about in those few days. The first one to tell you, is now is the time to stop using any self-tanner or tanning lotion you usually use, or that you’ve been using up to now. I know it’s tempting to top things up, but fresh tanning solutions end up adding a super weird orange glow to your images, and there’s nothing much we can do about that after the fact – so it’s better to avoid them altogether!
Aside from avoiding turning yourself orange by accident, this is time to do a last try-on of your clothes (for everyone involved in your session!) and make sure that you also have any accessories picked out that you’re going to wear. If you’re doing your own nails, this is the time to do them! That way they’ll be fresh for your session. There’s some amount of adjustment that can be done when the images are post-processed, but keeping that to a minimum is the best case scenario, we want to capture what you ACTUALLY look like, after all!
You’ll also want to make sure you’re happy with the way things like bra straps and panty lines show in the outfit you’ve chosen, as well as undershirt lines for men who might be coming with you. These are also on the list of things that are way better to handle in real life!
This is also the point where you should pay a little extra attention to eating right and drinking enough water – I know you’re already doing that, and/or if you’re in the “I can only eat beige” phase of your pregnancy… may the force be with you. But in all seriousness, I mention it because although you’re already glowing, hydrating in the days before your session can help your skin look hydrated and EXTRA gorgeous! The same goes for anyone coming with you to the session.
Then of course, there’s more excitement to build!! Make sure you’re reminding your people about what’s coming.
3-5 Days before your session, you should:
- Stay away from the spray tan, despite how tempting I know it is
- Try on all the clothes you’re going to wear, and make sure nothing has tags on it still
- Make sure you’re happy with your accessories, and that there are no bra/panty/undershirt lines you’re going to want removed
- Hydrate!!
- Keep building the excitement
1-2 Days Before Your Session
You’re in the home stretch!! You’ve done it!! Of course, there are a few more things to think about, but the bulk of it is behind you. You’ve already sorted out your hair and nails, and you’ve got all of your clothing picked out, and you’ve done a last minute try on… but there’s a tiny bit more!
The first one is a final check on the clothes you’re going to be wearing, and if you’re bringing multiple changes of clothing, making sure they’re all packed for your session day. I know it’s tempting to leave it to the last minute, but packing it all ahead of time makes things easier, I promise!
Then, you’ll want to pop together a little bag with the things you’d normally bring with you when you go places with your kiddos, if there are little ones coming to your session. Some snacks – if you’re bringing a wee babe with you, whatever they’re eating, as well as some extra diapers etc. You know what goes in your going-out bag, I don’t need to tell you! But you’ll want to prep that, juuust in case things are a little chaotic on the day-of.
Finally, keep hydrating!! I know you’re already doing it because you’re a glorious boss babe who’s taking care of themself… but a reminder never hurts, right?
That makes your final pre-session checklist look like this:
- Double check all the clothing things
- Pack your day-bag
- Drink more water
- Keep up the excitement!
To bring it all together, let’s look at the Maternity Session prep list in full!
What all this leads us to, is a list that looks like this:
Booking
- Choose a photographer you love
- Ask them the questions you have
- Talk about locations
- Get booked
Up to a Month Before
- Schedule hair, nail, or makeup appointments
One to Two Weeks Before
- Choose your clothes
- Get your humans excited (if humans are coming with you!)
3-5 Days Before
- Stay away from the spray tan, despite how tempting I know it is
- Try on all the clothes you’re going to wear, and make sure nothing has tags on it still
- Make sure you’re happy with your accessories, and that there are no bra/panty/undershirt lines you’re going to want removed
- Hydrate!!
- Keep building the excitement
1-2 Days Before
- Double check all the clothing things
- Pack your day-bag
- Drink more water
- Keep up the excitement!
If you’ve got questions, never hesitate to ask!
This should help you feel more prepared for your upcoming maternity shoot, but if you have even more questions… don’t hesitate to let me know! I’m always more than happy to talk through the steps of your session, and make sure that you’re completely, 100% comfortable with what’s coming before we get to the day itself.
Can’t wait to see you in the studio! Or wherever we’re going, since not all sessions are in the studio.
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