Photographing Maternity in the Home

As a Photographer, I have worked and photographed maternity everywhere – the beach, the home, the studio, hotels…at the end of the day you can pose the same wherever you go, you just need to have good light and great posing. Great outfits of course are helpful, but when I started I just used sheets, fabric and the clients own wardrobe. I do own an international store in which I design maternity gowns, maternity bodysuits and newborn outfits. You can visit my shop at www.bellybabywear.com.

If you don’t have the funds or the time to purchase specialty maternity wear, here are some ideas for clothing.

Lingerie

Mens shirts

Button down anything

Robes

Sweaters

tshirts

tanks

fabric

Really anything that shows off the tummy and the style of the Mama – even bra and undies can be fine!

You want a good light source…so look for the brightest area in the home. When I would go to clients homes I would walk in without my gear, and just look around the home to find the light. I have shot in kitchens, bathrooms, kids rooms, open doorways….wherever there is light! You can shoot backlit or silhouette images just be opening a bright door and shooting with the light source behind. You can also find a nice bedroom where the light streams in.

As far as some basic posing rules…they are.

Have Mama first eat a nice meal and drink lots of water. If she is on bed rest, do not have her stand too long.
Lotion -moisturize the body so the skin is smooth.
Always keep shoulders down but lift up thru the core when doing standing poses
When working on laying poses make sure Mama is not learning on the belly, but on the side. Adjust the legs so one is a bit higher than the other and have her lean in and practice various movements with her head.
You want to show a nice round belly, so pay attention to the expression, posture and the shape of the belly.
Change expressions, and take a lot of photos!
If the hands get too veiny, she can raise the hands – let the veins settle and then let the hands go back down.
Have her do a mani pedi at home..neutral nail polish and nice makeup. Now is a fun time to watch all those makeup tutorials!

Have fun and experiment. You can see in these photos, I used the curtains in the room, the window and the bed. This session was done in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil with only natural light. I love how moody and grainy they are. I was teaching students how you can do an entire maternity session in the bedroom!

Whether you are doing this on your own, or hiring a professional – you don’t need fancy equipment or clothing – though that helps! What you do need is love and light!