Issainah, her immediate family, and I met over coffee about planning an editorial photoshoot. She is currently a month away from the birth of her first child and wanted to visually commemorate her experience entering motherhood. We chatted over a vision, showing some images, and she said she had some outfits that would work perfect for her.
On the day of the photoshoot Issainah and her mother brought three outfits. She wanted to start with her green flowing dress. A flowing dress is an excellent choice for being able to create motion, draping, while emphasizing her baby bump. Issianah went through a series of standing and laying poses experimenting with the flow of the dress.
After the initial start of photographing, she changed into a red form fitting dress. One of the advantages of a form fitting dress is being able to dress up or down with her accessories of choice. In Issainah’s case she put on a white scarf and headband. I chose to use back lighting to have some flare and drama for this part of the session. I have a tether from my camera to the computer where I can show the images in real time. Her reaction was excitement and repeatedly said, “Pretty!”
Issainah’s final wardrobe change was an all white form fitting dress, layered lace top, and hat. Her necklace matched the rim of the hat. Her outfit was an inspiration of her Greek heritage. We played around with poses, with and without the hat, while taking advantage of the shapes her hat and lace top would make with each pose.
Maternity sessions can be a lot of fun! You can create visual interest by choosing themes within your wardrobe, mix and matching your accessories, scarfs, hats, and jewelry. After this session Issianah will have images she can share with her future newborn and visually tell stories of her maternal experience.
