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Bring in the Bumps - Maternity Photography - part 2 of 1 2 3

by Elli Cassidy Published 01/12/2016

Privacy is important and I have a designated changing room; as a minimum I would consider folding screens that they can get changed behind. Even if I am photographing a nude portrait, I don’t expect clients to undress in front of me, and I always provide a robe for them to wear until we are ready to take the shot.

If you have a studio with windows or doors that are accessible to the public, consider locking them and having blinds fitted. (Ensure you keep any fire exits safely accessible though.) As previously mentioned, pregnant women can tire quickly so I always have drinks and sugary snacks on hand, and I make sure they keep well hydrated.

Posing

considerations Posing is vital to producing a great portrait. Pregnant women often have less body confidence than normal and everything about their posture sits differently, the pelvis can be tilted, they have a large bump which can throw their balance and their spine tends to naturally arch more. Guiding your client through each pose will help not only improve the final portrait, but will also give them more confidence and therefore relax them more.

Establishing a flow of poses ensures a smooth session and keeps the session length to a minimum too.

Towards the end of a pregnancy, women often have less energy and can get tired more quickly so I try to keep my session time to a minimum. By pre-planning the different set-ups and poses within those, I can maximise the variety of portraits created with as little interruption as possible.

When I have my client in a pose, I will alter their head and hand positions to create more variety. You don’t need to show all the shots at the viewing, just choose the best selection from each, but I have found it gets the client in the ‘groove’ and they get used to moving around a little within each set-up.
I have a yoga mat that I use for any lying down posing to keep my clients comfortable. It’s important to remember that maternity clients will sometimes have limitations on how much they can move around; sciatica can develop in the pelvis and hips during pregnancy, making some positions very painful and postural hypotension can occur when a pregnant woman lies down.

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1st Published 01/12/2016
last update 09/12/2022 14:51:33

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