How to Plan a Stress-Free Maternity Shoot 

7 Easy Steps to Beautiful Maternity Photos

You’re pregnant! Congratulations! In between all the feelings, google searches, and putting nursery furniture together you’ve also been imagining hanging the dreamiest maternity photos on your walls with your wedding pictures.

You want to celebrate this exciting stage of your life but your to-do list has grown significantly since finding out you were pregnant. Sometimes it feels like you’ve gotten so busy you haven’t had a chance to really celebrate this exciting chapter in your life. 

Don’t let maternity photos become just another box to check off on your list. You deserve a maternity photo session that gives you a chance to pause and admire the beauty of this moment in time as your whole universe as a couple is changing. At Morning Light Photography our team is dedicated to making your maternity photoshoot whatever you need it to be – fun, relaxing, comfortable… it’s all about you. 

That’s why we’ve created this guide to help you prepare and make easy decisions for your maternity photoshoot. Let’s make this time feel authentic to you and also, completely stress-free. 

Celebrate Your Maternity With a Photoshoot:

Your maternity sessions with our Morning Light Photography team are so special to us. We believe every parent-to-be deserves intentional time to celebrate their pregnancy together. For many, their maternity photoshoot is like part of their “babymoon” celebrations. Our goal is to help you mark this stage of your journey with 1-2 hours totally focused on you. 

The Purpose of Maternity Photos: 

Your maternity photos are a unique opportunity to document an in-between moment in your life. It’s our privilege to capture the love between you as a couple and the love of someone you haven’t even met yet. The joy, anticipation and dreams of what your life will be like with a baby are important, and you deserve to express them in photos. You can add maternity photos to your collection, share with loved ones and one day, tell that little life you’re growing all about how you love them then already, what it felt like when they kicked, what you wondered about them, and what you already knew about them. We love hearing these stories too, so we can capture photos that will be unique and meaningful to you and your family for years to come.

If Your Pregnancy Has Been Difficult, You’re Not Alone: 

We also know that pregnancy isn’t always an idyllic “nine” months. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, and can be physically exhausting for many, especially if you’ve been sick throughout your pregnancy. If this has been your story, know that we are ready to hold space with you during your photoshoot. Having beautiful photos doesn’t require you to have it all together. From our lens, you are doing an incredible thing together and we want to give you photos that will remind you how much strength, love and perseverance you have. We want to show you the beauty in all of it, while helping you feel authentically radiant. 

Your Guide to a Relaxing, Stress-Free Maternity Photoshoot: 

We want your maternity photoshoot to be relaxing and fun, which is why we’ve created this guide of six tips to guide you through the booking and planning process. We are here to help if you need, and are ready to work with you to create your maternity photoshoot and of course, the dreamiest photos to keep in your family forever. 

• A pregnancy announcement – this is a photoshoot usually involving words on a sign or your first ultrasound picture to announce to the world that you are pregnant. There are a lot of really creative ways to curate these shoots so you can announce it on social media, and add it to your maternity collection later on. 
• Maternity photos – in general maternity photos we love to showcase you two as a couple gazing adoringly at your bump. If you have children already we recommend that they join as well! We can do family photos, couples photos, and also just some individual photos of you and your baby bump. These photos have a lifestyle feel and are beautiful additions to a collage wall or their own photo album. 
• Gender-reveal photos – these would be for anyone finding out the gender of their baby and wanting to share it with their loved ones. Some people put a lot of creative work into planning a gender reveal party, and we would be glad to capture the moment when you find out whether you’re having a boy or a girl.

We are happy to accommodate any or all of these preferences. 

• When to book your maternity photos: 

The reason we need to know which type of maternity shoot you’d like ahead of time is because it will help us determine together when to book the photoshoot along your pregnancy timeline. It’s always up to you, but if you’re wondering when to book, here are the standard time frames we’d recommend: 

• Pregnancy announcement – This is an especially personal decision between you two as a couple. Ultimately, don’t feel pressure to announce your pregnancy any earlier or later than you feel is right for you. If you’re curious what the standard timeline is, many couples wait until at least 13 weeks, after they’ve had their first ultrasound. 
• Maternity photos – We find the best time to take maternity photos is around 30 weeks (or 7-8 months) just as you’re ending your second trimester, and beginning your third trimester. The idea is to have your belly round enough to show in photos, while not feeling too heavy and difficult to walk or stand. 
• Gender reveal photos – If you’ve decided to find out the gender of your baby, these can be a really fun photoshoot to do when you’re surrounded by friends and family at a party. The look on your face when you see blue or pink is a beautiful sight and makes for the most emotional candid photos. These parties tend to happen anytime after the 20-week mark. 

We can make any time of day work for you, but of course, the most popular time with our couples is always the evening “golden hour” when everything is glowing like a romantic movie. 

4) How do you want to use your maternity photos? 

Do you know how you’re wanting to use these photos? We provide digital copies of your photos 

so you can post them on social media as soon as you receive them. 

If you plan on using your photos in a variety of ways, that’s a great reason to plan for a wardrobe or location change so that you have more than one style to choose from. This way you can use them in anything from Christmas cards, to baby shower thank you cards, to prints that you can send to family members. 

We can help you arrange prints for your walls at home.

Of course one of the most beautiful ways to display your photos is through an album. We love completing your album collections of engagement and wedding photos with your maternity and newborn albums. It’s like having all the chapters of your story together in one place. 

5) Choosing a location for your maternity photoshoot:

Okay, now we know what kind of photoshoot we’re planning and your timeline. Next we’ll help you choose a location. 

If you have ideas in mind, we’re glad to meet you there! It’s always special to shoot in a space that is meaningful to you as a couple and the life you’re building together. This can be your home, another indoor location or an outdoor location. We’re also glad to plan up to two locations into your session. 

If you are looking for suggestions, we’ll start by looking at what locations are best for the time of year you’re booking your shoot in. Let us know whether you’d like an indoor or outdoor location, what your style preferences are and if there are any physical challenges you’re experiencing while pregnant (this way we can make sure we help you find a location that will be comfortable for you). 

Here are a few of our favourite spots to shoot in if you’d like to take a look now: 

• Firelane 1 
• The Commons in Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Private properties you might have access to 

6) What should you wear during your maternity photoshoot? 

One of the biggest questions our clients have is “what should I wear to my maternity photoshoot?” 

You’re not alone if you’re wondering what to choose for your maternity outfits. Sometimes it can feel like a lot of pressure to decide what to wear, and also coordinate your outfits as a couple. That’s why we welcome 1-2 outfit options, especially if you’re choosing multiple locations. For example, some couples go with light, flowy outfits in an outdoor setting and more form-fitted outfits in an indoor setting. 

Here’s our formula for customizing your perfect photoshoot outfit:

[Colour] + [Style] + [Comfort] = The perfect photoshoot outfit 

The Perfect Way To Celebrate A New Chapter: 

You and your family deserve to have beautiful photos, documenting your journey and life together. The single best part of our job is to document couples through the most transformative stages of their life, from engagement, to weddings to the joy of growing your family. 

When you book your maternity and newborn session with us, you’ll receive a discount so you can benefit from writing the next chapters of your story with us. We’ll also continue the celebration by hosting you a preview party with your friends and family (Currently over Zoom during COVID-19).