Capturing Your Pregnancy
Maternity to Baby Portraiture
You’ve built the crib, the baby’s room has been decorated, and the hospital bag is packed. Just like everything that goes into getting your lives ready for the arrival of a newborn, foresight need to go into making sure those magical first moments of life are preserved.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a very beautiful, empowering experience. Even though you may feel like a blimp some days, you will love looking back at the photos of your body and how it took on this new form to nurture a tiny person. Treating yourself to a maternity session is like a prenatal massage and pedicure – it brings out your inner glow at a time where clothes don’t fit right and you can’t tie your own shoes. It gives your inner goddess a chance to shine!
Labor
Put out of your head the idea of paparazzi bulbs flashing away as the doctor is coaching you through those final moments. The reality is having a photographer there was one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
For starters, once your baby decides it’s time, the last thing on your mind is capturing the process for posterity. The reality is that beautiful things are happening around you while you are in labor. There is tremendous awe in being able to see those moments in time that go by in a blur: the squeeze of a hand in comfort, the emotional ebb and flow of labor, and that parental joy as a new life is welcomed into the world.
A professional photographer with experience shooting births has an eye for those details easily overlooked but tremendously rewarding when you’re able to look back and realize you have those pictures. The best photographers know when to stay in the background, let the process play out so you don’t even realize they’re there, and deliver the stunning shots that bring you to tears of joy with every viewing.
Newborn
This is where pre-planning is most important. By the time you get home with your newborn, there are so many things happening at once – new car seats, figuring out feedings, sleeplessness and juggling the stream of family and friends coming to see your little one. A newborn session will seem like one more thing to think about. The reality is, like the pregnancy and birth, these first days are the moments that fly by in a blur, but they take on an extra special meaning when you look how small those tiny feet were or how your baby fit perfectly in the crook of your arm.
The key, then, is to have your photographer picked out ahead of time and a general idea of what you’re looking for in terms of a photography session.
Ideally, the newborn session should be scheduled in the first one or two weeks. They love to snuggle into warm hats and swaddles. While there may seem to be too much going on, this is the best time to capture their first images. For a family portrait with the infant, it may be best to wait a few months. At that point, the child is more engaged and responsive to smiles, and it gives you a chance to look more like yourself.
What to Look for In a Photographer
The absolutely most important thing when choosing a photographer: Do you click? If you can, try to meet your photographer before your session either over the phone or in person. This is your life, your family, your memories.
Hiring a photographer that is more than just someone behind a camera is essential to capturing those subtle, intimate moments that go in to a family’s growth. Connecting with a photographer on a one-to-one basis means having somebody there who understands your needs, comprehends the subtleties that come with different families, and can work with you to best document the joy called parenthood.