When to book your Maternity shoot: 

The best time during your pregnancy for a maternity portrait session is between 28 and 34 weeks. This is the time when women have a lovely full and round shape. It is also the perfect time when you not will feel uncomfortable in your body and won’t be too bloated as in the very last weeks of your pregnancy. Having your photo session in this time frame would also give you adequate time to select your favorite photos from the session and order the prints before the birth of your baby. 

Where will your Maternity session take place: 

All sessions take place in our beautiful, bright, in-home studio in Niles, IL. In home or outdoors sessions are available for an extra fee. Outdoors location depends on the weather conditions and how comfortable you are with your body and being in public. For more intimate session, we recommend our indoor studio as this gives you privacy, acclimated environments and controlled lighting conditions. Our studio is also equipped with various props, professional lighting, supplies and all resources necessary to capture stunning pregnancy portraits.  
 
For more lifestyle and natural looking images, outdoor locations as parks, open space reserves and urban locations are good choice. You will be seen in public while we photographed although some location offers more privacy than others, but you will have to feel comfortable with the idea.  
 

How long will your Maternity session take: 

These sessions average about 1-1.5 hour long and produce 20-30 images. 

What should I wear on my maternity portrait session?  
 
The basic rule for any portrait session, including maternity is to select and wear comfortable clothing. Feeling uncomfortable believe it or not, would show in your facial expression and body posture and will be recorded in your photographs. Even the most photogenic person feeling uncomfortable would not look good on photos, so plan to wear clothing in which you feel free and good. While comfort is important, the clothing should also allow to show off your baby belly bump. Another thing to consider is wearing lighter clothes which communicate the idea of purity, the beginning of a new life and the magical feeling of a new baby.  
 
Depending on your personal preferences and how modest you could be in front of the camera, there are three levels of clothing we recommend:  
 
 

You are welcome to bring your outfits or use a selection of dresses that we have in studio. 

Selecting the appropriate underwear as part of your maternity photo outfit is important to prevent lines from your undergarments which would show on the final images. Seamless panties and some shape-wear are very useful to smooth out lines from your underwear. If you are for more modest look, wearing a properly fitting bra that completely covers your bust is a good idea to prevent parts of your bust to be exposed and therefore ruining your pictures.  
 

What about wearing accessories or jewelry?  
 
Having accessories that you feel might be fun to try is always a good idea. However, try to keep the jewelry to a minimum as they tend to be distracting for the photo viewers later. Jewelry adds interest to the photographs but too flashy or too massive one becomes the focal point instead of you and your belly. If you are in doubt, just bring them along. The worst thing that could happen is not to use them.  

Tips on hair and makeup preparation?  
 
Makeup should be applied in a light fashion for more and natural look. Applying a light foundation or blush to even out skin tones is perfect for this type of portrait session. Avoid applying too much eyeliner or eye shadow as they tend to appear very dark on your photos later. Make-up should be light and natural looking. Hair should be fixed so you are comfortable with it during the session. We will posing you in different poses so having a stray hair in your face or shoulders would make you constantly clear it away and this tends to be distracting during the photo shoot. You can either go to a stylist before the shoot or fix your hair on your own.  

Useful tips to prepare for the session:  
 
It’s important that you select a day of the week that you and your husband or partner are not having many other events or appointments. Having to rush between events or feeling stressed from a busy day, impacts you negatively and it does show in the final photos. Therefore, is very important not to rush to the session but have plenty of time to prepare and tune into the moment. We recommend to select a day when your husband, partner or kids are most likely to be well rested and feel relaxed. Being well hydrated and eat light snack before the session would also give you plenty of energy during the time we will spend in the studio or outdoors. 

What if you have more questions: 

You can always call, email, or Facebook message with any additional questions you may have and we will respond as soon as possible.