Congratulations!! Thank you for scheduling your maternity session with me! Here is some info for our session to help answer any questions you may have.
Maternity sessions are best scheduled between 28-35 weeks. Before 28 weeks, your belly may not be big enough yet, and after 35 weeks, you may be too uncomfortable to deal with a photo session, or baby might arrive earlier than expected.
Maternity sessions are up to 1 hour, sometimes more, sometimes less. Sessions without children/family tend to go faster.
Outdoors vs In-Studio:
The choice of outdoors vs. in-studio is completely a personal preference.
Outdoor sessions can offer more diverse settings & changes of scenery. They can also be hard to work with as we have to deal with weather, the sun, and possibly other bystanders. I also insist on only shooting outdoor sessions during golden hour (the hour before sunset), for optimal lighting, which may not work for families with small children who go to sleep early.
If you've scheduled an outdoor session, I will let you know our location a few days ahead of time. If we have inclement weather on the day of our session, I will let you know a couple hours beforehand whether we will need to reschedule. We will find another mutually agreed upon date to reschedule, OR if you are ok with moving the session indoors, we can do the photos at my studio.
In-Studio sessions can allow for a more fine art look, with high fashion and/or nude maternity, more use of props, accessories, fans, and overall more dramatic looks. We do not have to contend with weather, crowds, or the sun. I will let you know the address of my home studio the week before our session.
Clothes:
For Mom-to-be : Our session can consist of casual & formal attire. I recommend you arrive in one outfit, and we change into another. We will have enough time for an outfit change or two.
Some outdoor outfit ideas could be:
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coordinated family outfits of your choosing, casual or formal attire. Here is a link to my outfit guide on Pinterest for suggestions on how to coordinate your family's outfits. https://pin.it/qzglq3yjz6hvt3
Some In-studio outfit ideas could be:
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jeans & white shirts (either t-shirts or button down; & non-maternity jeans unbuttoned);
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booty shorts/underwear/bodysuit, with boots, and/or a jacket or men's button down shirt;
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nude (please let me know if you are comfortable with nudity. I find nude maternity very beautiful & elegant, we can accessorize with fabrics, jewelry, hats, and other things to provide a fine art look.)
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coordinated family outfits of your choosing, casual or formal attire
Here is a link to see the dresses I have: Maternity Dresses. I will provide all maternity clients access to my Maternity dress collection. Please let me know ahead of time which dresses you would be interested in.
Important Notes:
Coordinated outfits does not mean everyone has to wear the exact same outfit, but you should look like you all cohesively go together.
Please no graphics on t-shirts, no large logos, no distracting prints or patterns, mismatched colors. Neutrals, and coordinating colors work nicely.
If we are outdoors for our session, and bathrooms are unavailable, I have a pop-up changing tent we can use.
Your spouse/partner will be my assistant in helping me with any dress tossing, so perhaps let them know they may have to throw a dress in the air a few dozen times (Hey, they owe you this!! You are carrying their child after all!)
Please arrive to our session with your hair & makeup ready.
P.S. Don't forget about nails! Many photos involve hands, so make sure nails are clean, and no chipped nail polish. This goes for your spouse/partner, and children also... hands will be on your belly!
Dress Buy Back- If you prefer to purchase your own dress for your session, by all means, go ahead! I have a few preferred vendors: Silk Fairies Maternity has gorgeous & dramatic dresses, but you need to be sure to purchase ahead of time as she makes them all herself - orders can take a couple of weeks. Another preferred vendor is Chicaboo, who has a more limited selection, but the dresses are lovely, and they ship fast! (orders usually arrive within a few days). If you purchase your own dress that I approve of, I offer a 50% buy back print credit (I will offer you 50% the amount you paid for your dress, and apply it towards a print credit. This credit can be used towards prints only, and cannot be applied towards digital products.
If you have any other questions, please let me know! I look forward to our session together! I will be in touch with any details pertaining to our session.
With all my heART,
Melissa