Celeste contacted us at the end of her second trimester to ask about booking a studio maternity session. We filled her in on our studio COVID precautions and after speaking with us, and reviewing the information, she proceeded to book her maternity session.
THE BOOKING PROCESS
Because Celeste and her husband were working from home, they were able to make a weekday work for their schedule. We had no more weekend availability left for the next couple of months since Celeste had waited until the last minute to book her maternity session.
Caroline, our studio manager, sent over all the session paperwork. Everything is securely handled online through a very efficient and simple process. After Celeste completed that, her date was was locked into our calendar. We then scheduled her maternity fitting to take place about 2 weeks before her session and sent over a directions and a short list of what she should bring along to the fitting, Our studio is located on the Beltline right next to two.urban.licks and Billy Boy. It’s just a short distance away from Ponce City Market, and is really easy to get to! We have free lot parking as well as street parking if our lot happens to be at capacity.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR MATERNITY FITTING
We schedule your maternity fitting to take place 1-2 weeks before your sessions! This ensures you have ample time to make your final decisions and to pull together the other outfits for your partner and/or other children. Your baby shouldn’t grow enough in two weeks to not be able to fit in your final choices. If you fall in love with a dress that is tight, you will choose a backup option just in case it doesn’t fit when on your session date. Better to be safe than sorry! Our clients can choose up to two looks.
Using our studio wardrobe is absolutely not required. Roughly 95% of our clients choose to borrow from it as it’s a great way to minimize clothing purchases that you’ll probably only wear once. Even if you choose not to borrow from the wardrobe, looking through it can be great for inspiration. Bonus: the majority of our maternity clients also find what they want to wear for their newborn session.
Even if a client is planning to wear their own clothing, I still strongly encourage them to come in to the studio for a short visit and bring their options along for me to see beforehand. This allows us to meet each other and get to know each other a little bit! Clients who make the time for a studio visit and meet with me prior to getting in front of my camera are much more at ease from the beginning because I’m not a complete stranger.
When Celeste came in for her fitting, she was so excited to see the number of options available to her in the wardrobe. I asked about her preferences as far as color and style, and pulled several options for her to consider. If you’re on the shorter or taller side and are concerned we won’t have anything, you need to know that I have outfitted women ranging in heights from 4’10” to 6’3” and size 00-16. Celeste tried each of the options that I had pulled for her and her husband, Sam, snapped photos with his iPhone for her to look at later and narrow down her final choices. We also discussed what Sam should wear, and I let them know a general idea of what to expect at their upcoming session.
You don’t need to decide right away what you’ll be wearing at your fitting. You’ll email us photos of your final choices at least 4 business days before your session date. That way we can have your options cleaned if needed if another client wears one of your choices in the same week. Most of our dresses will fit both pregnant and postpartum moms (and even those moms who are several years postpartum!). After considering all her favorites, Celeste ultimately decided on a gorgeous cream v-neck dress with beautiful draping and a fitted blush off the shoulder ruffled gown.
EFFICIENCY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME
A natural light couples or family maternity session should NOT take 4 hours. That’s a crazy length of time to be photographed and unfortunately I’ve heard that it happens a lot…. I’m looking at you engagement photographers. It’s why a lot of my expectant first time dads come in assuming they’re going to hate the entire experience.
Nope.
That’s not how I operate. I’m NOT going to drag this out and make your partner dwell in misery. While I can’t promise your guy is going to love the experience, I can promise you that he won’t hate me. During our time together, I’m going to direct you both and literally tell you what to do and when to do it. I’m going to let you know what’s happening next, and you’re never going to be left standing there awkwardly wondering what the heck is happening.
My primary focus and passion is capturing the emotional connection between my subjects. The interaction between my couples that you have seen on the website and social media is 100% genuine.
BUT. And there is a but.
I’m going to be 100% honest, because you deserve that. Most of my couples can’t quite get to that natural interaction with beautiful posing on their own. But never fear! I do all the work of putting you exactly where where you should to be, tweak hair and clothing where necessary . Then I step back and give a verbal prompt that will spark the natural interaction. This is when the magic unfolds.
So, please don’t be nervous. You don’t have to know what to do, or how to stand, or where to look - because I’m going to tell you. I will never leave you hanging. Your dynamic as a couple is not like any other. Your session SHOULDN’T look like any other maternity session, because what’s the point of cookie cutter photography sessions?
Your session images will beautifully capture your relationship and spotlight the love you have for your new baby on the way. Oh, and mamas? You’ll also look absolutely stunning.
GENERAL FLOW OF A STUDIO MATERNITY SESSION
I already mentioned that sessions aren’t ridiculously long. I set aside an hour for natural light (non-newborn) portrait clients. I want you to know that when we first get started, you’re probably going to feel a little anxious and awkward even though you’ve already met me. You’ve invested the time and effort into this session, and you want it to go well.
So do I.
Know that I’ve got you. I regularly photograph 20+ pregnant mamas a month (studio and outdoor), and I’ve been photographing pregnant moms for 8 years at this point. It’s pretty safe to say that you are with someone who is incredibly experienced with maternity portraiture and will take excellent care of you.
Most of my clients are good to go in 10 minutes or less. The very first little bit is just the warm-up for you to get used to being in front of the camera and following my direction. Once you’re relaxing and having a good time, the real photographing begins.
I purposely have my pregnant clients move around as little as possible. I know that you’re pregnant, your balance is slightly off from your belly, and your feet and back are probably hurting a bit. I want to make it as physically easy for you as possible, and we will take breaks for you to drink some water or just rest for a minute if needed!
The session with Celeste and Sam was so much fun. Celeste was pretty much a natural from the get go in front of the camera, with Sam needing a little more time. Once they started having fun and laughing (which didn’t take long at all with my standup comedy jokes), we created the most beautiful images. You can really see the love and tenderness that Sam has for Celeste, and I just love that.
If you’re reading this and considering booking a maternity session, YAY! Firstly, CONGRATS!!! ::throws all the confetti:: This is such an amazing time in your life. I would love for you to contact us to chat about how we can serve you.
Enjoy a handful of my favorite images from Celeste & Sam’s studio maternity session below!
PS: Have you watched the video about me on our website? It’s just 90 seconds of your life. Bonus: no commercials. If you haven’t, you really should - click here to see it. It’s on the older side - I was only a couple months postpartum with my now five year old son when it was created, but watching it will give you a really great overview of my philosophy and what I’m like!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
