Leslie contacted the studio at the end of her second trimester to learn about our studio maternity sessions. While chatting with Caroline (our dedicated full time studio manager), they discovered they’d both gotten married at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head and had the same wedding planer! It really is such a small world. Caroline filled her in on our studio COVID precautions and what to expect with the entire experience. After Leslie reviewed the information with her husband, Jordan, they booked their studio maternity session!
THE BOOKING PROCESS
Caroline, our studio manager, sent over all their session paperwork. Everything is securely handled online through a very efficient and simple process. After Leslie remitted it, their date was was locked into our calendar! Caroline 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 with her for the best fitting experience, The studio is located on the Beltline right next to two.urban.licks and Billy Boy. It’s very close to Ponce City Market, and is really easy to get to! We have free lot parking as well as plenty of street parking if the lot happens to be full.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR MATERNITY FITTING
Your maternity fitting to will be scheduled to take place 1-2 weeks before your session! We do this so you have some time to make your final decisions and to coordinate other outfits for your partner and/or other children. Your belly is not likely to grow enough in two weeks to not be able to fit in your final choices. If you have your hear set on a dress that is tight at your fitting, I will have you go ahead choose a backup option just in case it doesn’t fit you on your session date as an insurance policy! Maternity clients choose up to two looks for all locations except the mountain which is limited to one look due to ranger restrictions on what can be carried up to the top.
Using the studio wardrobe for your session is not required. About 95% of our clients do choose to borrow from it, since it’s a great way to eliminate purchasing clothing you might only wear once. Even if you choose not to borrow from the wardrobe, looking through it can be great for inspiration!
Even if you are planning to wear your own clothing for your session with me, I still strongly encourage you to come in to the studio for a short visit and bring your options with you! If you just can’t swing an in person visit, let’s schedule a virtual meeting on Zoom or FaceTime! Meeting in advance of your session allows us to get to know each other a little bit and you will feel much more at ease in front of my camera at your session from the start.
Leslie lives 90 minutes away from the studio so it was a bit of a drive for her! I’m always humbled by how many of our clients drive from up to 2 hours away or fly in from other states for sessions with me.
Leslie 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 she said “I trust your judgement, so I’ll try anything on that you hand over!” She did want to show her belly in some of the photos, so I pulled several options for her to consider.
If you’re on the petite or taller side and are concerned we won’t have anything that will fit you, you should know that I have dressed female clients ranging in heights from 4’10” to 6’3” and size 00-16. Leslie tried each of the options that I had pulled for her and I snapped photos of her in each with her iPhone so she could look at them later with her husband and narrow down her final choices. We also discussed what Jordan should wear!
You will not need to decide what you’ll be wearing at your fitting! You’ll email us photos of your final selection(s) at least 4 business days before your session date. That way I can take your options to be cleaned if needed if another client chooses them in the same week. A lot of our studio pieces will fit both pregnant and postpartum moms, so they pull double duty around here! After considering all her favorites, Leslie settled on a stunning ecru v-neck dress with beautiful draping and a white open belly gown with a sweetheart neckline.
EFFICIENCY IS IMPORTANT
A natural light couples maternity session should NOT take 4 hours, and it won’t in my studio. A four hour session is an INSANE length of time to be photographed for a natural light session! Unfortunately I’ve heard from clients who went to other photographers before discovering me that they had to suffer through a needlessly long session.
Nope.
That’s not how I do thing. I’m will not drag your session out while your partner marinates in misery. While I can’t promise your partner is going to LOVE the experience, I can promise you they won’t hate me during or at the end! During your session, I will direct you both by literally telling you what to do and when to do it. I’ll demonstrate as needed too! I’m will let you know what’s going to happen next, and you will never be left standing there awkwardly to figure things out for yourself.
My passion is capturing the emotional connection between my subjects. All the sweet moments and interactions between my couples and family that you have seen in my work is 100% real and not forced.
BUT.
I’'ll be 100% honest, because you deserve transparency. Most of my clients can’t quite get to that romantic yet natural interaction entirely on their own without direction. That’s where I come in as the professional! I will put you exactly where where you should be, tuck stray hairs and adjust clothing if necessary . Then I’ll step back and give you a verbal prompt that will spark the natural interaction. This is when the magic unfolds. (Hint: the verbal prompt is stuff you do alllll the time. You just don’t think to do those everyday normal things when you’re in front of a camera!)
So, leave it to me! You don’t need to know exactly what to do, or how you should stand, or where you should look, or whether you should smile - because I’ll tell you! I will never leave you hanging, and your unique dynamic will be beautifully captured while highlighting the love you have for your new baby on the way.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR NATURAL LIGHT STUDIO MATERNITY SESSION
I already mentioned that my portrait sessions aren’t needlessly drawn out. I allocate an hour in my schedule for natural light (non-newborn) portrait client. When we first get started, it’s very likely that you’ll 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. I’m on your team.
Know that I am just as invested as you are in your session! I frequently photograph 20+ pregnant mamas a month (both in the studio and outdoors), and I’ve been working with pregnant moms for over 8 years at this point. When you book with me, you are choosing to work with someone who is incredibly experienced with maternity portraiture and I will take excellent care of you.
Most of my clients are comfortable and having fun in 10 minutes or so. The first bit is a 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 intentionally have my pregnant clients move around as little as possible. You’re pregnant! Your balance is slightly off from your belly changing your center of gravity, and your feet and back are probably aching a bit at this point. I want to make your session as physically easy for you as possible. We will take breaks for you to drink some water or for your to rest for a minute if you need to!
Leslie arrived to the studio in advance of her session since she had opted to add on our hair and makeup services! She was so excited that we offer this to our clients and that she didn’t have to worry about coordination of anything or her hair and makeup staying put for the 90 minute drive to us. Bonus: our HMUA team is all fully vaccinated and wear PPE during their time with you!
The session with Leslie and Jordan was so much fun. We chatted throughout, getting to know each other, and we created the most beautiful images. As a matter of fact, they had so much fun that they asked to book their newborn session with us on the spot!
If you’re pregnant and thinking about booking a maternity session, YAY! Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is such an exciting and monumental time in your life. I would love for you to contact us to chat about the session experience and how we can serve you! Have you viewed the about me video? It’s a mere 90 seconds of your life. Bonus: no commercials. If you haven’t seen it, you really should - click here to see it. It’s on the older side - I was just a couple months postpartum with my now five year old son when it was filmed, but watching it will give you a really great overview of my philosophy and what I’m like personality wise!
Enjoy a handful of my favorite images from Leslie & Jordan’s studio maternity session below, and check back in a couple of days to meet their baby boy when his newborn session hits the blog!
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.
