Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you’re spending it with people you love. I decided to share one of my favorite fall maternity sessions with one of the sweetest couples in honor of it!
When Julianne contacted us, she let us know that she was actually the aunt of three newborns that had passed through my studio in the past four years. Her most recent niece had just come through, and she absolutely loved all of their photos. She told us she couldn’t imagine going anywhere else based on what she had heard about the experience from her brother and sister-in-law and knew she would be coming to us whenever she started a family. That day had come, and she chose to book maternity and newborn together. For her maternity session, she chose the park as her location and we scheduled a time for her to come into the studio to try on dresses.
The day of her maternity fitting, her sister-in-law let me know that she would be stopping by to pick up her newborn collection order. As luck would have it, Julianne arrived shortly after Kate did and we all chatted for a bit. Kate left, and Julianne and I started going through the pieces. We had fun looking through everything and I pulled items that I knew would look great with her skin tone and body type. My first consideration is always the color of the dress with a client’s skin tone. Secondary to that is how it fits. If a dress is too big we can often clamp it and resize it that way! Our studio wardrobe has a wide range of sizes from 0-14/16 and accommodates all heights - we have dressed 4’10” to 6’2” female clients for sessions! After trying on several pieces, she chose a gorgeous nude dress with a lace overlay and a simple pale pink dress. We discussed what her husband, Taylor could wear from his own wardrobe too. When you come in for a maternity fitting we’ll discuss that together, but the nutshell version: keep your partner true to HE is and respect his style preferences. He’s part of the session and we want him to feel comfortable too, not like an imposter wearing something he felt forced into.
The day of their session, we met on a gorgeous and sunny evening, and Taylor looked great in his chinos and pullover sweater. Julianne got dressed in her first dress and Taylor and I chatted a bit about what to expect during the session while she was doing that. Both of them told me that they weren’t really sure what they were doing and were a little nervous, and I reassured them that everyone feels that way! With me, you don’t have to worry about what to do because I will give you clear guidance the WHOLE time. You’ll find that after about 10 minutes you are naturally doing everything you need to, and once you’ve relaxed and start having fun - we get those beautiful and authentic images that show your emotional connection. I get so many clients who tell me that they love the photos they see on the website but “My husband isn’t lovey dovey so I don’t think we’ll get those gorgeous pictures.” Let me tell you something. Most of my clients aren’t “lovey dovey”. But the moments you see are real and not forced. All I do is position my couples in close proximity to each other and give them a prompt, and what unfolds is uniquely them. You cannot fake emotion in photographs, and your love for one another will shine through with those quiet looks and exchanged smiles. I’ve never had a couple not break into a smile when I ask them to think about their baby and what they think they’ll look like! So don’t worry about what to do with your hands or how to stand, or where to look - I’ve got you! :) We’re going to have a blast, just like Julianne, Taylor, and I did.
See for yourself! I can’t wait to share their newborn pictures of their beautiful baby boy on the blog soon.
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.
