I first worked with Stephanie and Ben when they were expecting their son a few years ago, and was thrilled to hear from them that they were expecting a little girl and wanted to book another maternity session! Their first maternity session was at the park in the month of November on one of the COLDEST days that month. This session was late summer, and was such on such a lovely warm day. If you want to see the images from their first maternity session, just click here!
THE BOOKING PROCESS
Because Stephanie had contacted us early on, we were able to schedule a weekend date for their maternity session. I fill up MONTHS in advance, so it’s the truth that the sooner you contact us the better your chances of getting the date you’re hoping for!
If I am fully booked for weekends already, my clients plan to leave work earlier on a weekday. Weeknight sessions have a pretty big perk: your location will be much less crowded! Please note that ALL of our outdoor sessions take place about one hour before sunset and sometimes we offer sunrise sessions at certain times of year (mostly in August/September when the sunrise is 7:30 AM or later). If you want to know when your session would start, simply do a Google search for “sunset time on X date in Atlanta” and voila! Subtract an hour, and you’ll have your general start time! If you’re booking a sunrise session, we will meet up at your location about 5 minutes before sunrise!
Caroline, our studio manager, emailed over Stephanie’s session documents to her. The entire booking process is very streamlined and handled securely online! Our booking process has been described more times than we can count as a “well oiled machine” and we very proud of that. It’s our goal to serve our clients well and to make everything as easy as possible for them.
After Stephanie remitted her paperwork, her date was officially locked into our calendar. We scheduled her maternity fitting to take place about 2 weeks before her session date and sent a short list of what she should bring along with her.
THE MATERNITY FITTING
Your maternity fitting is scheduled 1-2 weeks before your session date! This ensures you have plenty of time to decide what to wear and to pull together the other outfits for your partner and/or children. Your belly shouldn't grow too much in two weeks to not be able to fit into your choices. If you try on a dress that BARELY fits and are absolutely in love with it, we’ll have you choose a backup option for it just in case it doesn’t fit you anymore in two weeks.
Using our studio wardrobe is not at all required! Roughly 95% of our clients do choose to borrow from it! If you are able to, I strongly recommend that all clients (even those who are planning to wear their own clothing) come in to see me in advance of their session so that we are able to meet each other. If you can’t make the time to come by the studio, virtual options are available via Zoom or FaceTime! Clients who have spent some time with me prior to stepping in front of my camera are much more at ease because I’m not a total stranger they’ve just met for the first time.
When Stephanie came in for her fitting, she commented on how many dresses we had compared to the last session from a few years prior. It’s true - I have a LOT and it’s constantly growing. Because I had already worked with her, I knew what her style preferences and favorite colors were (as well as what would look incredible on her skin tone!), so I had a few already pulled for her to consider.
You DON’T have to decide at your maternity fitting what you’ll be wearing for your session. You will need to submit your final choices in at least 4 business days before your session date. This lead time allows us to have your selections dry cleaned in time if another client wears one of your choices in the same week. The majority of our dresses will fit both pregnant and postpartum moms (and even those moms who are several years postpartum!). After looking at all her options and showing her husband the photos from her phone, Stephanie decided on a short cream dress and a gorgeous dusky pink gauze dress.
MATERNITY SESSIONS WITH KIDS: WHAT TO EXPECT
I always shoot my sessions efficiently, because an outdoor couples or family maternity session should NOT take 4 hours. When a young child is involved with a session, it’s even MORE important to not have a long session because they just cannot handle it. Four hours is an insane length of time to shoot a standard outdoor natural light portrait session. This will not be like your engagement photos that were probably unnecessarily dragged out for hours. Honestly, previous sessions with other photographers that tortured them with hours of shooting is why a lot of first time dads to be show up to sessions with me assuming they’re going to hate the entire experience. Nope. Dragging it out is not how I roll.
Instead, I’m going to guide you throughout our entire time together. I will literally instruct you what to do and when to do it, and I’ll do it efficiently but you won’t feel rushed. My focus is on the emotional connection between you and your partner/child(ren. The interaction between subjects that you see in my images is 100% authentic.
I’ll be 100% honest: most of my subjects can’t quite get to this place on their own unless they have worked with me before. I do the initial work of getting you positioned where I want you, adjust your hair and clothing if necessary. THEN I’ll give you a simple and easy to follow prompt that sparks that natural interaction. Small children don’t follow direction well (or at all!), so I just let them be themselves and you’ll interact with them just as you normally would. There is ZERO formal posing where everyone has to be perfectly stiff for twenty eternal seconds - let’s face it, that is just NOT possible (or realistic) with kids!
Once you’re relaxed and have gotten in the zone, the magic begins. You don’t need to be nervous about not knowing what to do. Your dynamic with your family is unique, and it SHOULDN’T look like every other session out there. I don’t operate like a cookie cutter. Your session will show your family loving and being with each other the way that YOU do, while highlighting the beauty of your pregnancy.
MATERNITY SESSION FLOW
I already mentioned that your session won't be be dragged out. I allot an hour for outdoor portraits - and once the sun is gone, we’re done, so it’s important to be on time. While I do shoot efficiently and can do so at hyper speed if needed, I cannot keep the sun from setting.
You are probably going to be a bit nervous when we get started. You might also feel a bit awkward too. This is 100% normal, and it will dissipate, I promise! I regularly shoot 20+ maternity sessions per month (studio and outdoor), and I’ve been photographing pregnant moms for over 9 years now, so I’ve got you taken care of!
Most of my clients are able to really relax in 10 minutes or less. The photos taken at the very beginning often don’t make it into your final proof gallery. The very first little bit is intended as your warm-up so you to get used to being in front of the camera and following my direction! Once I can see that you’re relaxed and starting to actually have fun, THAT is when the magic happens and we start getting the keepers for your proof gallery!
I have my pregnant moms move around as little as possible, and my session flow is structured around them. When you’re pregnant, you’re often sore, your hips and feet might be hurting, and there’s just no need to drag you all over the place. Instead, partners are the ones who will step in and out of the frame at my direction. Breaks are taken as needed for you to drink some water or just take a breather for a moment!
We started out our session in the most gorgeous late summer sunset light, and I spent some time photographing Stephanie solo and pulling in the rest of the family for some images from time to time. Warner was a ball of energy and running around all over the place, which I loved. He was fun, and silly, and we really captured his true personality in the family images, which is always the goal.
If you’re reading this and considering booking a maternity session with me, YAY! Firstly, a GIANT congrats!!! This is such an incredibly special time in your life! It is my honor to photograph couples expecting their first, second, third, or seventh child, and I would love for you to contact us to chat.
Have you watched the video on our website that covers our whole process and who we are? If you haven’t, check it out - you can click here to see it. It’s a quick 90 seconds of your time, and will provide a great overview of what it’s like to work with me. Bonus: you’ll actually get to see my entire face in the video unlike when you’re with me due to my wearing amask! ;)
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from this family’s park maternity session below!
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.
