Modern Maternity sessions (as shown in this blog post) are offered through Illume Maternity! Please visit www.illumematernity.com if you are interested in exploring this type of session for your maternity portraits.
Emily came in to the studio for a Modern Maternity session at the beginning of her third trimester. She added on hair and makeup services, which we highly recommend for the ultimate luxury experience AND for the best photos!
Makeup for this type of session is best applied by a skilled professional who has professional experience and comprehensive understanding of studio light and editorial work. PLEASE don’t trust your makeup look to a retail counter makeup employee or ask a friend who is “pretty good” to do it, or worse, try to recreate a look on a YouTube tutorial.
If there was ever a time to have your hair and/or makeup done (next to your wedding!), this is most definitely it. Our HMUA team is absolutely incredible, talented, personable… and made up of amazing women with LOTS of experience working on production/commercial sets. You should know that they are skilled with all skin tones - including women of color.
ATLANTA FINE ART MODERN MATERNITY PHOTOS | the booking process
Our fine art modern maternity sessions are photographed in my intown Atlanta studio with studio lighting located right by Ponce City Market. I do not use natural light for this type of session, and I block off 2 hours for your session. In contrast, my natural light (non newborn) portrait sessions are scheduled for a one hour block and no studio lighting is used.
So why 2 hours vs. 1? The larger time block for modern maternity is to allow plenty of time for adjusting the lighting set up and for our mamas to change between looks. I don’t want you to feel rushed!
For those of you who want to know what time of day we schedule these sessions because you’re not sure you can get a day off of work - I’ve got great news for you! Because we are not relying on natural light, our modern maternity session start time is way more flexible than our natural light studio sessions. We can schedule for the evening hours after you’re off of work if that works better for your schedule. My only caution is to make sure that you will not be tired and potentially swollen at the end of your day.
At this current time due to the ongoing pandemic, we only shoot ONE studio session per day. This is to allow for our COVID sanitation protocols. So, please don’t delay scheduling your session until the last minute because we may not have availability for you. We book very quickly and well in advance - I currently already have milestone portrait sessions scheduled on my calendar for February and March of 2022 to give you an idea!
Most of our clients reach out to us when they’re right at the end of their first trimester/beginning of their second trimester to schedule their session. We will schedule your session to take place between 26-32 weeks of pregnancy. This will vary depending on if you’re carrying one baby or twins, your height, etc. We want you to have a round belly but still be able to move well before you become physically limited by it - especially because you’ll be moving a LOT during our time together.
Once you have chosen a session date from our available dates, everything else is handled online in a secure and streamlined process. We’ll send you a list of what you should bring along with you to your session (you will likely have most, if not all of it already!) and directions to our studio location. We’re located right on the Beltline next to two.urban.licks, and our studio is SUPER easy to get to! There is a free lot parking available as well as street parking if the lot is full.
THE PRE-SESSION CONSULTATION
So, why do I schedule a pre-session meeting with you? Over the past 8 years I have found that clients who have spent some time with me (face to face or virtually!) before stepping in front of my camera are much more relaxed right out of the gate on their session day. This is because I’m not a total stranger they’ve just met for the first time! Depending on your vision for your images, you may be wearing next to nothing for part or most of it, so it’s imperative that you feel comfortable.
We will schedule a time to meet in advance of your session. This meeting will either be in person here at the studio OR virtually via Zoom or FaceTime. When making your decision, you should know that I am fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, and I wear an N95 mask during all client appointments and sessions regardless of whether my clients are also vaccinated.
We have a ton of clients that drive to us from quite the distance (90+ minutes) from the neighboring states of Florida, the Carolinas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, so I realize that an in person meeting isn’t always possible, and that’s totally ok.
If we are doing an in-person meeting, clients bring along a bag full of their own things to wear, and our studio has a limited wardrobe of bodycon dresses and crop tops, bodysuits that can accommodate a pregnant belly, bandeau bras, and tulle gowns. We also have beautiful Italian silk fabrics for draping and tossing in mostly neutral colors should you choose to incorporate that, as well as some stunning blush pink feather angel wings. Usage of the studio wardrobe is totally complimentary to you! If you choose to schedule an in person meeting with me, you’ll be able to see and try on our pieces. You’ll bring along clothing of your own as well, and we’ll design your session flow together based on the chosen looks we put together.
During our pre-session consult, we will discuss your vision for your maternity session at length. My clients vary with their preferences and desires when it comes to the images they want to create. Some clients love fine art nudes/implied nudes mixed in with strategic hand placement covering the breasts, and others prefer to be clothed the entire time with just the belly showing. Other clients really love the look of fabric draping and want to incorporate a few of those, and others don’t. The choice is yours!
CAN MY PARTNER/CHILDREN PARTICIPATE?
Your partner is more than welcome! Children can be included in a couple of images but should only be present in the studio for the time they are in photos. The focus of these sessions are primarily on mom, so we will have them arrive towards the end of the session in the last 30 minutes. Because of all the specialized and extremely heavy equipment that is set up and the length of the session, it’s not possible (or safe) for them to be here in the studio for the entire session. Most families who want a family focused maternity session find our natural light sessions to be a better fit.
YOUR FINE ART MATERNITY SESSION: WHAT TO EXPECT
I’ve been photographing pregnant women for over 8 years now and I truly LOVE my job. When you arrive to the studio for your maternity session, you’ll change into a robe that you’ve brought with you and you’ll be prepped by one of our amazing HMUA’s if you’ve chosen to add on services like Emily did. Everything in the studio will already be set up and ready to go, so we’ll get started as soon as you’re finished by getting changed into your first outfit. All your outfits will be lined up and ready to go with the roadmap that we created during your pre session consult so there’s no wondering what to put on or wasted time.
If you’re feeling a bit nervous, please don’t stress! I will walk you through everything during your session - from how and where to stand, to how much to tilt your head, and I’ll coach you on your facial expressions if needed. Our modern maternity/fine art sessions lean towards what I like to call “power” posing. You will look confident, strong, graceful, and beautiful. Mothers are a force to be reckoned with, and these images are going to combine that strength with the beauty and femininity of your pregnancy. If you’re having difficulty being verbally coached with facial expressions, I’ll whip out one of my clear masks so you can see my entire face for demonstration purposes! I promise that you will never be left to awkwardly figure out what to do next.
You should know that if you’ve never had a session with studio lighting, it will most likely feel intimidating at first and that it’s normal to feel nervous! My lighting is on wheeled stands with large modifiers on boom arms. Once you’ve gotten used to it, you’ll start having fun and feeling like a model!
We will take breaks throughout for you to hydrate, eat a snack, take bathroom break, or sit down for a minute. If you need anything at all, all you have to do is let me know. We’ll pick right back up whenever you’re ready to resume! Your comfort is of ut
Emily looked absolutely STUNNING with her hair and makeup, and was so excited to get started. We created some absolutely gorgeous images with a mix of her pieces and studio wardrobe pieces. She brought her own non-maternity jeans and white tank top, and the rest came from our studio wardrobe!
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER YOUR SESSION
Once your proof gallery is ready, we’ll review the images and you’ll make decisions! One of the images will be fully edited for you as a sample so you can know what to expect. We’ll discuss your specific retouching requests (our most common requests are for stretch mark removal and for very slight body slimming in certain areas).
It is my opinion that modern maternity / fine art editorial photography images mostly look best in black and white. However, you get the best of both worlds because your selected final images will come in both color and black and white versions for you!
Most of our clients end up ordering their favorite image for a piece of wall art (metal and acrylic prints are a favorite for this type of image) or put them all into a stunning heirloom album.
If you’re considering a maternity session for yourself, YAY! Firstly, a GIANT congratulations to you!!! This is such a wonderful and incredibly special time in your life. It is such an honor to photograph pregnant mamas expecting their first, second, third, or seventh child and create beautiful images to cherish for a lifetime and pass down through generations.
I would absolutely love for you to contact us to chat about your vision and the services we offer! We can chat about whether a fine art modern maternity session with studio lighting is the right fit for you vs. our natural light sessions, and answer any questions you have!
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from Emily’s modern maternity session below! Isn’t she absolutely gorgeous?!
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.
