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.
Kimberly came in to the studio for a Modern Maternity session at the beginning of her third trimester. She hadn’t done a maternity session with her first baby, and really didn’t want to miss out on the experience with her second. She contacted us as the last minute to see if we had availability the following week that she was off of work, and fortunately, we did!
THE BOOKING PROCESS
Our fine art modern maternity sessions are photographed in our intown Atlanta studio with studio lighting. Natural light is not used, and sessions are scheduled over a 90 minute-2 hour block. In contrast, our natural light (non newborn) portrait sessions are scheduled for a one hour block.
The additional time for modern maternity is to make sure we have plenty of time to adjusting the lighting set up and for you to change between looks. Since we are not reliant on natural light for these, our fine art session start time is more flexible than our natural light studio sessions. We can schedule for evening hours after you’re off of work after 6 PM if that works better for your schedule - but make sure that you won’t be too tired at that time before requesting that.
Currently, we only shoot ONE session daily in the studio to allow for our COVID sanitation protocols. Please don’t put scheduling off until the last minute as we may not have availability for you. 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 to take place between 26-32 weeks of pregnancy. We want you to have a round belly but still be able to move easily before you become physically limited by it. You’ll be moving a LOT during this type of session!
Once you have chosen a session date from our availability, everything is handled online in a secure and streamlined process. We’ll send over a short list of what you should bring along with you to your session and directions to our studio location. We’re located right on the Beltline next to two.urban.licks. We’re just down from Ponce City Market, 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.
WHAT’S NEXT: THE PRE-SESSION CONSULTATION
Why do we schedule a pre-session meeting? Because over the past 8 years we 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 comfortable right out of the gate on their session day because I’m not a total stranger they’ve just met for the first time! This is definitely the case for fine art maternity where you may be wearing next to nothing for part or most of it.
We will meet in advance of your session - either in person here at the studio or virtually via Zoom or FaceTime. Many of our clients that drive to us from quite the distance (90+ minutes) and sometimes from the neighboring states of Florida, the Carolinas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, so a face to face meeting isn’t always possible! Clients bring along a bag full of their own things to wear, and our studio has a limited wardrobe of fitted 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 completely complimentary to our booked clients! If you choose to schedule a meeting in the studio with me, you’ll be able to see and try on our pieces. If you’re planning on wearing anything of your own, you’ll bring these with you as well. I will design your session flow based on your chosen looks.
During our time together, we will discuss your vision for your maternity session. My clients have a whole host of preferences and desires when it comes to what types of images they want. I have clients who really want 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. Some 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 HUSBAND/CHILDREN PARTICIPATE?
While the majority of our clients choose to be the only participant for their fine art maternity sessions, your partner is more than welcome. As you can see here, Kimberly included her partner and toddler son. Children can be included in a couple of images but should only be present in the studio for the time they are in photos. Because of all the specialized equipment that is set up and the length of the session, it’s not possible for them to be here in the studio for the entire session. Some families who want a family focused maternity session find our natural light sessions to be a better fit for their vision once they chat with us about the differences between the two types.
YOUR FINE ART MATERNITY SESSION: WHAT TO EXPECT
I’ve been photographing pregnant women for over 8 years now and LOVE my job. When you arrive to the studio for your session, everything in the studio will already be set up and ready to go! All your outfits will be lined up and ready to go with the tailored flow that I created during your pre session consult. There’s no wondering what to put on or wasted time in my studio.
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 also coach you on your facial expressions! 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.
If you have never done a session with studio lighting, it will may feel intimidating at first. My lighting is on wheeled stands with large modifiers on boom arms. Once you’ve gotten used to everything, it won’t take you long to start having fun and feeling like a model! After the first lighting set, you’ll find that you get into your groove and you’ll naturally know what to do from my prompts or adjustments.
We will take breaks throughout for you to get some water, a snack, bathroom break, or just to rest for a minute. If you need anything, all you have to do is say the word. We’ll pick right back up where we left off.
Kimberly looked absolutely gorgeous and was excited to get started when we arrived. We created some beautiful gorgeous images with a mix of her pieces and studio wardrobe pieces. She brought her own non-maternity jeans a black turtleneck bodysuit, and used studio pieces for the rest of her looks. We also photographed some beautiful bare belly and topless images with strategic hand placement, but those images have not been included here. I never post nude or implied nude client images without permission!
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER YOUR SESSION
Once your proof gallery is ready, you’ll review the images and make decisions! One of the images will be fully edited for you as a sample so you can know what to expect with your final gallery. 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 personal opinion that the modern maternity / fine art editorial photography style is most powerful in black and white imagery. However, your selected final images will come in both color and black and white versions for you!
Most of our 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 photography) or put them all into a beautiful heirloom album to treasure.
If you’re considering a maternity session to celebrate your pregnancy, YAY! Firstly, a HUGE congratulations to you!!! This is such an incredibly special and sacred time in your life, and it’s such an honor to photograph mamas expecting their first, second, third, or seventh child.
I would absolutely love for you to contact us to chat about your vision and what we can offer you. 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 Kimberly’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.
