Shooting your own maternity series
Posted on April 5, 2011
Filed Under Lexia Frank, Photos | 4 Comments
Although I wanted maternity photos of my pregnancy when I was pregnant with our firstborn, it never happened. I took a couple of shots, but it is SO HARD taking photos of yourself, especially when you just don’t really know what to do, or how to do it.
When we found out we were pregnant with our second child, we were determined to do a better job documenting this process. Inspired by the maternity series that Ryan of Pacing the Panic Room did for his wife, Cole, I set out to document my own pregnancy week by week.
Don’t feel like you need a studio to get a nice crisp look. Want to know where I photographed my series? In my living room!
I took our photographs off the walls for the six months we shot the series, used the window light from the window on the right, two off-camera flashes set up behind me to illuminate the white wall to get the high-key ‘blown out’ look, and a reflector to throw just a little more light on my face. Sometimes my husband snapped the photos for me, but other times I had to set up a tripod, manual focus on an object, move it out of the way, step in its place, and set the timer to go off at intervals so I could get a whole series of photos without having to keep going back to my camera.
I used Photoshop to merge two images of myself together, so I could have profile and head-on shots, and then I overlaid text on the image to write a journal entry to my baby. The post processing was a little time-consuming and sometimes a little advanced for a novice Photoshopper, but your maternity series doesn’t need to have so much post processing work. It would be so easy to just have one image (versus merging the two) and just overlaying text.
I also threw my own twist on the series by photographing the size of my tummy each week with a measuring tape. It was so fun to see the physical representation of growth (and some weeks non-growth!) week by week. I think there are so many great ways you could document a pregnancy in a series format. Just be creative!
Tips on photographing yourself or someone else who is pregnant:
The profile is what it’s all about. Avoid shooting head on as it is not always evident that the woman is actually pregnant. If you must shoot head on, make sure to light the tummy from the side (versus the front). That will help create a more rounded look to the tummy.
I’m usually a fan of getting low and shooting from different perspectives, but in this case, avoid shooting from “under” the tummy with your lens pointed upwards. This angle can make the tummy seem ultra-large in comparison with your subject’s head… eeks! You can imagine this results in some pretty scary looking pictures. If you want a different angle, try shooting from above instead!
If you want to get shots of your subject laying down on her back, just remember that gravity will make the tummy less visible. Have her push her tummy out for a few seconds while you get the shot. Just make sure your pregnant subject is okay. It’s super uncomfortable to do that for more than a few seconds at a time!
There are certain poses and photographs that may be popular right now but might not stand the test of time. Avoid cliché and overdone poses like the heart shaped hands and letter blocks spelling out the baby’s name in color while the rest of the photograph is in black and white. Both of which, I might add, I did for myself when I was pregnant the first time. Now, when I look back at those photos, I see first the ‘cliché’ instead of the actual beauty of pregnancy. Simple is always, always better; less is always more.
Shoot earlier rather than later- you want to be able to print your photographs for the nursery, create an album for your baby, and show them off before you actually have your baby! Newborn pictures then take center stage and sometimes your maternity photos can get swept under the rug. Also, if you wait too long, there may not be any pregnancy left to photograph… you never know when that baby is coming! I generally photograph my pregnant mamas at month 7 to 8 to make sure they are visibly very pregnant but not uncomfortable or pushing the time limit on the big countdown clock.
When my cousin (who also happens to be one of my greatest friends) and her husband got pregnant nine months ago it was so great to be able to follow her maternity series and feel like I was right there with her. I feel so much more connected to her and her new little baby (JUST born!) even though she’s across the country. You see, not only do these series’ create a greater connection to your own baby, but it allows other people to join in the celebration and support group you’ll need. Although it was really, REALLY hard to take time out each and every week to do this, it was so worth it to spend that time focusing on the new little life. Just a couple hours a week, and it brought me so much closer to my unborn baby. That is what this is really all about, isn’t it? Creating a bond with your child, creating documentation, creating a series that you and your child can look back on. The internet (with it’s opinions and judgments) need not partake in any part of your own maternity series. It’s really just for you. Although, I will admit, publishing it to my blog every week and knowing that people were waiting for it to go up was a big motivator. I knew I couldn’t slack off because I had expectations to meet other than my own and my baby’s.
Finally, I just thought I’d leave you with THIS beautiful image we captured last week… it almost gives me baby fever!
To see Lexia’s maternity series in its entirety, click HERE.
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Lexia Frank is owner of SugarLeaf Photography, and blogs at Kissing Tree.org.
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I have yet to see a cuter pregnant woman. Love this series and your clothing! Thanks for sharing as always!
Ahhh, i totally love this. Cutest thing ever indeed, and i could feel the connection she had through her photos
Absolutely loved this. Really enjoyed going through each week of the series- what a wonderful idea and special gift it will be when you share that with your child. You mentioned using photoshop, do you know or suggest any free programs/software/online sites that is similar? I have been wanting to overlay text (similar to how you do all funky, fancy, and creative) to images and print them out as gifts or to put up around the house, but haven’t quite figured out how.
Sarah
Sarahkatherine- thank you so much! you know, i actually dont know of any other programs out there that are similar to Photoshop, mainly just because i have photoshop so i’ve never had to use anything else. Because i have never used anything else, i wouldnt feel right about endorsing a random product! but i do know that Photoshop Elements is significantly less expensive, and if you need to use it (or the full version of photoshop) you can download the trial that lasts for 30 days. good luck!