What Happens at a Maternity Photo Shoot 

Behind the scenes of a Maternity Photo Shoot with Austhorpe Photography, Leeds. 

Lots of expectant mums arrive at my studio for their maternity shoot feeling both excited and a little nervous. It’s totally understandable and I’m here to ease your nerves. 

The main worries I hear are: “I don’t know how to pose”, “I don’t think the dresses will fit me”, “I have terrible pregnancy acne”, “I won’t look like the mums on your website”. 

I get it. You may have never done anything like this before - a photoshoot isn’t a daily occurrence for most of us - or you possibly have had a shoot before but it was at a totally different stage in your life.  

And now you’re 7 months pregnant and your body has changed beyond recognition but you’re excited and you want to capture this moment and you want beautiful portraits that are empowering and show you as a woman and not just a mother. 

What Happens First 

When you arrive at the studio we will have a chat about your style and your colour preferences. Some mums come armed with screenshots from my website and others are happy for me to do what I think works best. 

Hair and Makeup

You are free to do your own hair and makeup or so I am more than happy to arrange for a hair and makeup artist for an additional charge of £50. 

The camera captures colour differently to how the eye sees it and the use of studio light (as opposed to natural light) will exaggerate this further. It’s something that the makeup artist needs to take into consideration which is why I use makeup artists that have experience in makeup for photo shoots.  

You can have your hair styled any way you like but I usually recommend having it curly/wavy so that we can add volume into it during your shoot using a fan (and a touch of photoshop afterwards) to give a more glamorous overall look. 

The Dresses

While the makeup artist works her magic, I will show you my collection of gorgeous maternity gowns and we can decide which ones we would like to try. I have a range of colours and styles so we are sure to find some that you will love. 

All of my dresses will fit from a size 6/8 up to a size 16/18. They are made from stretchy material so have plenty of room for your bump (and anything else that may have expanded during your pregnancy!). If the dress is a little big in places, I just use clamps to pull it in where needed.

I also have a range of chiffon scarves that I use to create dramatic portraits. 

And I have a collection of maternity sashes which I use to accentuate your curves. 

A beautiful, quality maternity dress can make a mum feel incredible and fill you with confidence which inevitably shows in your photos. That’s why I have invested heavily in building a collection of gowns that my clients can choose from. 

The Shoot 

Once you’re finished in hair and makeup, we will get to work. 

I will pose you, light you and direct you throughout the shoot. My goal is to add shape to your body, highlight your best features and add a little artistic touch to every portrait. 

I ask mums to make micro movements like “bring your chin down a fraction” or “bend your right arm a little more” and, my favourite phrase, “push that elbow back!”. 

If you have a friend/sister/mum who can come with you to your shoot then definitely bring them along - I will rope them into dress tossing! 

After the shoot 

After your shoot I will edit your images using photoshop and deliver them to you within 1 week. 

I won’t need to make dramatic changes to your body because we will have used a combination of flattering poses and lighting during your session to make you look pretty amazing straight out of camera. 

I remove blemishes, smooth your skin a little, add a touch of volume to your hair, fade out any stretch marks and add some shadows and highlights to make the image pop. 

If we used a dress with a train, I will usually exaggerate that a little while editing too. 

You will still look like yourself, just a well rested, pampered version of you. 

If you enjoyed this blog you may also like 10 Third Trimester Must Dos and my Hospital Bag Checklist.