Yesterday I hit 33 weeks! Crazy, right? I really feel like this whole pregnancy has flown by and since the nursery is on track I’m now obsessed with maternity shoots.
Now I’ve seen a lot of really bad shoots. My sisters think it’s a hoot to send me those crazy awkward family type style photo’s and get a good laugh.
With the bad I’ve also seen a lot of pretty ( by searching on my own. 🙂 )and most importantly some jaw dropping beautiful shoots.
Here is my absolute favorite one:
{How cute are they? Pretty much just want to photoshop our faces onto their bodies. Lovely shoot.}
{ A new take on a bump shot}
{Love that there is a mix of black & white images}
{Favorite shot!}
{ Love the outfit change and boat shots}
{Looks like a magazine spread to me. So stunning!}
All of the photos are by Amelia Lyon Photography. You can check out more images of the shoot here. Of course I became obsessed with this shoot as soon as I spotted it on Pinterest and immediately contacted Amelia Lyon to find out where they are located only to sadly find out that they are California based. Boo! Since then I’ve been searching for photographers in the NY area, but have been coming up empty handed. My one dream NY photographer charges dream prices so it’s not going to happen. The hunt continues.
Now a couple of questions for all of the mom’s out there.
1. Did you do a maternity shoot? Love that you did or was it a waste?
2. What price range was your shoot? I know prices range throughout the US, but the type of prices I’m getting quoted for one shoot is close to what I paid for my entire wedding!
3. How pregnant were you when you did the shoot?
4. Do you like the idea of a location based shoot or do you prefer those intimate at home shots with lots of bare bellies?
Any help/advice would be great! Thanks for all of the tips on sleeping from Monday’s post. I’m still waking up, but having a much easier time falling back asleep. Of course it’s been chilly in NY these last couple of days, but I’m still cranking the AC at night. Poor Jon sleeps like an Eskimo every night. 🙂
All images via Amelia Lyon.
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ON THE BLOG
My living room is one of the rooms that evolved drastically from when we first moved one. Originally I painted the walls chocolate brown and did accents of white, blue and orange. That lasted maybe 2 years.
Our dining room sat empty for months. Okay maybe it was empty for just a handful of weeks and then we couldn’t take it anymore and put in a folding table and plastic outdoor chairs, but in my mind that was still empty.
On the main floor of our house we have a Florida room. Being that it’s a Florida room it is a considered a 3 season room, because there is no heat in the room. The previous owners used it as an indoor patio with outdoor furniture and it looked like this when we moved in.
I always thought these were weird, and avoided having my picture taken while pregnant whenever possible. My sis-in-law did it, but just casually with a friend who was a good photographer. If you’re really heart-set on this idea, you could take ideas from these pictures and get a friend who is good with the camera to do the shots. I would say wait and splurge on some lovely family shots when the baby arrives, but that’s me.
check out http://kelseycombe.com/ she is AMAZING! (and nyc-based!)
I would contact Gina Zeidler Photography @ http://www.ginazeidler.com/blog. She’s a destination photographer who also shoots for Southern Weddings Magazine. She’s AMAZING!!
Woah, that shoot is amazing- the photos are seriously beautiful and dont even scream maternity shoot to me- LOVE these!
The last shot is so dreamy!!! Love it!
Oh DO check me out! Haha, my friend Emma (see comment above) referred me here! I don’t charge ridiculous amounts, but I’m awesome and I loveeee maternity shoots. I don’t have any examples on my website, but shoot me an email (kelseycombe@gmail) and I can send you examples!!
I planned to with Lilly but never got around to it. And honestly I’m glad I didnt’ waste my time and money b/c after I had her I didn’t really like seeing the pictures of my chubbier self… So I won’t be doing it this time either.
I say go for it! I had just finished whining about how cheesey I thought these shoots were (mostly because I had just seen a lot of the creepy ones) when I came to discover that my husband actually thought it was pretty cool. I thought I would do it just for him, but was ultimately thrilled with them. It is such a special time to capture, and I have honestly seldom, prego or not, felt as beautiful as the woman my photographer caught! Hire someone who knows the tricks… I know my family has a knack for catching me in the least flattering manner! For my shoot and 8 5x7s, I paid about 500, but I also know that a lot of photographers will offer a maternity/newborn package. I was right at 34 weeks. I would book soon before crazy things start happening to that belly! I will say that my shoot had a little bit of a (tasteful, of course) boudior vibe so they are kind of a Hubby’s Eyes Only deal and I do wish I had a few more family friendly shots. Good luck… They will be beautiful!
I paid the price of a Starbucks and lunch for a dear friend with a DSLR. I think the poses and styling matter more than the actual photography, especially for someone like you who is a photographer/blogger/designer. I was about 8 1/2 mos. when I did ours. We drove all over town taking pictures at where my husband proposed, where our first date was, etc. We’re already pregnant again, and I love the photos but I’m glad the shoot was casual and cheap because I want to another one!
She has a similar style to the photographer you like: http://www.lindseybelle.com/site/#welcome-f494f
As a photographer I think (and price) a maternity shoot should be a similar cost to a family photo shoot for say a Holiday Card. 2 hour shoot with editing and a CD of all the images. Where it can get pricy is if the photographer wants to hold onto all the images and dictate the printing etc. I personally think that it the old, pre-digital way of doing things. So really they should just charge you for the shoot time, travel time and edit. I like to be upfront and charge an hourly rate. Sometimes with maternity they like you to get into a package that documents the pregnancy and then a newborn shot. That is great if you want all that and it gives the photographer an idea of their schedule, but make sure they have a cancellation or half refund if you are not feeling up to additional shoot. Shop until you get what you want an who you want. But the price of a wedding shoot seems a little absurd.
This is coming from a photographer and 28 week pregnant lady 🙂
Congratulations!
Sarah
That is a great shot! I can see why you love the photographer!
I will tell you that I hesitated to have them done with my first because of the “typical” maternity shots but our wedding photographer (Juliet Elizabeth based out of Charleston, SC) was able to capture the vintage vibe (a la 30’s/40’s) that made our photographs works of art. I have them hanging throughout the house and are a pleasant reminder of that special time of our lives. I dont regret one minute the money that we spent on them.
I didn’t do maternity shots and really regret it. However, my decision was based on the fact that I felt like everyone I could afford looked cheesy and everyone who took beautiful photos like the ones you’ve shown was too expensive (although no where near “wedding” cost!). I’d say if you can stretch a little to do it you should – such a unique time in your life and I think it’s fascinating how our bodies change during pregnancy (and after… but I don’t think I’d want pics of that!).
Good luck finding someone fabulous and affordable!
my brother is a nyc based fashion photographer and he would be amazing. He started with family pictures and weddings then moved to new your city and he is now a full time fashion photographer. Did i mention he is amazing? His style is totally the style in your inspiration photos. He did my maternity shots and my kids newborn photos and i love them. You can contact him at joshuatug@gmail.com his website is joshuafergusonphotography.com
I didn’t do maternity shots with my other two girls, mainly because I never saw anything that was more artful and less cheezeball. (I’m not really into bare-belly shots all that much) My friend is an amazing photographer, and really “gets” my ideas, so I’m won’t miss the chance to have maternity pics taken this (most likely last) chance.
I haven’t searched enough to have experience with pricing, but my friend says she usually aims for 34-36 weeks to take them, if Mom is feeling good.
I love the casual on-site pics, but have also seen some very ethereal things done at home – I think it’s all in how you’ve felt your pregnancy, and how you hope to capture it.
I hope you’ll share some of yours with us!
You are just a week ahead of me. I just hit 32 weeks and next week my good friend who is a photographer is going to take photos of me pregnant. I’m on the fence, but she really wants to do it so I’m game. I’ll prolly share on my blog and link to her studio as she is so sweet and a fabulous photographer. My only issue is how large my ass is…it’s enormous, but no one seems to notice because of my huge front side. Let’s also hope she can erase a few of my lovely stretch marks. This is my second, but the age difference is almost 11 years so I totally forgot how huge I get.
I’m sure you look fabulous, so I say go for it…the pregnant woman is always gorgeous in my eyes!
xx Danielle
I didn’t have one with Collins… don’t regret it. Not having one with this baby. I’m not a fan of seeing pics of myself preggo! 🙂
i’m having maternity photos done in mid-december when i’ll be about 34 weeks pregnant. my wedding photographers (www.davidwittig.com – amazing!) will be doing them. usually i’m a control freak about this kind of stuff, but i trust them so much that i’m just going to let them suggest location and style. i say go for it!
Yes, I did a shoot at 36 weeks with my second baby and my 2-year-old, and loved it. It was a package deal including one “belly session” plus 4 newborn-to-1 year old baby sessions, and it cost about $350 for the sessions plus the 5 CDs with full print rights. I live in the middle of nowhere where people generally aren’t very affluent, so I imagine my photographer’s pricing is pretty inexpensive relatively speaking. Do it!
Those shots are great. If I could get an amazing package like Hush above, I might consider it. But I am planning on splurging on newborn pics- I just keep thinking that she’ll never be that tiny again and I want to capture it. We are getting our wedding photographer to come to our house the week-ish after she’s born. So she’ll be right out of the oven. I can’t wait.
don’t do it! spend your money when the baby arrives. just take a couple good shots for memories. but i’m not one that is even interested in seeing wedding photos up in people’s houses either. but get ready to take a million baby through childhood photos. you can NEVER have enough of those.
Kelley
I love those! I’m definitely not a mom (or pregnant) but I would definitely go for a location shot. Those nudy ones are totally overrated and can be awkward to hang up in your living room afterwards!!!
I think in general they are a waste of money if you get a lot of photos and do belly shots. You won’t like them later, in my experience. However I do think a few artistic shots with stylish clothing, like the ones you found, are worth it. They capture the love between you and your hubby and how excited you are together. So for an art piece go for it! You will be gorgeous
My hubby is a nature photographer, and I had him take mine when I was 36 weeks. I searched online for poses I loved and we basically recreated them. He has a remote trigger so we were able to get photos with both of us in them.
If you know someone who has a really nice camera and any skills at all, I would recommend that route. Are you really going to want tons of pics of preggo you, or would you rather have tons of that sweet baby? That was my feeling, anyway. We waited and splurged on family photos once he’d arrived.
I also loved this shoot! I’m feeling the primary colors used in this shoot!
Hey!
Was catching up on my google reader and saw your post about maternity shoots. My cousin shoots newborns/families but maybe she would want to try maternity. Her site is JeniseMariaPhotography.wordpress.com or your can find her on facebook at Jenise Maria Photography. She’s based out of Long Beach, NY.
Hope that helps! Best wishes!