Celebrating baby Harper on the way in a gorgeous at-home maternity photo session!

Clarissa and her husband, Wade, just moved into a beautiful home; they wanted to celebrate this big milestone by taking maternity portraits in the new space!

Earth-toned neutrals and mama-to-be in lace!

When I arrived at their home, Clarissa and Wade were almost ready to go for photos! I handed off my client closet gowns to Clarissa for her to try on; while she changed, I couldn’t help but notice the precious baby clothes carefully sorted on her kitchen table. There is nothing sweeter than tiny baby clothing! From the looks of her kitchen table, Clarissa won’t have to buy much for her daughter for quite a while!

I was excited to see all the neutral colors in their lovely new home; the walls are a soft gray and their furniture is beautifully earth-toned. These light shades photograph so well and allow the family to stand out in every image!

We kicked off this Conroe, TX session with Clarissa in my favorite ivory lace strapless gown and her husband Wade in a light pink polo in honor of his baby girl on her way!

Parents-to-be in baby’s beautiful nursery

I love using the nursery for an at-home maternity photo session because it’s a space parents are always so proud of. You spend a lot of time preparing a peaceful, pretty room for your baby, and the backdrop of the crib and other baby things works well for maternity sessions!

With her pretty curls and perfect makeup, Clarissa looked absolutely radiant! She has that perfect basketball baby bump every mama dreams of, and I just love how both fitted and flowing dresses complimented her curves so well.

Recently I’ve fallen in love again with shooting just mama’s bump in a variety of ways with dad standing next to her. Mama will always treasure how perfect her bump is in images like this!

A coral maxi dress in the master bedroom

I could talk forever about how much I adore neutral, earth-toned clothing for every photo session – but vibrant color against a neutral background can be absolutely breathtaking too! I’ve worked with many mamas-to-be who wear neutrals for most of the session and change into a bright pop of color for a bit to change things up. It adds so much visual interest and variety to your photo gallery!

When Clarissa changed into her coral maxi dress, I was so excited to photograph her in the master bedroom, where you are instantly drawn to how bright and beautiful she is in this color! We gave it our best effort to include her kitties in the photo session, but they weren’t having it!

Don’t miss Clarissa’s stunning maternity photo session sneak peek video:

She also wore my see-through white lace gown; sometimes mamas wear it with simply pasties and nude underwear. Clarissa paired it with my nude slip for a little more coverage. This gown is a little more fitted than the strapless lace option she wore first, and she looks stunning in this one too.

Nude maternity photography: timeless and beautiful!

Clarissa discussed with me prior to her maternity session about nude maternity photography in addition to more traditional portraits. She wasn’t sure at the time if she wanted to try it.

Pregnancy curves and baby bumps are absolutely beautiful, and nude maternity photography is a style I love! I know it’s not for everyone; but this is a style of maternity photography that’s been around forever, and the images are powerful.

Toward the end of her session, Clarissa was feeling brave and beautiful, so she decided to go for it! We wrapped up our time together with nude photos of her. She looks confident and breathtaking!

Guidelines for nude maternity photography

I created a list of guidelines to ensure your comfort as we prepare for these photos. Typically, clients want traditional clothed portraits, in addition to the nude images. I save the unclothed photos for the end of our time together.

In Clarissa’s home, I knew she had one area upstairs that would work beautifully for nude maternity photos. While I prepared the space, she changed into a robe. When she was ready, I walked her through all of the posing guidelines and exactly what photos we would take while she was still in her robe. That way she felt completely comfortable and informed before we ever got started.

We spent the last 10-15 minutes on this series of photos, which turned out so beautiful! I know Clarissa is proud of just how amazing her body is to be growing a baby, and it shows in all of her gorgeous photos!

Up next: an in-home newborn photography session celebrating Harper

Little Harper will arrive in May, so watch for her sweet face to pop up here early this summer! I am so excited to see Wade and Clarissa make the full transition into parenthood, and experience just how awesome it is to have a daughter.