The Woodlands maternity photography

Diane & Cody celebrate baby Harper on the way in The Woodlands, TX

First-time parents Diane and Cody can’t wait to meet their daughter this summer! Harper is scheduled to arrive in August, so we celebrated with a romantic maternity session on an overcast summer evening. Diane and Cody wanted a cheerful green backdrop for their nature-themed photo session – and The Woodlands did not disappoint!

Cloudy evenings are wonderful for maternity photo sessions!

Diane snagged my last opening for late June/early July and we pulled together all of the plans for this lovely photo session in about two weeks!

We met for Diane and Cody’s photos at one of my favorite spots in the north Houston area. It features a beautiful old building, lots of beautiful trees, pink knockout roses and a little pond. All of my clients love how private this location is, and how there is a huge variety of lovely backdrops without too much walking. We lucked out with a slightly cooler, overcast evening and a breeze.

Don’t miss Diane’s beautiful sneak peek, delivered just 24 hours after her session!

Lots of mamas-to-be worry that cloudy skies mean their photos won’t be as pretty as a sunny evening. I actually prefer the clouds over sun in many ways; the light is much more flattering when we don’t have to worry about the sun casting harsh shadows on your face. This gives us more options in terms of backgrounds, and you can face any direction without squinting in bright light. This particular location is so full of bright greens, yellows and oranges that we hardly missed the sun at all!

Three beautiful dresses for mama-to-be Diane!

Diane brought her own black floral print dress to wear first and requested a couple of gowns from my studio closet, too. This first dress flowed beautifully over her baby bump. I loved how it was light and casual – perfect for a humid evening!

For this initial series of images, she and Cody snuggled together on the porch of the gorgeous building on the property. I liked the simplicity of the white porch and green background with her floral print dress.

Next, Diane changed into the most popular item from my studio closet: the strapless ivory lace gown! Every mama loves it because it’s gorgeous, feminine and super flattering. The dress was especially pretty with Diane’s soft makeup and gorgeous updo. We transitioned to an area with more trees and beautiful pink knockout roses because I knew she would pop off the background in the ivory lace gown.

This dress is amazing on practically everyone because it doesn’t cling and flows in all the right places. I can fan out the bottom to look pretty no matter how tall or short my client is, and the lining means we don’t have to worry about undergarments showing through the lace.

Finally, Diane changed into the dress that I loved the most on her: a blue midi-length short-sleeved casual dress. This was a great option for wrapping up her session due to the shorter length, which was a little cooler than the long lace gown.

Because this dress is a little more casual than the first two outfits Diane wore, it gave hubby Cody a chance to roll up his sleeves and cool down a little, too! It’s amazing how a little change makes a big difference – you can really see Diane and Cody’s personalities come out in these images.

After photographing them on the beautiful white porch and mixing in some green and pink tones, it was the perfect time for peaceful moments along a wooden bridge.

We lucked out with Diane in an adorable pair of nude platform sandals that went perfectly with all of her outfits. It also helped equalize the height difference between she and Cody. I loved that the heels made it simple for him to lean over and kiss her forehead for a sweet photos that Diane will love sharing with Harper!

Another aspect of this session that I really liked was how Diane’s baby bump is showing just enough over the top of the bridge for you to see it there. It allows these particular photos to showcase Diane and Cody first, and then you notice that she’s pregnant. Maternity sessions are obviously about celebrating pregnancy, but it’s also wonderful for a few photos here and there to be more about the couple first and baby second.

Harper will make her big debut here later this summer! She’s a lucky baby girl with two parents who can’t wait to kiss her sweet cheeks in just a few short weeks!

Diane had her hair and makeup done by the amazing team at Samantha’s Artistry .