Make amazing memories before you meet your baby – even if your bump is barely there!
I love when first-time mamas are SO excited about being pregnant that they just can’t wait till 28-34 weeks for their maternity session! Sometimes you just have to plan for a beautiful pregnancy announcement. These photos can absolutely be some of your favorites, even if you’re still in your first or second trimester and your bump is barely there!
Location & wardrobe – our most important decisions!
Brennen and Kolby reached out about a pregnancy announcement session right after she found out she was pregnant, and it was such a joy to plan this lovely session for such a happy couple!
The biggest decisions we made in preparation for Brennen’s pregnancy announcement photo session were location and wardrobe.
I have a photo gallery filled with 15-20 of my favorite local locations for photo sessions. Some are public/free, while others have to be reserved ahead of time or have a rental fee associated with use. The great news is, if we do have to submit a reservation, I handle all of the paperwork. Clients just have to show up on our date, ready for beautiful photos!
Brennen was like most first-time mamas; she wanted a peaceful, quiet location where we wouldn’t have to worry about a crowd, surrounded by nature. I suggested this tree-lined path in a nature preserve because it’s usually fairly empty and we’d have a light-drenched sunset session, surrounded by pops of green and brown.
– Easy access to close parking so clients won’t have to walk too far for photos
– Plenty of shade to keep pregnant mamas out of the sun (you never know how sensitive your skin might be while pregnant!)
– A paved walkway to guarantee mama’s steadiness/safety while walking. Your center of gravity shifts as your bump grows, which means it can be harder to maintain balance while walking. Also, a paved area makes it easier to accomodate heels!
– A variety of natural, pretty backdrops to use during the session for maximum variety in your photo gallery
Crutial wardrobe tips for pregnancy announcement photos
If you’ve spent any time on my portfolio or blog posts, you’ve probably noticed most of my clients select neutral colors for their photo sessions, and there are SO MANY good reasons for that!
It’s especially important to go with a neutral shade or a very delicate, soft print if your bump is on the smaller side because it keeps the focus on you and baby! While bright colors can be fun and playful for photo sessions, those shades have a tendancy to steal the show.
That’s why I coach my clients and their spouses to opt for soft neutrals or pastels for pregnancy announcement photos. The first and early second trimester of your first pregnancy are full of so many new experiences! It’s super common to think you’re already sporting a cute bump when you get to about 10 weeks, but it’s far more likely you’re simply bloated at this stage. Most first-time mamas don’t “pop” with a real baby bump till after 20 weeks or so.
However, we’ll absolutely make the most of even early pregnancy bloat for these photos; after all, the camera doesn’t know if you’re bloated or actually showing a little.
You’ll definitely want to skip any kind of regular or maternity shapewer like Spanx or Assets – just embrace not having to suck your tummy in for photos for the next several months!!
Purposeful posing helps enhance a smaller bump
Hands
You probably haven’t ever given much thought to this, but before you’re pregnant, you never, ever want to be photographed with your hands near your stomach – and there’s a very good reason why!
Our eyes automatically go to the hands when we look at photos, and that’s why keeping at least one hand on the bump when you’re expecting is a key part of purposeful posing for maternity sessions. Having a hand there indicates that someone is on the way, and that is universal across cultures.
On the other hand, if I’m photographing a family session when a mama is not expecting, I’ll ensure her hands – and those of her spouse – stay far away from her stomach so that we don’t give the impression that she’s pregnant.
Knees
I also ensure clients don’t lock their knees when we’re shooting a pregnancy announcement session! Besides the fact that locked knees make for especially boring, stiff photos, it’s also not safe for a pregnant mama to stand that way as she’s more prone to passing out.
Instead, knees should be softly bent to ensure steadiness, comfort and a more attractive, relaxed pose.
To prop or not to prop?
I’m not very big on using props in any kind of photo session, and that goes for pregnancy annoucement sessions, too.
However, I do think it can be sweet and tasteful to incorporate small items, especially if you’re sending out announcements to let the world know you have a tiny love on the way!
Small, tasteful props that elevate your images and won’t take away from the bump
– Ultrasound photos
– Tiny baby clothes, socks or shoes
– A letterboard featuring a sweet message, your due date or baby’s name
– Fresh flowers! A very small, simple bouquet held at the bump in a neutral color like ivory + greenery is so beautiful. In fact, I make these sometimes for clients ahead of a session. Part of their charm is being handmade and not professionally made.
Brennen and Kolby wanted to incorporate a few ultrasound images, as well as an adorable Etsy “Mini Bestie” sweater. I brought along my letterboard with a little message from this mom-and-dad-to-be!
Even though I usually find props to be cheesy and overdone, these for Brennan and Kolby’s photos were simple and highlighted how in love they already are with their baby. Another reason why they work well is because Brennen did an amazing job coordinating a simple, neutral wardrobe that flowed well with our nature-themed session. The whole session is high-end and lovely because the colors, fabrics, prints and props flow well together; nothing steals the spotlight.
Timing for a pregnancy announcement session
I suggest mamas be between 12-20 weeks for a pregnancy announcement session.
This timeframe gives you a chance to get past the early pregnancy morning sickness, nausea and exhaustion that is so common when you’re expecting. By the time you’re nearing the second trimester mark, most moms feel a lot better and find that their energy is returning.
I deliver photos fully edited and ready to display within one week of your photo session, so you’ll have these images ready to share with loved ones very soon after we meet!
Flow of a pregnancy announcement session
While brand new dads-to-be often think they won’t play much of a role in these photos, that couldn’t be further from the truth!
The photo session is pretty evenly split between photos of you two together and you solo.
I always kick off every session I photograph with couples together – and you don’t even look at me right away! Instead, I’ll provide gentle posing direction with you focused on each other and the bump. This helps cut down on the first 20 minutes of nerves that everyone feels. After that, you’re relaxed and totally ready to celebrate with beautiful photos!
Speaking of posing direction – potential clients often ask me how I keep clients from looking or feeling awkward during photography sessions.
I chalk this up to a couple of things:
– clear direction, especially with regard to what you should do with your hands. Think back on photo sessions that you didn’t enjoy – it’s probably because you just didn’t know where to put your hands. Lots of photographers don’t pay attention to this, or they simply tell you to “act natural,” which is the furthest thing from helpful.
– poses that are simply natural ways you engage together. Do you hug your spouse? Have you two ever held hands and gone for a walk? Have you ever stood next to each other, with your arms around each other’s waists? If you answered yes, you’ve already aced the posing part of your pregnancy announcement or maternity session with me!
– tons of personalized education before your session. If we’re working together for two or more photography sessions, you’ll get a hard copy in the mail of my Celebrate Motherhood magazine. It’s a gorgeous 76-page session guide I created to walk you through every single aspect of planning, preparing and sharing your photos! Everything you need for stunning, amazing photos is detailed inside: wardrobe tips that work (and what to avoid) for your whole family, how to style your hair and makeup (including what you cannot skip makeup-wise on the day of photos), posing photos + verbal prompts so you’ll see samples of exactly what I’ll ask you to do – and even how I’ll say it – before your session!
I know that making sure you feel confident and prepared before we meet will cut down on nerves, and guarantees you love your photos AND the experience of having them taken! Yes, this means I know you’ll even enjoy the session itself!
Should you schedule a pregnancy announcement photo session + a maternity photo session?
This is really up to you. I think it’s a fabulous idea to have both sessions done for several reasons.
Meet your photographer and experience their shooting/editing style
Setting up baby announcement photos allows you to meet your photographer and decide if you want to use them again for maternity and newborn photos. For a lot of clients I work with, especially the first pregnancy/baby is just as important as their wedding. That means finding a photographer whose style you love – and with whom you click really well – is critical!
It’s not uncommon to for me to set up phone calls before clients are ready to book, and I know they’re interviewing other photographers. One thing is true no matter whom you select for these photos – we want you to want to work with us and we want to deliver an experience and photos that bring you JOY.
If you set up a pregnancy announcement session and you either love your photographer and the photos, or feel thankful you have time to find someone else for future sessions, you’ll be glad for the initial experience!
Celebrate the early pregnancy phase with your spouse
Once you announce your pregnancy, everything becomes all about baby + you. Loved ones will ask how you’re feeling, if you feel movement, how was your latest check up, if you’ve decided on a theme for the nursery, what names you’ve picked out, if you’ll breastfeed or bottle feed, what you think about natural birth vs. an epidural… and so much more.
Your spouse won’t get even a fraction of this attention because he’s not going through pregnancy!
That’s another beautiful reason to celebrate the very early weeks of pregnancy with just the two of you (and baby on the way). You can take an evening to dream and plan together. He’s adjusting to the idea of fatherhood just like you’re thinking about all your mama preferences.
Pregnancy announcement photos are a first step of adjusting your identity to that of being parents – and it’s a big one!
You’ll have sweet memories to decorate your home
Lots of parents use these images to decorate baby’s nursery; they’re soft and romantic, while still being very different from your wedding photos. Not planning to use them in baby’s nursery? You’ll definitely want to feature these first images of you and baby on the way in his or her first ever photo album, or even on a holiday card if it’s that time of year!
How to schedule your dream pregnancy announcement photo session
Most importantly, get in touch ASAP! I schedule most sessions several weeks to months in advance. It’s very challenging, if not impossible, to schedule last-minute pregnancy announcement photos because my session calendar includes maternity, newborn, baby milestone and family clients. The more flexible you are with regard to meeting on weeknights helps with availability!
I’ll walk you through everything you need to know for a beautiful, peaceful session that celebrates this new phase of life!! Head over to the Contact tab to share all the details with me!