A winter sunset maternity photo session celebrates baby Hunter on the way!
Mama-to-be Amanda can’t wait to meet her son in late March, and she had a few very specific wishes for her maternity session: she wanted a peaceful location with a dirt pathway or walkway, surrounded by trees.
I was thrilled to explore a new location that fit the bill perfectly just a few days afer Amanda booked her sessions! I met up with her and husband Jacob on a cool Sunday evening for a sunset maternity photo session just outside The Woodlands, Texas.
Helping Amanda prepare for her materity photo session
I worked closely with Amanda to design every aspect of this session; we discussed wardrobe at length, and I encouraged her to have hair + makeup done for these special photos. My favorite hair & makeup team is headed up by an amazingly talented woman named Samantha, and they always make my clients look and feel like royalty!
In addition, Amanda also had her own copy of my Celebrate Motherhood magazine, which is the session guide I created specially for maternity and newborn clients. It walks you through every single aspect of working with me, including timelines, what to expect, posing hints, wardrobe guidance and lots more!
The magazine helps you feel totally prepared and confident before each of your photo sessions! There’s no wondering what the session will be like, or how I work with couples during our time together. It’s all laid out in a beautiful magazine that’s professionally written and designed by me, and then printed by a shop that specializes in magazine production.
Mama in bluish-silver lace
Amanda wanted an elegant, timeless look for her maternity photos, and her blue-gray lace dress worked out so well! It was lightweight and feminine, complimented by cute black flats.
I absolutely love how well the color of her dress worked with the chilly winter-ish weather and the location. Winter sessions like this one include such beautiful shades of brown and tan in the background, as well as rich orange and yellow shades from the sunset. The neutral colors in the background allow Amanda to shine in each photo, even in a relatively soft shade of blue-gray.
Don’t miss Amanda’s custom sneak peek video! I send these within 24 hours of every photo session!
A sweet couples maternity photo session
My goal during every maternity session is for the evening to feel like a date night; most of my clients have their hair and makeup done, and I am always happy to advise on outfit options. When mamas feel beautiful, complete with perfect hair + makeup and a lovely dress, the result is magical maternity photos! Hubby Jacob was happy to snuggle with his wife during the session and make her feel beautiful.
While you probably assume that your maternity session is going to be all about your baby bump, I actually try to focus primarily on parents-to-be, while highlighting the bump. Through gentle posing direction, I capture moments that showcase the love and joy of your relationship; after all, the family starts with you two! We will have plenty of time and opportunities to make the session all about your newborn after he or she arrives!
My favorite part of this session was at the very end, when I photographed Amanda and Jacob walking hand-in-hand with the sun setting behind them. You can see how much they love each other and their son, and how they can’t wait for their parenting journey to begin!
Ultrasound photos, baby shoes and a tiny heart
Amanda wanted to further personalize her maternity photo session by incorporating a few sweet props including ultrasound photos of her son, adorable blue baby tennis shoes and a tiny hunter green heart from my collection of felt hearts.
I love when mamas bring along sweet accent items like these for their maternity sessions to symbolize their babies! It gives her a little something different to do with her hands, and adds a pop of visual interest. We worked in the shoes and ultrasound photos during two different portions of the sessions: with Amanda surrounded by trees and soft sunlight, and on a dirt pathway while the sun was setting. The felt hearts are part of a collection I ordered specifically for rainbow baby sessions, but they work well individually, too. We’re planning to wrap Hunter’s tiny fingers around the little green heart when he arrives in late March!
Up next: celebrating Hunter’s arrival!
No sooner had Amanda looked at her maternity session photo gallery when she was texting to tell me she can’t WAIT for newborn photos! He’s scheduled to arrive in late March, and he has two parents (as well as two puppies!) who can’t wait to meet him. He’ll make his big debut here, likely sometime in early April.
