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What to Wear for Your Maternity Portrait Session

I’ll be honest with you, choosing what to wear for your maternity portrait session can be tricky! Your maternity session is usually between 28-35 weeks of pregnancy. You might not know exactly what size you’ll be or how comfortable you’ll be feeling. Plus, you might only need the outfit for the day of the session. (This is where a studio wardrobe comes in handy.)

I’m here to help! I’ll offer some guidance on what to wear for your maternity session and why you should really consider a maternity photographer with a wardrobe! 

Choose Your Maternity Session Style

Before sharing tips on what to wear, I want to back up for a second. First, start with the end in mind and envision what you want to do with these portraits. Are you hoping to print a portrait to hang on the wall? Wanting to add some of these images to your baby’s first album? This will help you start. Second, think about what overall style you’re going for. Do you want a glamorous maternity session? Something more contemporary? Magazine Style? I have a whole guide on just choosing your maternity session style here. 

What to Wear for Your Maternity Portraits 

Here are a few ideas of what you can wear for your maternity portrait session!

Fitted Dress – This is a beautiful and classic look for your maternity session! A fitted dress shows off your beautiful bump and all your gorgeous curves. I tend to suggest a solid color for this type of dress so that a pattern doesn’t distract from you at all. 

Flowy Dress – A gorgeous option for the mama who wants the glam goddess look. We’ll still show off the bump along with your beautiful self with this look. Different poses offer different looks with this style of dress. 

Jeans and Top – This is more casual but still so beautiful! We can show off your pregnancy in a way that’s comfortable for you. This simple yet classic look offers the perfect peek at your glowing baby bump!

Barely There – All we need is your gorgeous pregnancy! These are the portraits that you’ll look back on and think, “Wow, my body can do incredible things.” Your body is doing an amazing job growing life. Now is the time to celebrate your superpower.

Insley Photography Studio Wardrobe 

This is where the benefit of a studio wardrobe comes into play! Instead of stressing and shopping to try to find the right outfit, you can use one of mine. I have sizes and styles for every mama. On the day of your maternity portrait session, your outfit will be clean, pressed, and waiting for you. How easy is that?! You get to feel like the stunning goddess that you are without having to spend money on an outfit that you’re going to wear once. Bonus you can arrive in your pjs on the day of your photoshoot 😉

Fort Mill Maternity Photography 

Mama, I believe that your motherhood journey should be documented and celebrated without adding any to-dos to your growing list. Once you arrive at my Fort Mill studio, you will feel pampered and loved. I want to help you celebrate your sweet baby and be part of your story. The best part is that you can let me do all the work! 

What about hair and makeup? I’m so glad you asked 😉 I will coordinate that too. A professional hair and makeup artist can meet you at the studio before your session and help you get ready and feel pampered on your portrait day.

If you have any questions for me or want to schedule your maternity session, give me a call (803) 336-5125 or send me a message here. 

Check out my friend Vanessa’s Delivery Bag Checklist blog post.

She shares all the things you need to have in your bag and it’s a lot less than you probably think.

https://www.vkeophotography.com/post/delivery-bag-checklist

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Including Older Children in Your Maternity Portrait Session

Capturing maternity portraits for you is such a precious gift that I just never want to take for granted! Those nine months of eagerly waiting for your newest family member can feel like forever. Taking the time to capture maternity photos is a wonderful way to celebrate your baby and your growing family. Whether this is your first baby or your fifth, each pregnancy deserves to be documented and celebrated. 

If this isn’t your first baby, you’re probably wondering about a few things. The two biggest questions I hear are if mom should include her older children in the maternity portrait session and what to do if she didn’t take maternity photos with her first child. 

I’d love to answer both of these questions for you! 

Maternity Portraits with Your Second Child

If you didn’t take maternity portraits with your first baby, and this is your second (or third or fourth) child, are you feeling guilty? I hope not! There are a couple of things I’d like to say about that. First, maybe you didn’t even know that maternity photography was an option for you the first time. It could have been financial, or you just didn’t know about it. Either way, if you want maternity portraits the second time, you should do so without feeling guilty at all. You can ditch the guilt because mom guilt is for the birds. We will include your older children in this session so that they feel extra special. 

Should You Include Older Children?

The short answer is yes! You definitely can include your older children in your maternity portrait session. Your pregnancy is a special time for the entire family, children included. They are just as excited about welcoming a few family member. Including them in the session lets them join in on the celebration and be part of documenting your journey. 

As I said above, if you didn’t take maternity photos with your oldest child, these maternity photos with them included will feel just as special. We can give your kids jobs to make them feel important. Trust me, I can always find something for them to do! 

A huge benefit of a studio maternity session is that your children will be happily contained in the studio. We don’t have to worry about chasing your toddler around the park as we snap a few solo portraits of mom. Another benefit of the studio is that it’s temperature-controlled and comfortable, so there won’t be any whining about standing in the heat. 

Maternity Portrait Photographer

As a Charlotte-area maternity portrait photographer, I love welcoming my maternity clients and their families to the studio. My goal is to make the entire session as stress-free and fun as possible for everyone in your family. We’ll capture those dreamy maternity portraits in the maternity style that you want and document your family’s excitement for this new baby. I would love to be your maternity photographer. If you’re interested in learning more, please send me a message here.

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Why To Choose a Studio Maternity Portrait Session near Charlotte, NC

how to find a maternity photographer near you

The moment you find out that you’re pregnant, all the emotions, body changes, and planning kick into overdrive! There’s so much to do from setting up the nursery, going to prenatal appointments, and everything in between. 

No matter what, it’s so important that you take the time to have maternity portraits taken. Why? Because trust me, you are so beautiful, and you will want these photos to look back on and remember this special time in your life. 

You may enjoy a relatively easy pregnancy (lucky you!), or you may have to endure some not-so-lovely symptoms while growing a human. Either way, I think choosing a maternity portrait session that aligns with style and comfort will make all the difference in your portraits. 

Plus, once you know what type of session you want, it’s much easier to choose a Charlotte maternity photographer. I will share the top five benefits of a studio maternity portrait session. 

maternity portrait session

5 Benefits of a Studio Maternity Photography Session 

 

  1. It Won’t Rain on Your Parade 

Rain or shine; we’re able to capture your beautiful pregnancy. The window to take breathtaking maternity portraits is relatively short. We can take them whenever you are most comfortable, but I usually recommend taking your maternity portraits between 28-34 weeks. This is the best time to capture your gorgeous bump before you feel too uncomfortable. That being said, if your maternity photos are scheduled for outside, and they are rained out, you might have to scramble to find a new date. 

studio maternity portrait session

  1. No Heat Waves in Here

Mamas, you don’t want to walk around taking photos in the July heat. Besides overheating (which is not safe for pregnant women), we don’t want to worry about your hair and makeup suffering in the humidity. We don’t have to worry about the heat and humidity inside the temperature-controlled studio. It’s always the perfect temp. Plus we can always create a breeze in the studio for that hair tossed look.

 

  1. Need the Bathroom?

Because we all know expecting mamas have to pee… a lot. Luckily, there’s an available bathroom right here in the studio. One of my friends had her maternity photos taken at a local park. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were locked! She remembers having to pee very badly by the end of her session. That’s not the way you want to remember your maternity portraits.

why choose a studio portrait session in charlotte, NC

  1. Wardrobe Availability

Instead of worrying about which outfits to bring, where to change, etc., you’ll have access to my client wardrobe to find something you will love wearing. No matter how you’re feeling about your body right now, I know that you are so beautiful, and we can find you an outfit that you’ll feel confident wearing for your session. Plus, you will love having a comfortable place to change into your wardrobe! And this also allows you to have multiple looks during your session. 

 

  1. Privacy

If you aren’t sold on a studio session, this might be the reason for you! The studio offers total privacy. We don’t have to worry about anyone being goofy in the background or feeling uncomfortable if you want to show off your beautiful bump. 

why choose a studio portrait photographer

Best Maternity Photography | Charlotte, NC 

Additionally, another reason I love offering studio sessions near Charlotte is because I take your comfort and safety very seriously. I never want mamas to exert themselves by walking around too much or overheating during our stifling summers. I love welcoming my beautiful mamas to the studio for the maternity session. Once they walk through the door, they know that I have it all handled for them inside my comfortable studio. If you think a studio maternity portrait session is right for you, I would love to chat with you. Please send me a message here.

 

 

Looking for more maternity portrait inspiration check out my friends recent and very vibrant maternity session 

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How to Choose a Maternity Photographer in Charlotte, NC

finding the right maternity photographer for you

Pregnancy is such a special time and it goes by way too fast. Well, it might seem slow to mom when she’s nine months pregnant and waiting for the baby to arrive. But, I can almost promise that you’ll look back on photos of your baby bump, and you might miss it. 

This is why it’s so important to find the right maternity photographer for you. You only get one chance to capture such a sweet and short moment in your life. Maternity portraits are a beautiful way to capture your glowing pregnancy and that precious time before your new baby is in your arms. 

I want you to find the best pregnancy photographer for you, so I’m sharing five tips on finding your perfect photographer. 

5 Tips for Finding Your Pregnancy Photographer in Charlotte, NC

  1. Style
  2. Experience 
  3. Offerings
  4. Full-Service
  5. Personality Match 

 

  1. Style – The first tip for finding the right photographer for you is to find a photographer whose style you love. If you love gorgeous studio portraits, work with a studio photographer. 

  1. Experience – I’m not knocking new photographers by any means. I know everyone needs their start. However, this is such a precious time, and you only really have one chance to capture your maternity portraits, so you want to choose someone with experience that you can trust. 

 

  1. Offerings – I highly recommend working with a maternity photographer that offers newborn sessions and milestone sessions. There are so many reasons for this, but the best reason is that you only have to book once and you know all those sessions are properly taken care of. A full service portrait photographer who covers everything from wardrobe to printing your custom products. This leads to my next tip. 

  1. Full-Service – Mamas, I cannot emphasize this enough! Find a photographer who will take the entire process off your plate. You don’t need to worry about finding an outfit for your maternity session or stress over choosing which products you’ll want. Work with a photographer with your interests in mind. Letting the professional guide you through all the details will save you a ton of stress.

 

  1. Personality Match – My final tip is an important one! Find a maternity photographer that you really like and feel comfortable with throughout the process. It may sound silly, but it’s important that you can find a photographer that you can trust and that will treat you more like family than a client. This will make everything so much more enjoyable!

Your Maternity Photographer | Charlotte, NC 

As a mom of two boys myself, I know how special the season of pregnancy is and how fast it goes. My mission is to make the maternity session process as easy and stress-free as possible. The Insley Photography studio is temperature-controlled and comfortable all year long located just outside of Charlotte, NC. My clients have access to my gorgeous client wardrobe, so they don’t have to worry about finding an outfit. After the session is over and you’ve selected your images to display, I even hand-deliver them to your home, and a professional art installer can hang them on your walls, all without you lifting a finger! How’s that for full service? If you have any questions or want to know me, send me a message here.