Five Unique Maternity Photoshoot Ideas
Every woman should get the chance to have her pregnancy celebrated with a maternity photoshoot to really help her feel powerful and beautiful in the simply awe-inspiring accomplishment of growing a whole human. If you choose to have photos taken in a flowing dress in a grassy field or on the beach, I am certain they will turn out amazing. However, if you are looking for something a little bit more unique, this is the post for you. I will be sharing 5 different unique maternity photoshoot ideas, and how to best go about arranging to have them done.
Unique Maternity Idea #1: Maternity Belly Painting Photoshoot
The beauty of having a maternity photoshoot with belly paint is that it can be completely unique to you. Your favorite colors, a design or picture that you like or is meaningful to you, and perfectly personalized to who you are. The ideas and options are endless and having a photoshoot with belly paint will certainly create a unique look. It also will improve the quality of photos by adding interest, and colors can be chosen that stand out from the backdrop or highlight the dress. You could even get creative and use glow in the dark paint, for some really unique photos! In addition, some women might feel self conscious of showing their bare belly in a photoshoot, and maternity body paint is a great way of adding comfort to really highlight the bump, while also skillfully hiding things like stretch marks that you maybe do not want to have seen.
If you are artsy yourself, you may be able to paint your own belly, or ask a friend to do so. Otherwise, my recommendation would be to hire a local face painter. Face painters have all of the right paints and tools available to make sure your paint will not run during the photoshoot and they are practiced at painting efficiently and accurately. In the photoshoot that I photographed (pictured), I worked with a local face painter Shaded Fingers Art. She met us on location to complete the belly paint, though you could also arrange to do this beforehand at a separate location (your house or theirs) if preferred. You should expect the belly paint to take around an hour to an hour and a half to complete, and might pay between $125-$300 depending on what the face painter charges. This would be an additional cost to hiring your photographer, which is a consideration to keep in mind. However, the uniqueness and extra beauty and interest in the photos more than make up for this. Some photographers might even partner up with local face painters, which can lower the cost of the belly painting, compared to if you arranged it separately. This is something I do, so if you happen to live in Sacramento California, send me a message if you are interested in a Sacramento Maternity Belly Paint Photosession of your own. You can see more examples of my work on my Instagram or Website.
Unique Maternity Idea #2. Underwater Maternity Photoshoot
Can you believe that these photos were taken in a regular pool? An underwater maternity photoshoot is definitely a very unique and very awesome option for maternity pictures. While it does require some swimming skills and feeling comfortable in the water, the water buoyancy will also help support you and will likely make movement a lot easier and more comfortable than on land. An underwater photoshoot does not require extensive breath holding. Instead, you will bob up and down from the surface, strike a pose underwater while the photographer snaps a few frames, and then go right back up again for a breath.
One complication for this unique maternity photoshoot idea is finding a photographer who has the skills to do it. Photographing underwater is definitely completely different skill than above water, and to get good photos you will want to choose a photographer who specializes in this skill. This might mean traveling for the photoshoot if a underwater specializing photographer isn’t near to you. Major metropolitan areas often have at least one however. If you are unable to find someone who specializes in maternity photographer underwater, my recommendation would be to look for the photographers who have photographed people dressed as mermaids. Mermaiding has become an increasingly popular niche in most cities, and many professional mermaids have had their photos taken in order to promote their own business. So if “Your City Underwater Maternity Photoshoot” finds no results, you might just find a photographer if you search for professional mermaids instead.
Delphine Dinns of Diph Photography, whose images are featured in this blog, is one such photographer who has specialized in underwater maternity photography. She has completed more than 350 of these underwater photoshoots in both France and Australia, and is certainly one of the top underwater photographers. Follow her work on her Website and Instagram.
Unique Maternity Idea No3. Use Creative Props
An easier way of having a very unique but usually cheaper maternity photoshoot is by incorporating some very unique props. These can have special meaning to you that tell the story of who you are, or simply be a random item that adds interest and makes the viewer interpret their own story. If you like nature, simply a piece of driftwood or a pile of leaves could be used to add interest to the photo and to your bump (I’d mention flowers, but then it wouldn’t necessarily be unique, as that is a frequent maternity prop). Other ideas could be antiques or vintage items of any variety, a family heirloom, a musical instrument, a time capsule, a dream catcher, or a map. Props can be incredibly meaningful, such as sharing a piece of your culture. But even just the unique completely random prop can tell a great story.
A milk bath is another unique maternity photoshoot idea you can use to stand apart from the rest. Like the underwater photoshoots, this allows you to feel weightless and comfortable, while not having to go completely under, and is a great way of emphasizing your belly. Milk Baths are very versatile as you can choose your favorite colors in the flowers, fruit, leaves or other items that you choose to have float in the bath with you. Another perk of the milk bath is this is likely a photoshoot that can take place in the comfort of your own home, and most photographers will be up for the task, which means it is less specialized and easier to arrange.
How do you prepare a milk bath for a maternity photoshoot? Unlike the name might suggest, a milk bath is actually mostly water that has had milk added to it to create that milky look. Fill the bathtub with warm comfortable water, and pour whole milk in as well until you have reached the desired level of milkiness. Ideally, the water should become white enough to mostly obscure bodyparts that are completely under the surface. Next, simply choose the props you would like to add to the milk bath. It’s usually best to choose which color you would like to emphasize and then choose a lightweight prop that will float from there. If you want red, you might choose rose petals, or strawberry slices will work too. Green might be leaves or kiwi. Yellow might be daisies or lemon slices, and so forth. Finally, including a sheer cloth to drape in the water can add interest, as can carefully selected jewelry.
In the case of photographer Casie Deville, she used powdered creamer instead of whole milk for the same effect. She also used a variety of different live flowers of all colors, and incorporated jewelry as a point of interest. You can find more of her work at her Website and Instagram.
Unique Maternity Idea # 5. Bedazzle The Belly
A final creative and unique idea for your maternity photoshoot is to bedazzle a portion of your pregnant belly. Unlike the previously mentioned belly paint, this method doesn’t cover the whole bump, but rather adds interest to just a small portion of the belly. In this way, it creates an additional point of interest while still emphasizing your pregnant stomach. There are all kinds of ideas for this: glitter, henna, a real or fake tattoo, sequins, or lace. Hanging a necklace or cloth in front of your belly for a photograph is another way to bedazzle the bump without actually permanently or temporarily glueing something to your belly. No matter what you choose, this will create a unique look to your photos and is much more likely to have an effect that nobody else has in their photos. There are unlimited customization options and these photos will be uniquely you! This idea is another one that can be captured by almost every photographer, which means it is easy to arrange. You can show up to your photosession with your bump already bedazzled with the decoration you choose, or your photographer might have ideas for you and can even help you with the application.
In the case of the photos highlighted, Photographer Fiona Lane used eyelash glue in order to adhere live flowers to her model. The flowers perfectly add an extra unique point of interest while still drawing attention to the maternity belly. To see more examples of her work, visit her Website and Instagram
Are you local to Sacramento California, and looking for a Sacramento Maternity Photographer? Contact Kristina Geddert Photography today!
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