Maternity photo sessions celebrate the imminent birth of your child – and they also celebrate you. You’ll carry your baby with you for only 9 short months. So maternity photos are the perfect way to capture this brief, special body-bond that you’ll have with your child. Not only that, but pregnancy is a pretty amazing phenomenon in itself. You should definitely be proud of your baby bod. Whether you put on the required 28 or more – it’s all beautiful. So get dolled up with pretty makeup, hair, get those nails done, and have gorgeous pictures taken of your bad self.
Obviously, once the baby is here it’s all about your little one, and most of the glamour is GONE. With your newborn’s photo session, baby will take center stage. But with a little planning we can coordinate the sessions to blend perfectly with one another. Even if they were taken a month apart.
Think in particular about how you may want to display these photos – side by side in frames on the wall? On adjacent pages in a custom photo album? Consider how pleasing to the eye it would be if there were similar elements present in both photos. Giving a real sense of continuity and flow – almost as if the photos were taken as part of the same shoot.
If this sort of design challenge gives you hives then you’re in luck. Because I’m about to tell you how to easily achieve this type of coordination with your maternity and newborn sessions.
The photos in this newborn session feature many coordinating elements from the mother’s semi-nude maternity shoot. A warning, that while very tasteful, the link may not be safe for work as they feature partial nudity. Keep in mind that most of the items I’ll talk about in this post have to do mostly with shots incorporating the mother and the baby. However, as with any newborn session, you’ll have plenty of solo baby shots, and shots with your partner and baby too. Many people like to have a combination of coordinating and stand-alone images.
1. Use the same photographer!
This is a no-brainer right? If one photographer uses one type of camera and equipment and settings, another photographer is not likely going to be able to achieve exactly the same look, or possibly even quality of work. Photography is an art form. And you can’t expect two different artists to have exactly the same tools, preferences, and style.
I’ve earned a reputation for my artistic eye, attention to detail, and the incorporation of elegant design elements into my photos of babies and their parents. And after so many years, I know my equipment and settings like the back of my hand. Recreating the same look from one session to the next is a piece of cake.
Beyond just being familiar with the looks you had in your maternity photos, your photographer will be familiar with you. Which will make for a more relaxed and enjoyable newborn session.
2. Use similar lighting styles
This is an interesting point, because it’s one of those things you don’t often notice until it’s missing. Upon seeing two different photos with similar lighting, most people won’t exclaim, “These two photos have the same flash level and diffuser positioning!” But they will probably, on some level, recognize similarities in things. Such as color, exposure, or light angle. Many people would see the continuity, without necessarily being able to point it out. And in this case, that’s a good thing.
If a set of maternity photos used soft, warm lighting. However, a newborn photo set used bright, cooler lights, this difference would likely be more obvious to the observer. So when viewed side by side, or near one another, those differences might be amplified and more readily identified. Depending on what the ultimate goal of the presentation is, this could be good or bad. Do you want your newborn photos to be bright and sunny, and very different from your hazy, sultry maternity photos? Then your photographer will need to use very different equipment and settings in each session.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with using two different styles of lighting at all. Having similar lighting styles across both maternity and newborn photos is simply one option that has the added bonus of creating a sense of connection between the two sessions.
From the maternity session:
From the newborn session:
3. Incorporate a clothing item from the maternity session in the newborn session
Along with using similar lighting across both sessions, using some of the same clothing items and props can really tie two photo sessions together. For example, a dress worn in your maternity session can be used as a baby swaddle in the newborn session. Scarves, shawls, robes, and sweaters can be used in the same manner.
From the maternity session:
From the newborn session:
When you combine all of these elements together, you’ve achieved MAXIMUM COORDINATION DIVA status. Congratulate yourself, you’re going to have fantastic matching maternity and newborn photos.
If you have more questions about maternity or newborn photos, please send me an email at [email protected], or feel free to call my studio at 214-864-5787. You can also use my contact form if you’re interested in booking a session.