I usually go to a session with some ideas in mind because I think it’s good to have a starting point. During the conversation before the shooting, I like to have some information about the location, especially for indoor sessions because it helps me to get inspired. In this maternity session, for instance, I knew that the apartment walls and the couch were beige, so I gave them orientations about the outfits based on this color.
When I saw the big window and the table placed beside it, the artwork for Placebo’s album “Without you I’m nothing” immediately came to my mind. And I, of course, wanted to make their photo using it as a reference.
Since Janina and Dave are music lovers like me, I asked them about songs that remind them of each other, those songs that are part of their story and I prepared a playlist with it. I played the playlist during the session to set a mood and make them feel comfortable and at ease. They told me they enjoy dancing, so I asked them to choose a favorite song and dance a little bit while I was capturing their movements, and it was such a magical moment!
They told me that they also enjoy hiking, so I made some photos in a park to represent this outdoor activity. After doing the photos at their home, we went for a walk in a park nearby and I made the photos during the golden hour, my favorite time of day to photograph. I try my best to photograph with soft light because I think it brings this feeling of tenderness and calm to the images and this is something I aim to communicate in my work.
Their baby was born a couple of weeks after the session and they called me to make her newborn photos. I was so happy to get to meet and photograph the little one! I will talk about it in another post.
If you would like to book a maternity lifestyle session, the best time to do it is between 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy. So, it’s highly recommended that you book in advance to make sure we have enough time to plan everything. Feel free to get in touch if you’re interested. I would love to hear from you. 😊