Outfitting your bump… with the wall in mind

Wondering what to wear for your upcoming maternity photoshoot? Here are 3 things to consider when planning for your Boise Maternity photoshoot. 

 

I don’t really advertise myself as a maternity photographer. Not that I don’t like taking them, I just much prefer the baby to the bump. But I often have prospective clients who call and say “Do you do maternity too?” And the answer is absolutely.

 

Many moms want to document both the before and the after, but one thing that I’ve really noticed is that once the baby is born…clients are less excited to showcase that maternity photo prominently. They don’t want a big one on their wall when they can have a newborn photo instead. And if they don’t plan out the look of the images, the shoots can feel like they don’t go together. (This is the big mistake I made for my third son’s photos! My maternity photos are gorgeous…but the newborn photos I took of him later don’t have the same look and vibe)

 

I’m here to tell you that you should absolutely be displaying your baby bump photos as well as the newborn! Whether you’re taking bump photos yourself with a timer, using our online course DIY Newborn Photography {Made Easy} to take your own newborn photos or hiring a professional for both, there are 3 factors you may want to consider when you’re still in the planning stages to create a cohesive gallery like this one.

p.s. Already had your baby? Use your maternity photos as the template for the colors you’re going to use while taking newborn photos.

Step 1. Coordinate Colors

Pick a color palette or theme and then use it throughout both sessions. Generally I use 1-2 main colors, 1-2 accent colors and then 1-2 neutral tones. 

Things to think about:

• gender of the baby
• The nursery decor – is there already a color palette or theme? Stick with it for the photos.
• Where you might want to display the images within your home

For example: if you know that your baby girl’s nursery is greens and pinks and has a cactus theme because you live in Arizona, then it makes a ton of sense to have your maternity photos taken alongside cacti in a beautiful pink dress! But if you don’t want to be quite so blatant you could also consider a very neutral lifestyle maternity session in your home where you’re sitting in a cozy chair wearing a soft pink sweater and there’s a small display of succulents on the shelf behind you.

Step 2. Match Environments

The environment for your maternity photos should somehow reflect the colors or themes you’ve chosen in step one. Are you going to be in the mountains? Your images will most likely have a lot of deeper greens and browns. Going to the beach at sunset? Your images will likely lean toward pale blues, pinks and light sandy tan colors.

The thing to remember is that if you have a forest themed nursery but want to go to the beach for your maternity photos, you may feel a disconnect when it comes time to display the images. The soft pastel beach colors are not going to look like they fit into a forest themed nursery. 

Step 3. Consider Seasons & Timing

When is your baby due? If you’re having a spring baby, you may want to consider lighter, softer pastel tones whereas fall babies tend to use darker jewel tones. The baby shown above was due December 1st, so the mom wanted a subtle nod at Christmas…but not a baby in a Santa suit. Instead we sprinkled in a few green snowflakes and a green “Santa” sleepy hat.

Here are two more examples where the season and timing of the babies played a role in wardrobe decisions!

“Spring is Coming”

This baby girl was due last March and mom loved pinks…but didn’t necessarily want to wear a pink dress herself. And even though she’s on the verge of being a spring time baby, at the time of their maternity session it still very much looked like dry winter in the Boise foothills. 

Mom decided on a subtle navy blue dress for both maternity and the newborn session with dad in a lighter blue button down. Then we tied some of the pinks from the sunset sky and deep burgundy red tones from the foothill backgrounds to bring it all together and give her those spring time pinks she was wanting for their new baby girl!

“Blue isn’t Only for Boys”

This baby girl was born in November and mom chose a deep teal maternity dress to wear for their outdoor session while dad wore a nice neutral tan sweater. The location they chose had deep fall colors with dried sage brush, warm oranges and greens making their way to browns.

For their newborn session we found the perfect matching teal wrap was well as similar shades of brown and green along with some natural fibers and textures reminiscent of their maternity shoot.

 

 

 

Why does this matter?

Pre-planning the colors, look and vibe of your newborn and maternity photos to coordinate each other means that when it comes time to decide what to do with your images they all look like they go together no matter where you put them! You can choose any wall layout, any album design and whatever favorites you like- they’ll all look great together because you planned it that way!

Overwhelmed by possibilities?

Time to book a pre-session consultation.

We pride ourselves on being a full service, luxury experience from start to finish. And the way to start is by having a conversation about what you really want. We’ll ask you a series of questions to help you discover the perfect combination of colors, environments, looks and styles for your family and home. We provide our clients with a client closet to borrow from, vendor lists of our favorite shops to order photoshoot worthy clothes, help you make sure it all goes together, find hair and makeup if desired and gather unique locations individual to you. Once the sessions are over we hold your hand as we go through each image individually to decide on favorites and where to put them. Ready to get started? Read more about our maternity sessions here.