The Illustrated Guide to Pregnancy Photography: Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Photographers and Parents-to-Be

354 Pages·2016·162.886 MB·English

by  Momphoto

I
N T R O D U C T I O N
Over the years, I have had hundreds of thousands of visitors to
my photography website, momphoto.com. People have come
from all over the world, and many have e-mailed me looking for
advice. Mostly they fall into one of the following groups:
•
Aspiring photographers who want
to get into maternity portraiture.
•
Expectant parents who want to
take their own maternity portraits.
•
Experienced photographers looking
for inspiration.
•
People who have been asked to do a
photo session for a friend (usually that
weekend!).
•
Moms-to-be looking for ideas for
their own maternity session, either
with me or someone else.
•
And of course, parents-to-be looking
for a maternity photographer.
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I hope this book will be helpful to anyone who might fall
into any of the above groups and that the information here
will be more complete than what I am normally able to
reply.
This book has been designed with the understanding that
many people feel a little lost as to how to take a good
pregnancy portrait.
My hope is that through this guide I can share some of
what I have learned, and help anyone attempting to create
a memorable pregnancy portrait.
As a professional photographer, I naturally support and
encourage the idea of hiring an experienced professional,
but I know there are many people who want to go it on
their own. The reasons can personal, financial, or creative,
and, of course, there are many photographers just starting
out who deserve a chance.
If you find this guide helpful, or if you have questions or
suggestions, please feel free to e-mail at:
[email protected]
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Section 1
A F W
E W O R D S
A M
B O U T A T E R N I T Y
P
H O T O G R A P H Y
Because maternity portraits are profound and capture a
time of momentous change, they represent a fantastic
opportunity for a photographer.
A popular misconception about maternity photography is
that it is all about photographing the pregnant belly. This
is not true. Approaching the subject this way leads to
photos that are anonymous, dull and, in the worse cases,
fetishistic (see Just the Belly). The pregnant belly is an
obvious and outward sign of impending change and new
life, but the belly cannot be the sole subject, even if it is all
we see within the borders of the photograph.
While the pregnant belly should not be the only subject of
a maternity photo, it will be the focal point for most
maternity photos. The great thing about maternity
photography is you always know what your subject is!
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If you are feeling tentative about what to photograph, try There is also a type of maternity
focusing on the belly and the mom's expression. If these two portrait which takes a more
formal approach and is neither
things fill your frame, you are more than halfway there.
about impending motherhood,
Maternity portraits should be about the person. They should
or the expectant mother, but
be about the mother-to-be's relationship with the world which is concerned with treating
around her, with her baby, her changing body, her changing t h e b o d y a s l a n d s c a p e o r
identity (or retaining her identity), her family, her place in the abstraction. There is a long tradition
of this kind of photography, most of it
world and her sexuality. Maternity portraits should be about
in the form of art nudes. These
the moment, the waiting, the ephemeral time that will soon be
photographs tend to experiment
gone, the joy, the hopes and the dreams of the mother-to-be.
with line, structure and
(Not all at once, of course, you'll hurt yourself.) composition. To work well,
these photos require a strong
It is also possible to capture the negative aspects of
composition and form.
pregnancy, the discomfort, sacrifice, worry that can
Y o u r j o b a s t h e
accompany new parenthood. These are often best done in a
photographer is to
more candid format, but even in a formal studio environment
capture something
they sometimes come out.
m e a n i n g f u l .
Otherwise, you
are only taking
snapshots.
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G S
E T T I N G T A R T E D
Section 1
U G
S I N G T H I S U I D E
This book focuses a great deal on poses, ideas, and the
principles and rationale behind them. Finding a good
flattering pose for an expectant mom is the basis of a
good maternity portrait. Even if the photo is not
purposely posed — if it is candid — it still contains all
the elements of a pose, good or bad.
Most of the guide will deal with deliberate poses and
set-ups, but you can apply these principles to candid
photography as well. Learning what looks good and
why can help you seek those things out, anywhere.
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Most poses here are presented full
Throughout the length, with strong, clear lighting in
book you will
order to allow you to evaluate how the
find little tips in
body is situated — or with a soft, clear
sidebars like
this one, aimed silhouette. These are not necessarily
at parents-to-
meant to represent how you should
be.
compose, crop or light your photos.
I will cover a variety of other topics as
they relate to maternity photography,
including some information about composition and lighting.
However, it is beyond the scope of what I could write here to provide in
depth information about lighting and the general principles of
photography. This should not discourage you if you are new to the
camera. You can apply much
of what is here to whatever
Some sidebars will be
circumstance you find yourself
designed more for
in and, if you are curious, photographers who may
have interest in more
there are numerous resources
technical information.
both online and in books that
can explain the basics better
than I could.
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Throughout this guide, I try to be as detailed as Most of the ideas
possible and explain not just how, but why certain and principles in The tips for parents will
assume you may know
things will help you get better photographs. Don’t let the book should
less about the technical
that level of detail intimidate you! It is all here to apply to everyone, aspects of photography.
If you know lots, don’t be
help you. but please keep in
insulted.
mind every woman
You can always browse first, and read in detail later.
is different and
The women (and men) who posed for this guide are every mom-to-be
not models. They are volunteers. While I have tried to carries her pregnancy differently.
include a diversity of different people, I am aware that
The suggestions, ideas and poses may vary in their degree
the guide does not reflect a full range of cultures, races
of success from one person to the next, and I encourage
or body types.
you as the photographer, whether professional, parent-to-
be, or somewhere in between, to experiment with what
will work specifically for your subject.
The sidebars for photographers will
assume you bring some prior
knowledge of photography and a desire
to start, expand or improve your
maternity portfolio.
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