Kaitlin was one of those moms who planned ahead, and in her case, I am especially glad that she did.
She booked her maternity session well before we actually photographed it, and I believe she was somewhere around 26 to 28 weeks pregnant when she came into the studio. Her bump was still on the smaller side, but Kaitlin is also tiny herself. If I remember correctly, she told me she is around 4’11”, which definitely puts her among the smallest moms I have photographed in the studio!
And yet, that sweet little bump photographed beautifully.
One of the things I love about maternity photography is that there really is not one specific week, body type, bump size, or way that pregnancy is “supposed” to look in photographs. Every pregnancy carries differently. Every mom looks different. The goal is not to make everyone fit into the exact same mold. It is to photograph you in a way that feels flattering, intentional, and still like you.
Five Different Maternity Looks in One Session
Kaitlin chose one of my maternity print collections, which gave her the option to wear up to five different gowns or outfit styles during her session.
And she absolutely took advantage of all five.
Honestly, I love when clients do this because it gives us so much variety. Instead of every image having the exact same mood, we can go from romantic and soft to dramatic, simple, elegant, or a little more daring, all during one maternity session.
Her first look was my Cinderella gown from KH Fashion. This gown is one of those pieces that gives you that dramatic, almost storybook maternity look without needing a complicated setup. The shape, movement, and volume photograph beautifully, especially when we really lean into that fine art maternity style.
She also chose my light blue Time After Time gown from Before and Ever. The soft blue was such a pretty choice for her, especially since she was expecting a baby boy. It gave us something lighter and more delicate while still feeling polished and intentional.
Another gown Kaitlin wore was my Angel gown from KH Fashion. The gown itself is a beautiful neutral beige, but one of my favorite things about working with neutral gowns is that I can sometimes change the color during the editing process. It gives us even more flexibility when creating a finished gallery that feels cohesive and customized to the client.
Maternity Portraits Do Not Always Have to Mean a Big Gown
For another portion of her session, Kaitlin decided to step a little outside of the traditional maternity gown look.
We photographed her in a simple long-sleeve blouse paired with her bra and underwear for a more intimate maternity portrait.
There is something about simplifying everything that can make maternity portraits incredibly powerful.
No giant gown. No elaborate setup. Just mom, her changing body, and the baby she is carrying.
We kept the images tasteful and intentional, but they gave her gallery a completely different feeling from the formal gown portraits.
For her final look, we used silk and tossing fabric to create movement. Tossing fabric is always one of those things that looks relatively simple when you see the finished photograph, but behind the scenes there is usually quite a bit of throwing, repositioning, adjusting, and trying again until everything falls exactly where I want it.
Photography magic is sometimes just repeatedly throwing fabric through the air until it decides to cooperate. 😂
But when it works, it works.
Photographing Couples With a Big Height Difference
Looking through Kaitlin’s finished maternity gallery, one thing that immediately stands out is the height difference between her and her partner.
And when I say height difference, I mean HEIGHT difference.
Kaitlin’s head does not even reach the top of his shoulders.
That gave me a little extra puzzle to solve when posing them together.
When photographing couples, especially when there is a substantial height difference, placement matters. Having both people simply stand straight beside each other can sometimes make the difference in height become the only thing you notice.
Instead, I can adjust how each person is standing, where they are positioned relative to the camera, how they are leaning toward one another, and even how their heads and shoulders are placed.
Those little adjustments make a huge difference.
It is one of the reasons I do not expect clients to walk into the studio already knowing how to pose. That is my job.
You do not need to practice maternity poses in the mirror before your session. Please don’t. 😂
I will walk you through everything.
Professional Hair and Makeup for Her Maternity Session
Kaitlin also had her hair and makeup professionally done by Amanda, the hair and makeup artist I regularly work with for maternity sessions.
Professional hair and makeup is one of those pieces that can really pull an entire maternity experience together.
It is not about completely changing the way someone looks. It is about creating makeup that photographs beautifully under studio lighting, helping hair stay polished throughout multiple outfit changes, and giving mom an opportunity to sit down and be taken care of before we start photographing.
Pregnancy asks enough of you already.
Having someone else handle your hair and makeup for a few hours is a pretty nice trade.
Turning Maternity Portraits Into Actual Artwork
Kaitlin also chose one of my print collections, which means her maternity portraits are not going to live exclusively on a phone or computer.
Her collection includes ten matted prints, along with all of her digital images.
This is something I have become increasingly passionate about.
Digital images are wonderful. I absolutely want my clients to have them.
But there is something completely different about holding a photograph in your hands.
A printed maternity portrait becomes part of your family’s history in a way that an image sitting somewhere in a camera roll sometimes does not.
Someday, her son can actually hold these photographs and see what his mom looked like while she was carrying him.
He can see how tiny she was.
He can see the bump he once lived inside.
He can see his parents together before he arrived and completely changed their world.
That matters.
Why You May Not Want to Wait Too Long for Maternity Photos
Kaitlin also had another reason for scheduling her maternity portraits earlier rather than waiting until the final weeks of pregnancy.
She had a feeling her baby boy might arrive early.
And she was right.
He ended up making his appearance several weeks ahead of schedule. Kaitlin later reached out to let me know that he was doing okay but would be spending some time in the NICU getting stronger.
I was incredibly thankful we had already photographed her maternity session.
There is never a perfect way to predict exactly when a baby will arrive. Most maternity sessions are scheduled somewhere during the late second or early third trimester, when there is a visible bump but mom is hopefully still feeling comfortable enough to move, pose, and enjoy the experience.
Waiting until the very end can sometimes work beautifully.
But babies are also notoriously terrible at following calendars.
Kaitlin listened to her instincts, scheduled earlier, and now she has an entire maternity gallery documenting this chapter before her son decided he was ready to meet everyone.
Northwest Arkansas Studio Maternity Photography
Maternity portraits are about so much more than documenting the size of your belly.
They are photographs of the transition into motherhood.
They are photographs of your relationship before your family changes again.
They document anticipation, excitement, nerves, connection, and a version of yourself that only exists for a very short season.
And whether your maternity session includes five dramatic gowns, a simple blouse, flowing silk, your partner, or something completely different, the goal is to create photographs that feel like they belong to you.
Kaitlin’s session gave us everything from romantic fine art portraits to more intimate maternity images, and I am so happy with the variety we were able to create for her.
Most importantly, she now has those photographs.
Not someday.
Not “we really should have.”
They exist.
And that is why I will always encourage moms to get in the photographs.
If you are expecting a baby and considering a maternity session in Northwest Arkansas, I recommend reaching out before your third trimester whenever possible. Booking ahead gives us time to plan your session, choose your gowns, discuss the style you want, coordinate hair and makeup, and make sure your session happens before baby decides to completely ignore our plans.
Because babies are adorable.
But their scheduling skills are terrible.
Contact Chylea Denney Photography to begin planning your Northwest Arkansas maternity photography session and create something beautiful from this season of your family’s story.
leave a comment