TIPS FOR A BEAUTIFUL MATERNITY PHOTOSHOOT COLUMBUS OHIO MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY

Pregnancy is the most special and unique time in every woman’s life. Artistic maternity photoshoot is a wonderful way to document this incredible milestone. 

For many women, this is the first photoshoot experience, they want to feel comfortable, beautiful, pampered and empowered. 

The goal of a professional maternity photographer is to provide the most relaxing experience and give complete guidance in preparation as well as posing during the session. 

SCHEDULING YOUR MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION

Maternity portraits are best captured around 31-36 weeks. Timing can be different for everyone, for mothers carrying multiples 27-31 weeks are recommended. 

MAKEUP/HAIR/NAILS 

A maternity session is more than just a photo shoot it is a day of well-deserved pampering. Pamper your self with manicure, hair blowout and professional makeup session. I recommend natural soft waves for the hair and natural daytime makeup with even skin tone, accented eyes and cheekbones. I encourage my clients to wear false but natural looking eyelashes, their beautiful curve is what make those silhouettes so feminine and gorgeous. I recommend to use individual eyelashes so that they look more natural even in day light photography. Scheduling a mani-pedi treatment a day or two in advance is a must. Soft natural, pastel colors always look great especially for the close up shots of hands a belly.

A day of the photoshoot is a perfect day to plan a date dinner or lunch with their partner after the session cause they will look and feel fabulous!

THINGS TO AVOID

- Even though you might what to look more tan for our session, I recommend my clients to avoid fake/spray tanning, excessive bronzers and shimmers. 

- Try not to wear tight underwear on the day of your session. Arrive to your photoshoot in loose clothing to prevent body marks.

- Avoid too much makeup, dark eyeshadows and highlighting on skin. Keep it more natural and clean.

WARDROBE

Some pregnant mothers choose to embrace their changing bodies and capture tasteful artistic nude or semi nude portraits while others opt for a more modest, fully clothed shots or outfits with exposing belly. Whatever your style and preferences are, there are plenty of beautiful options for clothing and posing. 

Here a few options for the clothing changes you may consider for your maternity shoot.

Form fitting dresses/gowns

Maternity session is a perfect excuse to shop for a few beautiful outfits that hugs the beautiful curves. I recommend to have at least one dress in black to wear for the silhouette shot and another dress in cream or white for these etherial dreamy and soft portraits. Along with formfitting dresses beautiful flowy empire waist dresses are also recommended. Another practical yet lovely option is to buy an long “infinity” dress. Draped in many different styles from strapless to halter, they can be a great option for a clothedportrait.

There are several vendors on etsy.com that specialize in beautiful custom maternity dresses created specifically for maternity shoots. One of our favorite stores is called Sewtrendy Accessories.

Bandeau tops and maxi skirt

Fabrics

Natural silks, chiffons, any flowy fabrics that can be beautifully draped around you, used to cover up and be tossed in the air. I recommend at least 4 yards of fabrics for the tossing image and at least 3 yards for the full body drapery image. It can be just a plain white bed sheet, but with the right lighting and pose - it can look stunning. Think outside the box.

Jeans

Wearing jeans for a few "relaxed" style portraits is wonderful! I recommend to bring a pair of your pre-pregnancy jeans and avoid the belly band of maternity ones. They won't look as cool and sexy on camera. 

Accessories/Statement jewelry

Having a background in fashion photography, I encourage my pregnant mothers to bring beautiful accessories such as statement jewelry, scarves, flowers, hair crowns etc. Textures, and colors will add a dimension to your portrait. However I recommend to keep the images more simple and not to do too much accessorizing so that it doesn’t take away from the beauty of a maternity portrait. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" and I do follow my concept - Less is More.

The most important tip, I think, is to pamper yourself, relax and enjoy this experience. Find the maternity photographer you connect most and who’s style you love the best. The photographer’s task is to just to take flattering images but to provide the most comfortable and relaxing environment, create an unforgettable experience, provide complete guidance in posing and make sure you feel your best during the shoot and treasure your portraits forever. 

Motherhood Sessions | Columbus Ohio Newborn Baby Child Photographer

I am so excited for the 2020 motherhood sessions. They are going to be even bigger than last years. I am currently working to secure a beautiful location for this year’s session and I’ve also been working on adding some gorgeous dresses that you can wear for these over the last few months. Here is a little sneak peek of the newest ones that have arrived. These sessions are so special to me because as moms we are always behind the camera taking photos and I wanted to create a special session that is just for us where we can snuggle our babies and capture these fleeting moments before they are too big for snuggles.

Take a peek into last year’s mommy + me sessions

mommy and me

I love seeing so many of my little clients a little bigger. I photographed these quadruplets a few years ago and how sweet are they. Here are a few photos from last year’s motherhood sessions and I cannot wait for this years.

Columbus Ohio Newborn Photography | Top reasons to hire a newborn photographer

I met this sweet family the first time at Highbanks Metro Park in Lewis Center. We spent the evening capturing mamma’s pregnancy in that last golden hour of sunlight. Highbanks is one of my favorite places to take photos and I photograph many maternity and baby sessions there and know the lighting very well. I was so excited to meet their little one and since his mamma has so much hair so I had a feeling he was going to be born with a head full of hair. I was so excited when I got to meet him for the first time and saw that gorgeous head of hair. He gave me the cutest expressions too and I just love the awake photo of him and I think that is his mama’s favorite. I am so in love with this newborn session so of course I had to share them on my blog. What a beautiful baby boy, he’s absolutely perfect. I just love that little kissy face and had to share that one first. I thought as moms it would be nice to know the details, time and hard work that goes into these gorgeous final photos. Let’s talk a little bit first about what happens before you arrive. After you book your session with me I will look over your session agreement to see if you have any specific colors in mind. If not I will spend around 1 hour preparing for your session getting all of my props out and ready. I’ll think about your session ( boy or girl ) and will design the color tones for your session. I did gray’s, brown’s, and creme’s for this little guy. I will put together backdrops, hats, wraps that all coordinate together so that everything is cohesive. I’ll think about poses for a sleepy baby as well as an awake baby and have ideas all in my mind before you arrive so that I’m prepared and ready. Once you arrive to the studio we will spend around 1 - 3 hours allowing plenty of time for soothing, feeding and posing. Once the session is over I will upload all of your images and also back those up so that they are safe. Then I will clean the studio and will wash the items used for your session, some items are super delicate and require hand washing and everything needs hung dry. I’ll then select the best images for your session. I take multiple images with every pose so I can check to pick the one that is most sharp. After I choose the best images to represent your session I will spend several hours hand editing and painting each one so that it’s perfect. I’ll prepare and upload a gallery for you and will send you a very detailed email on how to order and download everything. It’s a lot work but wow look at this little cutie’s photos and all those cute faces I captures… it’s an amazing experience and in just a matter of a few short days he will never look like this again. Here are my top 10 reasons why you should hire a really good newborn photographer for your session.

1. Newborn Safety

When you arrive you can sit back and get cozy and watch me create amazing professional photos of your new little bundle of joy. With over 10 years of experience handling newborns, I will make sure your baby is comfortable with each and every pose. Safety is extremely important to me and to keep your baby comfortable I typically do poses that baby can hold themselves. I am trained to do other fun posing too that babies cannot do themselves at the parents request and those are done via a composite to ensure your baby is safe. Babies don’t like to be cold so my studio will be nice and warm to make sure your baby is comfortable.

2. Equipment

Camera’s have become quite affordable over the last few years and obtaining a “professional” camera has become easier. They are still very expensive and there are still many different levels of professional cameras and they are built with different capabilities which is why there are so many options. Some photographers will go with a cheaper option that is marketed as “professional”. There is a reason that one camera is 1k and another is 3k though and you have to do your research. I choose to use the top of the line for my clients, a camera that has excellent with low light abilities. There are also different lenses with different qlass qualities and again a range of options and pricing. I always buy the highest level of lenses to ensure your photos are the highest quality. Did you know that the lens can be more important than your camera!

3. Editing

This one is near and dear to me as editing is extremely subjective and the term “edit” is one that is not understood well. I could “edit” your photos in 10 minutes or 8 hours. There are many steps I do in my editing, many many layers to create the unique gorgeous tones you see in my work. It’s something I spend many many many hours learning and practicing as there are many different ways even to achieve the same look. For example many babies are red and jaundiced and there are many different ways to fix this all of which will look different and there are methods that work much better than others. I have spent years developing a special system and learning the best ways to create the beautiful tones you see in my work

4. Posing & attention to details

I pay close attention to details and am extremely meticulous with my work. There are many ways to do the same pose. I live for details and when you take the time to make sure everything is perfect.. fingers, toes, blankets, wraps, etc the final image is so rewarding.

5. Experience

You can buy the best camera on the market but you will not get a great photo without experience. Experience is not something you can buy. Many lightbulbs go off after you photograph a baby. You will photograph baby after baby and then all of a sudden a new lightbulb will go off and your like yessss… and you move up another level on the experience chart. I’ve even had lightbulb moments in my dreams. With 10 years of experience and hundreds of newborn sessions completed I have had a lot of lightbulbs go off and AH HA moments.

6. They are only little once

Yes mamma’s, they grow quickly. In an instant your little one will quickly grow into a toddler and then into a baby and then a child and then a teenager. While you think you will remember all the little details you just can’t and they will get blurry and you will look at these photos and cherish them so so much more. You are capturing an unforgettable and irreplaceable moment in time.

7. Price

When choosing your photographer you should look at their portfolio and NOT just one image that you fell in love with. Is the editing the same from session to session? Is the posing consistent with baby to baby and the lighting You can’t get this time back and it’s important to know that you can expect to get what you see on my website. Remember that your little one is only so tiny for a very short amount of time so if you end up choosing someone you are not happy with you cannot get those days back. Experience, knowledge, time, and props are some of the reasons why photos are pricey. When you hire someone that has years of experience you can sit back and have the piece of mind that you are going to have amazing photos of your little one and you will feel better about your investment because you are hiring someone with years of experience that will provide you with the absolute best images.

8. Products

When you hire a meticulous photographer such as myself you can be assured that the prints and products I offer are of the highest quality. In addition I want to provide you with pieces that are unique and reflect the mood and style of the image. After all this is what all of the work is for so that you can show off these amazing photos.

9. No time

I hire photographers even though I am a professional photographer because I have no “time”. There is not much time when you have a baby and there is something to be said about having someone capture my baby and edit my photos and send me gorgeous products so that I can sleep and spend time with my little one. You might think you will have time but that’s how photos never get printed or hung up and why photos sit on the computer.

Are you looking for a newborn photographer in the Columbus, Ohio area? Look no further! Bare Baby Photography is a newborn photographer in Columbus Ohio. I photograph maternity, newborn, baby and family sessions. You can learn more by emailing me at hello@barebabyphotography.com

Adorable Newborn Photos Columbus Ohio | Bare Baby Photography

I photographed all of these little munchkins and I was so excited when I got the news that mamma was expecting #3. I feel so blessed to have watched these little’s grow over the years. They are such an adorable family.

Winter Columbus Ohio Maternity Session | Bare Baby Photography

I was so excited for Casey’s winter columbus ohio maternity session at Jeffrey Mansion in Bexley Ohio and am so excited to share a few of the images with you here on my blog. I love these beautiful pine tree’s that stay pretty all year long. We froze but the photos were so worth it. We headed to the brand new Fox in the Snow cafe that just opened in New Albany to warm up before heading into the studio for some more dreamy photos.

I took these lovely winter columbus ohio maternity photos at Jeffrey Mansion in Bexley Ohio. I love shooting winter maternity sessions. Despite the cold, the light is gorgeous in the winter and makes for a dreamy session. Jeffrey Mansion was the perfect backdrop for this winter columbus ohio Maternity Session. Contact me today to schedule your newborn and maternity session

Beautiful Newborn Photos | Columbus Ohio Newborn Photographer | Bare Baby Photography

I got to meet this beautiful family when I photographed their snowy maternity session earlier this year. Mamma is so pretty and was glowing in all of the photos. I was so excited to meet their new little bundle and I may have squealed a bit when i took off his hat and saw that gorgeous hair, wow. He is such a cute baby and I discovered mid session that he had dimples too when he gave us this big smile.

I am a Columbus Ohio Newborn Photographer and specialize in taking Beautiful Newborn Photos. My business is Bare Baby Photography and I would love to chat with you about scheduling taking photos of your new little one.

Newborn Photography Columbus Ohio | A new baby brother

Newborn Photography Columbus, Ohio

I met this beautiful family a couple of years back when I took newborn photos for their first baby Ava. I can’t believe how much she has grown and it was so beautiful to see her snuggling with her new baby brother, Carter. He was an absolute dream. This family is so beautiful so it made my job super easy. These first few days go so fast and are such a blur, I’m so happy I am able to freeze this moment for your family to chrish always. We even snuck in a few Christmas setups, I just LOVE doing newborns with these fun Christmas themes.

Newborn Photographer Columbus Ohio | Bare Baby Photography

I met Kayla when I took her maternity photos at the apple orchard….I will blog her gorgeous maternity session next and link it here…She was glowing and you could tell she was excited to meet her baby girl… I just love these cheeks on baby Eliana and that little smile she gave me during her session. She was a dream to photograph. I can’t wait to see her back for her big milestones.

Bare Baby Photography is a newborn photographer in columbus ohio. I photograph newborn babies all over central ohio and some of my clients come from Cleveland and Cincinnati Ohio as well as out of state. I would love to be your newborn photographer, if you live in Columbus Ohio you can use the contact tab to contact me about scheduling a session for your new little one.

Columbus Ohio Newborn Photographer | Bare Baby Photography

Baby Vita came to see me and melted me with those big beautiful eyes. I had so much fun photographing this beautiful baby girl.

Bare Baby Photography is a Columbus Ohio Newborn Photographer photographing newborn babies all around Columbus Ohio and the surrounding areas. I would love to talk with you about photographing your newest little miracle.

Sun Kissed Maternity Session | Bare Baby Photography

Kayla and I had so much fun together skipping around the orchard in the sun kissed golden light. She couldn’t be anymore beautiful, she is glowing and motherhood looks amazing on her. I can’t wait to meet her new miracle in just a few days…