Laurel contacted us at the end of her second trimester to ask about how we ran our studio (specifically, our COVID precautions since she was a higher risk pregnancy) and after speaking with us, knew she definitely wanted to book both a maternity and newborn session.
Have you watched the video on our website that really covers our whole process and who we are? If you haven’t, you really should - click here to see it. It gives you a really good general overview of what it’s like to work with me and what my philosophy behind photographs is.
THE BOOKING PROCESS
Laurel’s husband had a non-traditional work schedule, so she let us know that she would need a weekday evening for their session and chose the park location. We have more weeknights available than weekend dates, so she had more date options to choose from! Many of our clients choose to take a half day from work or just leave a couple of hours early to schedule a weekday evening session depending on what time the sun is setting on their session date. ALL of our outdoor sessions take place about one hour before sunset. If you’re not sure of what that time is, you can literally google “sunset time on X date in Atlanta” and you’ll get the sunset time. Subtract an hour, and you’ll have your general session start time!
Caroline, our studio manager, sent over Laurel’s session paperwork. We handle EVERYTHING securely online in a very streamlined process. Our clients find the whole process super simple and love it. After Laurel sent back her paperwork, she was locked into our calendar. We then scheduled her maternity fitting to take place about 2 weeks before her session. We also sent over a short list of what she should bring along with her the fitting and directions to our studio location. We’re located right on the Beltline next to two.urban.licks just down from Ponce City Market, and it’s really easy to get to! There is a free parking lot available (and street parking if it happens to be full).
THE MATERNITY FITTING
Maternity fittings are scheduled 1-2 weeks before scheduled sessions! We want to make sure you have enough time to decide on what to wear from your top favorites and can pull together the other outfits for your partner and/or children. Your baby shouldn’t grow too much in two weeks to not be able to fit in your final choices. If you try on a dress that BARELY fits and want to choose it, we’ll go ahead and have you choose a backup option for it just in case it doesn’t fit you anymore when we get to your session date. It’s always better to be safe than sorry! Our clients can choose up to two looks. As a note, usage of the studio wardrobe is not required but about 95% of our clients do choose to borrow from it! Even if you don’t, it’s great for inspiration and to see what looks great on you! So many of our maternity clients also find what they want to wear for their newborn session when they’re in for their fitting. If able, I strongly encourage clients who are planning to wear their own clothing to come in with that clothing for me to see beforehand and so that we are able to meet each other as well. Clients who have spent some time with me prior to stepping in front of my camera are much more relaxed because I’m not a total stranger they’ve just met for the first time!
When Laurel came in for her fitting, she was surprised by the number of options available to her in the wardrobe. She had been concerned we wouldn’t have options for her as she’s taller. I have dressed women ranging in heights from 4’10” to 6’3” and size 00-16 - so no need to worry because we likely do have something! We talked about her style preferences and favorite colors, and I started pulling options for her. She tried each of them on and I assisted by taking an iPhone photo of her in each one that she loved so that she could show her husband later.
You do NOT have to decide at the maternity fitting what you’ll be wearing, but you do need to have your final choices in at least 4 business days before your session date. This lead times allows us to have your options cleaned if needed if another client wears one of your choices in the same week. The vast majority of our dresses will fit both pregnant and postpartum moms (and even those moms who are several years postpartum!). After looking at all her options and showing her husband, Laurel decided on a gorgeous blue gown that brought out her eyes and a gorgeous lace overlay dress.
SESSION EFFICIENCY
I always shoot my sessions efficiently, because I don’t believe that an outdoor couples or family maternity session should take 4 hours. That’s a crazy length of time to shoot a portrait session, and it’s why a lot of first time dads to be come in thinking they’re going to hate the entire experience. Nope. That’s not how I roll. We’re NOT going to drag this out. Instead, I’m going to guide you both through the entire experience and literally tell you what to do and when to do it. My focus is on the emotional connection between my subjects, and the interaction you see in my photographs is 100% authentic and real. In the interest of total transparency, most of my couples can’t quite get there on their own. So….I do the work of getting you positioned just where where you need to be, tweak hair and clothing where necessary and THEN give you an easy to follow prompt that spurs natural interaction. THAT, my friends, is when the magic happens. So, please don’t be nervous about not knowing what to do or think to yourself, “We will never look like those couples”, because the truth is: you don’t have to. Your dynamic with your partner is unique to the two of you, and it SHOULDN’T look like any other maternity session. What it WILL look like is the two of you loving each other the way you do best, as well as highlight the love you have for this brand new baby that you’re welcoming into your family and haven’t actually met yet. Oh, and you’ll also look absolutely gorgeous. ;)
MATERNITY SESSION FLOW
I already mentioned that sessions aren’t torturously long. I allot an hour - and once the sun is gone, we’re done. (Pro tip: be on time, because while I can shoot efficiently and very quickly in a pinch, I simply don’t have the power to make the sun stay up in the sky). When we first get started, you’re going to be a little nervous and feel awkward. This is 100% normal and par for the course. I’ve got you. There are months that I shoot 20+ maternity sessions (studio and outdoor), and I’ve been photographing pregnant moms for over 8 years now. I think I’ve earned the right to call myself a bit of an expert at it! ;)
I’d say that most of couples start hitting their stride in roughly 10 minutes or less. Sometimes the photos I take at the very beginning will meet my standards and they’ll make it into your proof gallery, but most often not. The very first little bit is just the warm-up for you to get used to being in front of the camera and following my direction. Once I can see you’re relaxing and starting to have fun, then we’re going to start getting some of those perfect keepers for your gallery!
I have moms move around as little as possible in each spot in the location that we go to. You’re pregnant, your feet might be hurting, and there’s just no need to drag you all over creation and make you feel like you went to advanced step aerobics by the time you’re done. Instead, your partner will be the one jumping in and out of the frame as directed. I always remind my clients that if they ever need a break or to sit down, all they need to do is let me know. We’ll pick right back up when you’re ready to go again!
We started out our session in the most beautiful fall lighting, and I spent some time photographing Laurel solo and pulling Eran in for some images from time to time. The two of them were just so cute together, and we had a lot of fun. Once they started having fun and laughing (which didn’t take long), I was able to get some of the most stunning images. We did eventually make our away over to a secondary spot that I like to shoot silhouette images at, as these are a popular request of clients (and I LOVE them).
At the end of their session, we said our goodbyes, and I sent over their proof gallery the next week. They LOVED their images and had such a hard time narrowing down what they wanted, because they were “all so beautiful”, as Laurel said.
If you’re reading this and considering booking a maternity session, YAY! Firstly, HUGE congratulations!!! This is such an incredibly special time in your life, and it’s such an honor to photograph couples expecting their first, second, third, or seventh child. I would love for you to contact us to chat about your vision and what we can offer you.
Enjoy a few of my favorite images from Laurel & Eran’s park maternity session below!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
