Taking gorgeous maternity photos obviously requires the skill and talent to utilize your camera and other gear to get high-quality shots.
It also requires that you have a deep understanding of things like styling, color theory, post-processing, and a host of other factors that influence how the photos look.
But there are plenty of practical things to bear in mind that can greatly influence how your maternity photos turn out.
That being the case, here are a few practical maternity photography tips to help you maximize the quality of your images.
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Maternity Photography Tip: Include Siblings
One thing I like to do when I take maternity photos is to include siblings in the photos.
It can be hard for some kids to share the spotlight once their new baby brother or sister is born, so including them in the maternity photo shoot is a great way to make them feel special.
Besides, it also gives you the chance to photograph the mom-to-be with her baby bump and her older children and highlight the love between them.
A good plan when photographing siblings is to put your camera in burst mode. That will allow you to capture some fun candid shots between takes, and since little ones are often very animated and on the move, you might be able to get some truly magical photos of unscripted hugs, kisses, smiles, and laughs.
Learn More:
- Key Tips for Beautiful Family Pregnancy Portraits
- 3 Things You Need to Know as a New Maternity Photographer
Use a Standard Lens
A standard lens - something like a 50mm on a full frame camera - is one of the best maternity photography lenses because it offers you so much versatility in what you can do.
You can get in close, take a few steps back, easily get high-angle or low-angle shots, and much more.
What's more, standard prime lenses offer excellent sharpness, minimal aberrations, and great low-light performance due to their large apertures.
Standard lenses also capture the scene in a manner that closely resemble what our eyes see, so the images taken with these lenses look natural.
You can certainly use other lenses - longer focal lengths offer beautiful compression, for example - but for me, it's hard to beat a 50mm prime.
Editor's Tip: The accessories you use in your maternity portraits can make or break the shot. See how you can change your maternity portraits for the better.
Give Yourself Enough Time With Each Session
Typically, maternity sessions run anywhere from 1-2 hours with many photographers also offering mini sessions that last just 30 minutes.
When booking clients, it's important to consider what they want, how many people will be involved, and what you need to accomplish so that you steer them towards the right session length.
For example, if your client wants to include her children in the shoot, a 30-minute mini session isn't going to cut it. You'll likely spend that much time in trying to help your client direct the kids, posing everyone, and taking tons of photos in the hopes you capture a few in which everyone has nice smiles and looks good!
Everything about a maternity photography shoot takes longer than you think, so be sure you've given yourself plenty of time to get all your goals for the shoot crossed off your list.
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How to Take Maternity Photos: Accessorize!
Using props and accessories in a portrait can go very wrong, very fast.
And because of that, I think a lot of photographers err on the side of caution far too often and neglect the value of tasteful and well-placed accessories in a portrait.
In looking at the image above, you can see how the floral crown complements the floral-patterned gown that the model is wearing.
In this case, the gown and crown work well together to add some color and life to the shot without overwhelming the eye.
In the end, there are plenty of things you can do to make your maternity photography shoots more successful.
But often it's practical maternity photography techniques like these that help you give your client the best possible results.
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