Maternity Photo Suggestions

[DominiqueLucas]

I'm not sure if this would be the right place to post this- but here it goes. I was contacted about doing a maternity session for a woman in my area that is carrying to term. I'm wondering if there are any mommies of angels on that have received maternity sessions and if there was anything in particular that was done that made the session special?

I'd just love to give this family a really wonderful session and I don't want to overlook anything I wouldn't have thought of!

Thanks

-Dominique

[Kirk Kief]

Actually, Dominique, you may get more responses from photographers by posting this in the Open Photography Discussions room.

[linda]

I always love the pics where the moms have the their hands or the husbands hands in the shape of a heart.

I also like when I see the pics of bellies with siblings or the husbands head/ear against the belly...so sweet...

[Brooke]

Hi Dominique-

I had a maternity session done days before Emma died in utero. It was a wonderful experience. Heather Lombardo did our session and was great. We actually forgot the real reason we as a family where there with Heather and just enjoyed our session with our Emma in my belly. Heather bought pretty pink roses that we used in our photos which was very nice. We also did the heart hands on my belly like Linda mention above. We did a lot with her two older brothers also. At the time Carter was almost 4 and Ethan was 15 months. So their little hands on my belly was soo cute!!! We used a bear too that is Emma's bear. Heather just kept shooting even when we weren't really even posed and she got a lot of really cute images that way that where just in the moment. You'll do a fantastic job whatever you choose to do. I would recommend that the parents bring in a special blanket or bear that they may use once the baby is born. Good luck to you.

Love,

Brooke

[MrsDisel]

I had my maternity pictures done like 3-4 weeks before I gave birth. The one picture that I LOVE, has Isaac's name spelt out in alphabet blocks, across my belly, while I was laying on my back. There is a picture of it on Isaac's website. You'll see the picture of it when you open the site. There is a link to it in my siggy. That was my favorite picture.

Also, you may want to suggest bringing several different tops. You never know what will look good until you are there and actually taking pictures. I brought all kinds of tops to try out in the pictures eg; regular maternity tops, my bella band used as a tube top, night gowns, tastful lingerie, robes.

[Sara-Rae]

Dominique,

Our maternity shoot is tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!

Sara-Rae

[Michelle Souza]

I have done one maternity shoot for a lady who was going to loose her baby...I had her wear angel wings and hold a white feather on her belly. It came out very pretty and was fitting. The baby's name was Angel. She loved it.
Michelle

[DominiqueLucas]

I appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions ladies.

-Dominique

[NoQuotaOnGrief]

I have done one maternity shoot for a lady who was going to loose her baby...I had her wear angel wings and hold a white feather on her belly. It came out very pretty and was fitting. The baby's name was Angel. She loved it.
Michelle

LOVE this idea!!! I'm 32 weeks with a girl with Trisomy 13 and holoprosencephaly. A local u/s place donated a 4d u/s which was WONDERFUL because for that brief moment in time, our baby was being a baby, unaware of her defects or her fate. My OB and I have a great relationship and had been joking she might look like a startrek alien so it was reassuring. She's not as deformed as I thought she would be, but we will have to push the hossy for nutrition since she can't nurse due to cleft palate.

I would encourage anyone (mommies of terminal babies or photogs) to partner with the u/s places. The tech was phenominal and she hooked me up with another Trisomy 13 mommy she did a session for who lives in another corner of my state. He was born/died in 2008. I in turn posted a really nice comment for her on facebook for some "free advertising".

[NoQuotaOnGrief]

Something else you might want to keep handy is a butterfly because butterflies are a symbol of loss/life cycle in the pregnancy loss community. If you google "symbolism butterflies life cycle cultures" or something like that you might come up with about 1/2 page of stuff to print off (right click copy and then edit into a nice paragraph) for the mommies.

I'm actually a knitter and crocheter so after seeing the idea about the wings I'm off to pluck the wings off one of my large starched Xmas angels and I'll make an 8 sided "granny square" butterfly to balance on my tummy for my shoot.

See, this gives those in this horrible position just a smidge of normalcy, just like a woman with a normal pregnancy will be planning how to do her shoot as well.

[Teresa Howell]

Thank you for sharing this info....I did a family maternity session last weekend at the park just to get to know the family and the two older siblings.....Melissa (mom) contacted me over a month ago and she will deliver Nov 23 a beautiful little boy that is not compatible with life....So we are creating memories every month for her and her girls...The butterflies, I love :)

Thank you so much.!

[NoQuotaOnGrief]

I'm sure you could go BROKE with props... Hobby Lobby is my Kryptonite as an artist, heh heh.

A lost baby is about lost dreams, so what about showing that? Little ballerina shoes? A small cowboy hat? (or fire or police or who knows?!?!?!) Small toy car? Everyday that parent is going to be reminded of what they have been deprived of with that child.

How about a wide pink or blue grosgrain ribbon Mommy could tie around her tummy with various appropriately lettered signs (or talk to me privately, LOL) as a "gift tag"

[Teresa Howell]

She has nicknamed baby Vance "Monkey" so I am definitely getting some monkey items in our next shoot....I think all little boys are about sports so I will get some sporty stuff and definitely will do the bow with gift tag :)

[Brittany Schilling]

I had my maternity pictures done the day alexis passed away.We did not know that she was gone until 2:00 Am the next morning. My photographer took a picture of my belly after she found out we had lost her she put an orb on there I am going to post a picture of it. Just go on line and you can get alot of ideas maybe even do a search on this subject.

[NoQuotaOnGrief]

Just wanted to say that I didn't get to put any of my great ideas for my own maternity shoot into practice. Aurora Nicole was stillborn w/o warning after a quick 90 min labor on 9/10/09. I had been putting it off so I might be a bit "rounder" since I never did look terribly pregnant since she weighed a whopping 2'13 @ 34 wks gestation.

[rharrison]

I have done one maternity shoot for a lady who was going to loose her baby...I had her wear angel wings and hold a white feather on her belly. It came out very pretty and was fitting. The baby's name was Angel. She loved it.
Michelle
How touching, respectful, and beautiful. What a great way to approach such a delicate situation. I'm sure they will cherish that image always.

My wife was scheduled to have maternity shots done the week after we lost our boys. I do wish we had been able to get some portraits of her then. At least I'll always remember how beautify and happy she looked.

[tlksc]

It is so sweet to hear all of the suggestions to honor such an awful place to be. Back in the time that we were experiencing all of this maternity shoots were unheard of let alone pictures featuring a child that was going to pass away. It is awesome to hear people being able to make memories. I don't even have pictures of me pregnant with my kids I got to keep - when you're stuck in bed the whole time you just don't think of it. Enjoy the memories, no matter how bittersweet they are.