Photographing an expectant woman is not without its challenges.  The truth is pregnant women can be emotional or feel discomfort during a photo-shoot and being kind and understanding will help your cause much more than being abrupt.  Here are some more tips on how to get some great shots of a pregnant woman.

1.    Being patient

Working with a pregnant woman may sometimes be harder than working with a seasoned model.  For one thing, women that hire you to take pregnancy shots of them are not professionals so will need direction from you constantly.  Secondly, depending on the person’s temperament they may be emotional or difficult on the day.

Although something like a photo-shoot is supposed to be fun, some women get very stressed out easily and may find the whole experience more uncomfortable than fun.  If you are dealing with someone nervous, it’s a good idea to prepare a factsheet for them – a guide they don’t have to follow but they can use if they wish.

For example, include on the list – how long the shoot will take, what kind of things you will ask them to do when posing, what they should wear, how to have their hair and make up and other things they may want to get ready like a change of clothing, snacks if they need this to keep their energy up and so on.

2.    Use Props

Props can really make pregnancy photos look special.  For example, items like a flower held in the arm next to the bump can give the image a romantic, soft feel.  Choose props carefully – use pretty items that represent new life, things that are fresh and good.

Also think about using props in the background – some women like to use quite organics settings like the garden to pose and some people like to post in their nurseries where the colors are pastel and soft.

3.    Go black and white

Pregnancy photos always look timeless and elegant in black and white. You can just convert it later in Photoshop but remember to shoot with contrasts and shadows in mind if you want to do this,

4.    Add other people

Sometimes mothers want other people, usually the father to be involved.  There are some typical shots you can go for – the partner behind the mother to be with his hands on the bump.  Although this is a classic pose most couples want to capture their own copy of the image so be prepared to study other photographers work to end up with the best possible image.

Make sure you give the other person in the photograph lots of direction.  Quite often they are just an extra element to the image, not the main focus so it’s important they stay discreetly in the background.

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