Dreamy Maternity Session
This Maternity Session was booked with my good friend, Nicole, who is an amazing photographer and I am always blown away with the outcome of our photo sessions with her. The lighting, the location and the overall look came together perfectly for this meadow-like maternity photo shoot.
As usual – I scanned Pinterest for inspiration for my maternity photo session. I came across so many of these airy, dreamlike- almost ethereal maternity photos and I couldn’t get my mind off of them. Nicole delivered these beautiful shots and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Trying to plan for a Maternity Shoot?
Find inspiration
I always find inspiration from Pinterest. This will be one of a billion times you will hear me reference Pinterest. I have a problem. Another place to find inspiration can be from your mom friends and family.
Check 
theirs out and see what you liked or didn’t like: Season/theme/color palette/attire/location. This can help you figure out what you want. You can also ‘search’ or post and ask in a mom Facebook Group. You can find local and larger mom Facebook groups.
Shop for outfits
Coordinating outfits for family photos is one of my favorite things to do! I know I’m so weird! I like the challenge and I love pairing outfits and then getting killer photos because of it! Especially if your photos are for Christmas cards or birth announcements, then the color palette for the photos can be fun to work with texts and fonts. Some places to search for maternity photo dresses are Amazon, Lulus, Windsor, Ripcurl, Target. Amazon has tons of the sheer, strapless, goddess like maternity dresses that you often see in maternity shoots. This is for sure where you want to get one of these. Also, for maternity shoots, check with your photographer. Some who do a lot of maternity shoots will have a collection of dresses you can wear (possibly with a small fee).
Here is where I found our attire seen in these photos:
*Disclaimer* This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Windsor Maxi Dress (altered to fit baby bump!!)
Target Flat Sandals
The dress I bought her is no longer for sale at H&M, but this one is similar.
Toddler Dress
Hurley Button Down Shirt
Pandemic Pregnancy
We were in the midst of 2020 and were only half way through a complicated and eventful year. As complicated and eventful as life can be while we were ALL stuck at home, all of us! This pregnancy was so complicated, from the get go – this pregnancy surprised me. After a short period of infertility, we became pregnant naturally, but had a few minor health scares throughout the pregnancy, that alone would be a lot, but placed along the backdrop of the Covid-19 Pandemic makes for some interesting and complex situations that we had to navigate.
I go into more detail on the medical issues that happened during this pregnancy in this post.
Just a short time before these photos were taken – it was only essential workers that were allowed to work and most parks, trails, etc. were closed. Many people had to cancel their maternity photo sessions. I know some who were able to do them virtually and some people resorted to doing porch photo sessions, where their photographer came, in a mask and took photos from a socially distant side walk or yard..
I held off as long as I could and luckily, we had moved into a new tier and I was able to safety schedule this photo session. (All COVID19 safety protocols were followed.) It was as odd as anything was during the height of the pandemic, and seeing a friend and staying 6 feet apart, and trying to get your toddler to pay attention to a photographer in a mask is not something that is easy to adapt too. Still of course, Nicole managed to make the whole session run seamlessly, and suggest the best poses and actions to get the perfect shot.
I didn’t think anything of Nicole asking me to put her hair behind her ear! Then I saw this shot… I will cherish these forever. Carli was in such a stubborn mood this day. I walked on eggshells around her all morning to prevent a meltdown and I bribed her relentlessly to get her to smile and behave and participate in the pictures! No shame! Still, the photos of her playing with stick and ants are my favorite. They capture the essence of her age and who she was. She has changed so much since then. I am writing this months later – Tomi is turning ONE next week. About a year and a half later and Carli is a whole new girl. 2 ½ – 3 ½ is an insane time in child-development, I have watched my baby blaze through toddlerhood and start to resemble a miniature little girl! TEARS
My friend Nicole, @nicolecapricreative, is now based out of Arlington, VA. Reach out to her for your next family photo session OR brand content https://nicolecapri.com
