When is the best time to take maternity photos?

::: If you're looking for the quick answer its 30-32 weeks :::

In my professional experience photographing pregnancies, the best time to plan your maternity photo session is when you are 30-32 weeks, which is  approximately 7 ½ months into your pregnancy. At this time, the baby's gender is typically known and can be utilized in choosing colors and props for your session. The size of your tummy increases the most in the third trimester, and for most women at 32 weeks, it is symmetrical and round. If you wait until your belly is larger, the baby tends to sit very low or rests on one side creating an asymmetrical appearance. You also don't want to wait too long to schedule your session in case of early delivery. By taking your photos earlier in you pregnancy your energy will last you through a longer photo shoot. My maternity sessions typically last between one and two hours with multiple wardrobe changes and lighting adjustments. 

Have Camera ... Will Travel

This summer, I moved out of my studio.
It was not something that I ever wanted to do.
I was simply unable to continue using that space, given my current budget.

I am not giving up on photography. I am also not selling off my studio equipment.
Given enough time and patience, I will be able to set up a permanent studio again in the future.

I am still scheduling portrait sessions, only now I have the opportunity to set up a portable studio in the homes of my clients. I have offered this service in the past, and have been able to provide beautiful results. For those unfamiliar with this idea, I bring a background support with a fabric backdrop to set up in your home. I then set up several battery operated lights to create an in-home studio for you.

I also shoot outdoor portraits in natural light as well as natural light enhanced with battery powered strobes. There is nothing quite like having your portrait shot outdoors with the addition of controlled light that  allows you to be part of your surroundings. When shooting with natural light by itself, you tend to get backgrounds that are blown out, or silhouetted portraits. With battery powered strobes, I can balance the light to bring you into your environment instead of separating you from it.

An additional service I have recently begun offering is lessons in photography lighting either as a studio setup, or learning on location. I will share my knowledge with you to help you understand the basics that took me years to understand. There are so many circumstances that can cause your camera to misinterpret the existing light, and a pop-up flash is not always the best solution. I can provide insight from my years of experience to help you eliminate bad exposures and improve your next photographic outing.

Erika

Erika is new to modeling but was willing to pose for me in a variety of setups at my studio. She brought some items of her own wardrobe, as well as utilizing several pieces from my boudoir case. We also raided my prop box and played with some of the hats and other outfits I keep at my studio.

I have found that the best way to help someone get comfortable in front of the camera is to give them directions, but not commands. Erika was great at taking direction and after a short time she was falling into some great natural poses without the need for me to tell her what to do. Especially as she started playing it up for the camera.

Narrowing a full session of images into a handful of favorites is a challenge in itself, but here are a few of my picks from Erika's time at the studio...


Click here for the full set on Eden's Edge Studio

Amber's Outdoor Senior Photo Session

Holding a photo session in the park is a wonderful option for your photo session. I do something that most photographers would never dream of, I bring my lights with me on location! I move the lights away from the camera so you are not blinded by the flash every time I take a photo. Then I turn you away from the sun or bring you into the shade and set my lights around you to get beautiful lighting without super bright backgrounds or accidental-silhouettes.

Amber was a junior this year and is getting her senior portraits done before her final year in high school. She brought a change of clothes and her flute to get a variety of images for her senior year and wanted her photos to be shot outdoors. We set up in a park near my studio, on the lawn, next to trees, and by this little creek that cuts through the park. I used two small lights on stands that I moved around Amber, depending on her position with the sun. I did this so we wouldn't have really dark shadows on her face while trying to keep the sun behind her.

I love the results of this photo session because it could literally be anywhere in America. You would never guess how close to a street we were or that there was a large playground 100 feet away from us. It could be on a farm, in the mountains, near the plains, or even a park in a big city. I kept the angles very protected to keep some anonymity to the location. I know where it is and how we got the shot, but I want you to see a beautiful portrait.

Below are more of my favorites from our session:

Gina

Sometimes you go into a photo session with an idea for what will work, and then you have to abandon that setup and rework your whole plan. That was the case here with Gina. I had a specific lighting setup ready for her when she arrived for her photo session, and after taking a few test shots, I realized that it was not a good match for her. I started by removing one light, and then repositioning the others until we got the shots you see here. Rather than take more photos that did not look as good as they could, I stopped and changed what was not working for us. It was a lesson that not everyone can be lit the same way. I realized that if the studio setup doesn't work one way, there are countless other possibilities for beautiful light.

Learn Photography One on One

Have you ever wondered what settings you should use on your camera but don't know who to ask? And when should you use a tripod or a flash? I am now offering one-on-one time to teach you techniques, composition, exposure, and whatever else you've been missing in your photography. Discounts are available for multiple lessons or group workshops.

Book a time with me using the links below and I will help you improve your photography after your very first lesson.

Cherry Brandi in Color

My previous post included an all black & white set of classic Hollywood inspired photos of Cherry Brandi and I couldn't be happier with how well they turned out. That session was photographed in color and later converted to black & white to achieve the vintage look. There are some subjects that look better in color, and some that are fantastic in black & white. I think you'll agree that Cherry Brandi is able to do both very well.

I have pulled together some of my favorite color images of Cherry Brandi from our latest photo shoot:

Hollywood Glamour featuring Cherry Brandi

Cherry Brandi came to me with an idea for a photo shoot emulating classic Hollywood glamour. She had a few samples of the type of photos that she wanted, and after studying them for a short time, I was able to engineer a lighting setup to match the style she wanted. They looked good in color, but converting them to black & white changed them into the vintage shots she was after.

I have worked with Brandi twice before, and each time we have come out of our sessions with so many great photos, its hard to pick favorites. This session lasted only half as long as our previous meetings, but produced just as many fantastic shots. I have selected several favorites to share here, but there are even more that will have to wait for another time...

Fowler Family Album

Shelley Fowler contacted me by phone to see if I had any openings that evening for a family portrait session. Five hours later, their session was complete. Last minute sessions are not the norm for my studio, but I work hard to accommodate everyone's schedule to create beautiful photos.

My favorite photos from their session are below:

Laura & Reid Engagement Photos on Location

I attended the Women's Expo event at McGee Park last week to promote my photography business where I held a drawing for a free photo session. Laura & Reid were the lucky winners. They wanted their photos to have a more natural feel so we held their session somewhere they felt comfortable, the Farmington Public Library.

Here are my favorite photos from their session:

Keanno's Senior Portraits

I photographed Keanno in my studio as well as on location in the areas around my studio.
We started by taking some head shots in my studio with controlled lighting and three different backdrops. He didn't want to take any photos with his cap & gown, he wanted to be in his regular clothes and act like himself. We took a series of photos, both serious and goofy, inside my studio and then moved outside for more. 

My favorite photos from this session are below:

Headshots & Boudoir in One Session

Last month, I held a "Random Like" contest on Facebook, and Rebecca was the lucky winner.
To celebrate my page's third birthday on Facebook, I posted a short message saying I would choose one "like" from that message to receive a FREE photo session. There were only a few people who replied, making it a short list of possible winners.

I met with Rebecca to discuss the type of photos she wanted, and we came up with a dozen ideas for poses and styles. We started off with formal head shots, and moved on to pinup and then boudoir.

While she was very shy about what to show and what to cover up, she warmed up to the camera rather quickly, and soon felt much more comfortable in my studio. By taking it slow, and starting with head shots, she got a feel for how I take photos and I was able to observe her mannerisms and incorporate her natural posture in the way I asked her to pose. Near the end of the session time, she was getting into my prop box and going through my wardrobe collection trying on different outfits and playing for the camera.

Below are a selection of images from our session:

Kimi's Maternity Progression at 30 Weeks

17 weeks through 30 weeks

I have been following Kimi's pregnancy since she was 17 weeks along, and still barely showing. We have had four progressive sessions, each of them matching wardrobe, poses, and lighting, so that I can edit a seamless sequence like the one shown above. Our first session took the longest of them all because it was when we were deciding which outfits would work with which backgrounds, and just how many variations of each we wanted to have. All of our following sessions have gone much smoother and flow from one setup into the next without much fumbling and wondering if we're doing the right thing

The consistency is good for matching session to session, but can become tedious when that's all you are photographing. The funnest part of our progression is when our repetitive poses are complete and we have a chance to try new ideas and experiment with poses, wardrobe and props. I like to collaborate with my subjects to come up with ideas that we both agree would work for their personalities, and of course are flattering to them.

Kimi has been great all around to have as a model for her pregnancy. She brought many of her own outfits to use, but also utilizes the props and wardrobe I have on hand. I like to have a variety of fabric, cute tops and props to cater to any of my maternity subjects. Many of these props are also the same I use for beauty and boudoir photography sessions as well.

You can find more composites and recent poses from our sessions below...

Baby Riley's First PhotoShoot

Riley was born in November, and was brought in for her first photo session at five weeks old.

I photographed her mother at 28 weeks as part of a maternity before and after progression series.

You can find photos of her pregnancy in earlier posts on this blog, here and here.

We tried several different outfits, hats, and poses while changing the backdrop and props during Riley's photo session. In addition to her solo photos, we also photographed Riley with her siblings, and with the whole family.

You can find more beautiful photos of Riley below:

Maternity: Before & After for Nancy

Capturing a moment in someone's life is one of the best gifts you could ever give them.

Capturing two moments that span such a dramatic change as pregnancy is even better.

Nancy was 28 weeks into her pregnancy when we had our first of two sessions to document her pregnancy. She had two children previous to this pregnancy and knew exactly which week she wanted to be photographed. This proved to be the biggest benefit of our photo session, we were able to achieve dozens of poses with different wardrobe and background combinations. I could not have asked for a better model. She was full of energy and ideas, and willing to try poses I had never attempted before.

Although we spent most of our second session photographing the baby by herself, I wanted to get at least this one before & after pose of Nancy wrapped in purple, cradling her tummy, and then holding the baby. I was able to use the same background for each and with a little editing magic, combined the two images into a side by side composite.

I have included a few other images from the second set below: 

Armenta Family Album

This wonderful family came to me for portraits and wanted to include all three generations in the photo. Here we have grandma and grandpa, their three children, two spouses, and four grand-children. Eleven people in total in my tiny little studio. It was a juggling act to get all the different combinations of family members photographed. We met on December 23, to allow for those who lived further away to be able to travel here for Christmas. We were able to schedule this session on short notice, and create many beautiful images.

Below are my personal favorites from our photo session.

Melissa - Pinup

Melissa in her red corset showing off her tattoo

I met Melissa a few months ago, and asked her if she would model for me. She has an alternative look that lends itself to pinup photography and she was a natural model. We spent almost two hours shooting with different outfits and backgrounds, creating some amazing images. I have so many fantastic shots of her, I have had a difficult time narrowing down the best of the best to share with you here. She brought an assortment of her own wardrobe, but also raided my props and used them to create an even better array of photos. 

I have included an assortment of my favorite poses and composites from our session:

Family Portraits

This Christmas, all this mom wanted was a new family photo with everyone smiling.

I was happy to help her get her Christmas card photos done in time to print and send to friends and family. We also took the time to photograph everyone individually, and with a few different group combinations.

I have included a small sampling of the session below. These are my top picks from over 400 images shot during their photo session.

Bringing an Idea to Life

 If you could see through someone's clothes, would you be surprised to see a tattoo like this?

For this session, I had a very specific idea in mind:
To use a picture frame as if it were an x-ray, looking through her dress.

The trick to it all, is to photograph her in exactly the same pose, both with and without her dress. I explained to her, that to make it work, she couldn't move her feet between each photo. She had to change out of her dress without moving her feet from her original pose. We managed to match the angle of her body, the picture frame, and her arms for each reference photo. Creating the final image required blending three separate photographs. One image of her holding the picture frame and wearing the dress, the next of her in the same pose holding the picture frame nude, and the final of her without the frame focusing on the tattoo.

Find a few more edited shots from this session below...

Showing Off Your New Tattoo

Samantha and I met last spring while she was taking a digital photography course at San Juan College, where I assist with all the photography classes. She started this tattoo midway through the spring semester, and only just recently was able to complete all the coloring and shading on her arm. After several attempts to get together for a photo session, we were finally able to arrange to meet.

I wanted to get as many views of the tattoo as we could manage. Changing lighting, posing, and backgrounds several times through the session. The resulting images are fantastic, and show off her ink beautifully. I wish I could share more of them here, the entire session was a complete success.