I cannot believe I’m staring at 30 weeks right in front of me. While this pregnancy has been far but easy there have been many moments that seem to have just flown by and now that we’re nearing the end we wanted to schedule some maternity pictures. We took maternity pictures during our first pregnancy and truthfully they’re some of my favorite pictures of Dan and I, and our little girl of course too. So I figured this time around we’d go ahead and schedule some family maternity pictures so we hopefully can capture these precious moments where we’re all deep in anticipation of meeting this little girl.
Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE taking pictures, not of myself, but of my little family. They’re my pride and joy and having pictures of all of these important moments means the world to me. Unfortunately with me behind the camera taking the pictures that means we rarely have family pictures of the whole family unless I enlist someone to take ahold of our precious camera or pay to have them done. Even though my all time favorite thing in this world, besides my family itself, are pictures of them, unfortunately getting professional pictures done right and left isn’t really in our budget so we save the splurges for the big things that we just can’t do ourselves. Two moments that I could only capture myself if there were two of me are maternity pictures and newborn photos, two of the most special times that deserve extra special pictures.
Since just before having our daughter we quickly realized how costly professional pictures can get, especially when it comes to anything baby or child related. When I say costly I mean costly, to say I had sticker shock after shopping around a bit for maternity photos for baby #1 and now baby #2 would be an understatement. So if you’re at the beginning stages of contemplating maternity photos be prepared when you start looking for photographers because things can be pricey. What I would always recommend is setting a budget and sticking to it. Shop around a bit and see what the ranges are out there and then set your budget, know how much you’re willing to and/or are able to spend and stick to it. Remember, ultimately you just want pictures that capture all of the love and anticipation you have in those weeks before your new little one arrives, sans blowing your budget out of the water.
A couple things to keep in mind when it comes to maternity or any kind of photos is the way photographers price things out. Something to keep an eye out for is how everything is priced before you book anything. Many photographers have just a session fee that doesn’t include any images but I still do see and always personally prefer photographers that have a flat fee for session and images. When it comes to the actual images itself you have to really know what you’re interested in. I’ve noticed that some photographers have minimum order requirements when it comes to ordering prints, canvases, albums, etc. so make sure you take notice of that before you book; while other photographers will give you an option of getting digital images, either all are included or a specific number that are offered a la carte. There’s a lot to keep in mind so definitely do your homework and make sure budget wise your favorites fit just right for you.
Dan and I have done just that, first time around and now second time around. We knew at the very beginning of each pregnancy that we wanted to have certain moments captured by a professional and we budgeted and saved so we could accomplish that. But besides budget needs it’s so important to know what kind of pictures you’re looking for. What I recommend is shopping around on pinterest. Figure out what kind of pictures you’d like to get, i.e. very intimate ones, more posed, outside vs. inside, etc. and then from there see what photographer fits the best. I always make a board on pinterest and show a photographer that board before we schedule anything just to make sure they know what I’m looking for and to see if they’re able to do it. Check out some of my favorite maternity photo ideas on my Maternity Board!
So if you’re expecting definitely consider capturing this time in an extra special way with maternity photos. We ultimately decided on taking maternity photos not just for more family pictures of ourselves but also for something extra special that we can one day share with our little one down the road, nothing more special than that. Hope all of my tips and advice help you in your decision! Please share any other tips or favorite maternity photos!
Sincerely,
Lindsay (29 weeks)