I have very difficult pregnancies, it is not a magical time for me. I in no way regret it, but am just sharing my truth. I never did Maternity photos with my other pregnancies, because of my many insecurities and feeling like crap, but I knew that my pregnancy four years ago would probably be my last and I thought why not. I called up my sister in law and asked her to bring her camera over and we had a bit of fun.
I was a photographer for 8 years before I became a birth doula and knew the poses that I wanted and the look I was going for. I was never good at photographing my own family or myself and I was really pushing my comfort limits, but I went for it. It was the end of August, really hot and humid and my hair fell flat after 10 minutes. I don't even remember if I edited the images or shared them on Social Media, honestly I forgot I did them.
Two weeks ago, I was cleaning out my computer and I found the file, it stopped me in my tracks and if I'm being honest, I started to cry. I was instantly brought back to the moment, I had long forgotten. I felt all the love and excitement for my son that was so dearly wanted. I also thought, "Wow, I looked beautiful" That is not a phrase I utter a lot, but I was really taken aback.
My next thought was, I am so HAPPY I did that photo session. My son, who was now sitting on my lap, told me how pretty I was and we had a fun discussion about how he was in the picture too in my belly. It brought a lot of laughter and questions from my almost four year old, but he really loved it.
So in answer to the question, "Is Maternity Photos worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Depending on your situation, you can hire a professional photographer, (I will list a couple at the end of the post) or like I did ask a family member or friend with a good camera or even their phone. The important part is to take the pictures. You may want to hire hair and make up or buy a new outfit. Some women make it a family affair, but whatever you choose make it about you.
Pregnancy is life changing and it goes by fast, it doesn't feel that way at the time, but it does. Take that one day, feel good about yourself and capture this time in your life forever. One day your child will look at that photo in awe and tell you how much they love you.
If you have had maternity photos done yourself, share your story in our comments!
(Two amazing photographers in the area are: Amy Lewis at www.simplemomentsphoto.com
and Melody Gravely at www.sweetsoulsportraits.com) Both do Maternity and Newborn Photography)
www.qcitydoula.com
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