One of the first questions moms ask when booking a maternity photoshoot is:
“What am I going to wear?”
Very often, that question comes with the idea that you need an enormous flowing maternity gown, an elaborate outfit or something completely different from what you would normally wear.
You really don’t.
Some of my favourite maternity photographs have been created with incredibly simple styling.
At my studio in Waverley, Pretoria, I photograph maternity sessions using everything from clean, simple outfits and soft draping to flowing fabrics and more dramatic maternity looks.
The important part isn’t how complicated the outfit is. It is how the clothing, lighting and posing work together to photograph your changing shape beautifully.
Simple styling photographs beautifully
Simple clothing allows your bump to become the focus of the photograph.
You don’t need to wear something elaborate simply because you’re having professional maternity photographs taken.
In fact, simple styling often creates some of the most timeless images because there is nothing distracting from you, your pregnancy and your expression.
Your maternity photographs should still feel like you.
Your maternity photoshoot doesn’t need only one look
This is where a studio maternity session becomes fun.
We can start with something very clean and simple and then completely change the mood with fabric, lighting and a different background.
A bold colour such as red can create a dramatic photograph without needing an elaborate outfit.
The impact comes from the combination of movement, posing, colour and studio lighting.
Flowing fabric creates beautiful movement
Fabric is one of my favourite ways to add variety to a maternity session.
It can be wrapped closely around the body for a more sculpted portrait or allowed to move for something softer and more dramatic.
The same piece of fabric can create several very different photographs, which means we don’t need to spend your whole session changing outfits.
That also makes things more comfortable during the later stages of pregnancy.
Include your partner
Your maternity session is about your pregnancy, but it is also part of your family’s story.
Partner photographs don’t need complicated outfits.
Simple clothing keeps the focus on your connection and your growing baby.
And you don’t need to worry about knowing how to pose together. I guide couples through those photographs as well.
Black-and-white maternity portraits are timeless
Whenever an image works particularly well in black and white, I love creating that version too.
Removing colour places even more emphasis on shape, expression, light and connection.
It is also one of the reasons I encourage clients not to worry too much about following every maternity photography trend.
Simple photographs tend to age beautifully.
Years from now, the image should still be about you and this stage of your life — not just the fashion that happened to be popular at the time.
What should you bring to your maternity photoshoot?
You do not need to arrive at Jenna D Photography with a suitcase full of expensive maternity clothing.
Depending on your session, we can use maternity dresses and fabrics available at the studio as well as selected items of your own.
Useful basics may include a simple fitted outfit, neutral underwear suitable for fabric photographs, jeans if you would like a more casual look, and a few personal pieces you genuinely love.
We can then build the session around you, rather than trying to make every client look exactly the same.
When should you book?
I generally recommend photographing maternity sessions between approximately 28 and 34 weeks.
During this stage your bump is normally beautifully visible, while the session is still more comfortable than it may be during the very final weeks.
It is a good idea to book before you reach 34 weeks, particularly if you need a specific day or need to coordinate the session with your partner.
Maternity photographer in Pretoria
Jenna D Photography is a studio-based maternity and newborn photographer in Waverley, Pretoria.
My maternity sessions are photographed completely in studio, which means we aren’t dependent on Pretoria weather, wind or changing outdoor light.
You have a private studio environment, professional lighting, styling options and guidance throughout your shoot.
And most importantly, you do not need any modelling experience.
I will guide you.
If you’ve been looking at maternity photographs and thinking, “I could never look like that,” remember that the women you see in beautiful maternity portraits usually aren’t professional models either.
Beautiful maternity photography comes from styling, lighting, posing and guidance.
Sometimes all we need to begin is something very simple.
