Located in Houston, Sarah Borchgrevink Photography joyfully offers beautiful maternity sessions for expecting couples and mothers to be. Through connected posing and lifestyle portraiture, Sarah authentically preserves your pregnancy.
Tips for Posing Expecting Couples during a Maternity Session
Booking a maternity session is often very exciting! It's a time to document your motherhood journey and to preserve this time in your life as you eagerly await the arrival of your sweet cherub baby. Part of booking a natural light and on location maternity photographer is checking out many portfolios, reading their photography philosophies and selecting someone who is the perfect fit for the final look you envision. If you're looking for sweet, timeless, simple and naturally posed images, I'm the gal for you!
This sweet couple originally contacted me when they were in their second trimester. They booked both a natural light, maternity session and a posed newborn collection with me. This is very common since many parents like to work with the same person for both sessions.
Posing Couples in a natural way
When photographing an expecting couple, the final look should be connected, natural, and not at all stilted or awkward. When I first began photographing couples during pregnancy portraiture sessions, I sometimes felt a little stuck and unsure of how to keep the session flowing smoothly. For example, it's often the first time you've met the couple. In this case, for instance, I did meet Mom in advance since she came for a studio tour, however, it was my first time interacting with Dad. This couple is about as kind and gracious as they come, so it is my job to make sure they look happy, in love, and comfortable together. Posing couples, however, can be challenging because they must be at ease. When they're in a public setting and outside of their normal routine, the posing can make them feel a little bit nervous since it's not the normal routine for them. After all, I photograph many clients per month, but this is a new experience for them.
Have Patience with the client
Once you greet your client and get them settled, be patient. Ask them about their day and make sure they like the location you're working at that day. Give them the opportunity to ask any questions they may have before you begin. Always have Dad take everything out of his pocket, too, such as car keys or his wallet. If he's wearing a fit bit, go ahead and have him remove that unless he'd like it in his final images. You'll be the one doing most of the running, especially if you shoot with prime lenses, ha! Give your client a little bit of time to warm up. By being friendly and courteous to them, it helps them relax. By answering any questions, it removes the "unknown" and let's them feel more comfortable. You want your client to love the images!
Give clear direction and communicate clearly
Now that you've started the session, give clear direction to your clients. Don't say, "Um...yeah, scoot over a little bit, um..stop, no, go left, no go right, no I mean forward, etc." When you fumble and act unsure of what you're doing, it creates uncertainty during the session. Instead, take charge. Be friendly yet assertive. Tell the parents, in a clear voice, exactly what you'd like them to do. Guide them through positive instructions. For instance, you might say, "Alright, guys! Now let's smile at one another. Dad, gently touch the top of Mom's stomach. Let's make sure you're on the same focal plane. Alright, now let's have mom bend her front leg." Effectively communicating with your client will help you naturally pose them because they understand what you're asking of them. If you cannot clearly communicate, everything will be lost in translation and you can expect your client to just pose themselves. That's why they've hired you.
Have them Kiss or interact together
Sometimes friends will tell me they're unsure of how to get Mom and Dad to kiss. It's simple. Just ask them to, ha! This couple is young, in love, and super excited to meet their baby girl. They often adore one another and are looking forward to the session. This is the time in their marriage or relationship when it's just the two of them and it's a great oppurtunity to capture romantic, intimate, and sweet shots of them because they'll look back on these images and see how their love shines through.
Keep them moving
Another simple way to naturally pose your clients is through movement. By moving, it gives them a natural action they're familiar with, such as walking. You can ask them to walk, smile at one another, and look back into their partner's eyes.
Cozy up and cuddle
At some point, it adds variety to the final gallery to have the clients sitting together, all cozy and cuddled together. I usually bring a quilt of some sort and take the time to do individual images of Mom, but also of both parents together. If you have Mom lean back into Dad, he can support her, while touching the baby bump, and they can interact together. Don't focus too much on them looking at the camera. It's nice to have images that are a little more lifestyle in nature, which will add laid back posing to your collections.
Thanks for stopping by my blog to read about simple, effective, and natural ways to pose couples during an outdoor maternity session. I hope you visit again! If you'd like to keep looking around, I'm sure you'll find other topics to enjoy! If you liked reading about posing couples, you may like the following posts or find them informative:
- How to add pets to a family photography session
- Creating Meaningful images in your maternity portraiture
- Posing Families with Older Kiddos or Teens
- Tips for a maternity session on a dark, cloudy or overcast day
Sarah Borchgrevink Photography is a Houston Newborn Photographer specializing in gorgeous posed newborn sessions. Her studio is located in Northwest Houston. In addition to breathtaking baby portraiture, Sarah also offers stylish natural light family photography as well as dynamic outdoor maternity sessions for expecting mothers and couples. Sarah joyfully serves the entire Harris and Montgomery county areas including North Houston, Cypress, Tomball, Spring, Jersey Village, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Conroe, Willis, Montgomery, Humble, Kingwood, Porter, New Caney, Waller, Memorial & West Houston, Katy, Fulshear, Sugar Land, Pearland, Hempstead, Richmond, West University, Rice Village and Porter TX. Connect to chat with Sarah today! Please consider booking your session at your earliest convenience in order to secure your appointments on the calendar.
