Let’s Reimagine Richmond Maternity Photos

It was either November or December, 2010, when I met a friend at her home and we posed this way and that way in the bay window on a dreary late fall day. She was pregnant and I’d convinced her to let me make maternity photos for her - my first ever. My business was not yet a thing.

I’ve photographed a lot of pregnant families since then, but most of them were not at their homes. I’ve met a lot of clients in flowy dresses out in open fields and around Richmond parks. 

I’ve also seen a lot of pregnant couples hesitate because they didn’t want that park experience. 

Maternity photos in parks can be lovely. Richmond has so many terrific places to choose from; in fact, it can be a little overwhelming to try to pick one, if you don’t spend a lot of time hanging out in parks or hiking the James River trails. 

Some families shy away from the park experience because it can feel like you’re on display, posing out in a public area. Some people don’t like to get dressed up, but they feel like they have to in order to match the location. 

They feel fake, and decide they’d rather skip it than put themselves through that. 

But then I hear from folks later that they regret the choice to not document their pregnancy with a maternity session. They feel like they missed out, like they can’t get that moment back. It’s a wistful regret. 

There’s got to be a middle ground, between flowy dresses and choosing to do nothing and regretting it later. 

That middle ground is a lifestyle photo session at home. 

Maternity photos aren’t just a way to show off a big belly. They’re a time capsule for your future self, and for the baby you’re carrying. A way for you to remember and tell them about what life was like before they were born. The ways you and your partner spent time together, when everything wasn’t centered around sleep, feeding schedules, and all of the little unknown anxieties of new parenthood. The way your family looked when you only had one child, instead of two. Or two, instead of three. You get where I’m going with this. 

It’s a family photo session where one of you happens to be pregnant. It’s a casual, way more natural, hangout at home. 

You can stay in your backyard, or invite me in (or both) and we can do the ordinary, mundane things that you want to remember later. You can dress how you like. (What, you don’t wear flowy dresses while you make mac and cheese?) You can wear what’s comfortable, what feels like you. No tripping over a long hem or dragging extra yardage behind you.  

This is the middle ground, the way to remember your life without pretense or perfection. There’s possibly dirt or food (or both) involved. Dogs, cats, and/or toddlers have room and permission to roam, and we do more than just stare lovingly at the basketball under your shirt. It’s not glamorous. But it’s beautiful. 

Let’s reimagine this whole maternity photo session thing. Let’s stay home.

Want to talk to me about maternity photos in RVA? Contact me and let’s figure out what you want to remember.