When it comes to maternity photography, Toronto mommas-to-be have their pick of studios in which beautiful portraits can and most definitely will be taken. Over the course of my career, I have hosted hundreds of pregnant women at my studio and helped them capture collections of photos that are not only gorgeous but memorable.
That being said, with the first signs that we’re leaving the cold, dark days of winter behind and moving into warmer, brighter days ahead, I can’t help but feel excited about getting outside with all the mommas-to-be who are currently booking their outdoor maternity photo sessions. A pregnancy photo shoot that’s held outside is a unique way to document such an exciting time in your life. Set against nature’s most beautiful backdrops with sunrises and sunsets, blooming flowers, lush green leaves and pools of water, pregnancy portraits that are taken outdoors can be truly spectacular.
Booking Your Pregnancy Photo Shoot
With Mother Nature’s co-operation, pregnant women can schedule a pregnancy photo shoot to be held outside at some point during the spring, summer and fall months. As you can imagine, each season has something unique and beautiful to offer a pregnancy photo shoot.
So in which of the optimal outdoor photography seasons can you expect to be booking your pregnancy photo shoot? When it comes to scheduling maternity photography, Toronto women should plan to book their sessions for between 32 and 36 weeks of their pregnancies. Once you’ve calculated where it is that your pregnancy falls in these three seasons, just imagine all of the stunning images that can and will be captured with the best that Mother Nature has to offer as your backdrop!
Spring, of course, is the season most characterized by new life, and what better way to celebrate the new life that you’re about to bring into the world than with a collection of photos set against budding trees and beds of tulips and peonies?
It’s also not hard to imagine that the summer months’ longer, warmer days have much to offer maternity photography. Toronto women who will be 32 to 36 weeks pregnant at this point in the year can choose to have their photos taken against backdrops of lush greenery, colourful beds bursting with flowers, alongside still pools of blue water, on beaches or in meadows of long grass.
Then, in fall, it goes without saying that the magnificent colours of turning leaves look incredible in portraits of any kind, but especially those with a glowing pregnant woman in the foreground.
Choosing the Location of Your Maternity Photo Shoot
Whenever women choose to have their pregnancy photo shoot outdoors, I help them choose the time and location that not only appeals to their personal preferences and style, but that will also allow us to capture the best possible portraits. As we Canadians know too well, the amount of sunlight we see each day, when the sun rises and sets or where exactly the sun is in the sky at different times throughout the day and year changes, and this affects the images taken during an outdoor pregnancy photo shoot. When they book their maternity photography, Toronto women and their partners will often meet with me in advance so that we can discuss their options for location and the feasibility of one location over another.
Some women, of course, come to me with the locations of their pregnancy shoots already set out in their minds, while others prefer to hear my suggestions for locations that work well for outdoor maternity photography. Toronto mommas-to-be, in the past, have had their portraits taken at sunrise or sunset, overlooking pools of water, on beaches, in whimsical wooded areas, against ivy covered rock walls and inside picturesque covered kissing bridges. I’ve also taken photos of pregnant women with their husbands in the locations where they were married, making their maternity photo collection just that much more special.
The Challenges
It goes without saying that nature’s elements do pose challenges, from time to time, for maternity photography. Toronto women who choose to have their pregnancy photo shoot take place outside have to expect that there are variables we just can’t control like we can inside the studio. With that being said, sessions that took place on days where the weather was what would typically be considered less-than-ideal for a pregnancy photo shoot, produced some of the most beautiful and memorable photographs I’ve ever taken.
I can remember one such pregnancy photo shoot when the day we had scheduled to take the portraits was so foggy, I couldn’t see past arms’ length. I admit I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to take quality portraits in all the fog, but the end result was a collection of photos so dreamy and unique, they are still some of my favourite images in my portfolio.
I guess the thing to remember when booking a pregnancy photo shoot that isn’t inside a studio where lighting, temperature and just about anything else can be controlled is that the unexpected can and will happen. The good news is that I have the right equipment and a good understanding of how to work with what Mother Nature provides to still produce beautifully unique maternity portraits, whether it’s cloudy, foggy or there’s not a cloud in the sky.
By choosing to take your pregnancy photo shoot outdoors, you will not only have the opportunity to capture some truly unique and beautiful portraits of you in your last weeks of pregnancy, but it’s also a fun and memorable experience. When they hire me for this type of maternity photography, Toronto women can expect to work with a professional photographer who is up for new challenges and happy to accommodate their preferences for location as best as I can.
If you would like to book your pregnancy photo shoot for the upcoming spring, summer or fall months, please call me at 905.449.2200. Together, we’ll choose the perfect location in which to create a gorgeous collection of maternity photography.
