My Own Maternity Self-Portraits!
Ya might have heard I’ve been busy lately! Both growing a human (who could arrive any day!) and documenting it with a slew of self portraits.
Here’s a selection of my faves!
30 Weeks
This was our Christmas card shoot x announcement photos! We had some help with the logistics of this shoot, enlisting my 7 year old nephew to stand in as button pusher. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard an EWW instead of an AWW for a smooching shot. ;)
33 Weeks
The official maternity session at Studio Apparatus! (Which I quickly realized wasn’t enough to satisfy all I thought and felt about maternity photos, even though I thought this would be one and done.) After browsing around the internet for some mood board inspo, it became clear I wasn’t gonna find much that really resonated. It either felt too glam, too disconnected, or too flat for what I was envisioning. Words I was craving instead: natural, simple, peaceful, fulfilled. A preference for softer expressions vs overly smiley or forced serious. A truer reflection of how I’ve felt during the experience of pregnancy.
35 Weeks
It wasn’t an intentional maternity shoot—more so a desire to wear some holiday earrings and get a lil Christmassy—but it’s hard to hide a bump at 35 weeks! Probably my least favorite as a result although it’s always fun to get a lil fancy and shoot for no reason.
36 Weeks, Part I
Where it starts to get fun! One of my biggest fears at the start of my pregnancy was that I wouldn’t feel like me anymore with a bump or a baby. The easiest way to rectify that in my world of self portraiture: color! I set up a purple seamless paper in the living room, stuffed my bump into a very non-maternity dress, and swung that ponytail round and around.
I still haven’t hit that loss-of-self feeling (who knows what it’ll be like once Baby is here) but am feeling far more confident than I was last spring about who I am and what my identity hinges upon.
36 Weeks, Part II
A favorite among all of the shoots.
I knew I wanted flowers to add to the feeling of growth and femininity. They naturally ended up cradled in my arms for the first shot which I wasn’t consciously aware of at the time, but adore now. Soon it’ll be my lil flower there.
I’ve had this peignoir for a dozen years, picked up for a few dollars at an antique shop in Ely, which I always thought would make for a great maternity session one day. How thrilling to finally use it! Wasn’t sure it would even be me getting to wear it! I loved incorporating an antique and the nod back to earlier generations of birthing women, even if my grandmothers would never have posed like this for a portrait.
Standing on a doorway threshold—the cusp of a literal portal—makes it feel so special and symbolic even if it was just in my kitchen hallway with some fake wallpaper on either side. (Flowers everywhere! More vintage vibes!)
I’d like to think my fine art photo teachers from college would be proud of this one and the intention behind it!
36 Weeks, Part III
Aren’t bodies *truly* magical?
(And isn’t Photoshop truly magical, giving a studio illusion vs the actual experience of being crammed into a corner of my apartment while my legs went numb from sitting on them this way?)
I’ve never considered nude shoots my jam until a bump was introduced into the mix. This feels like a celebration of the divine and I’m so proud of what my body is doing.
37 Weeks, Part I
And the pendulum swings back to fun again! A shoot I would have done regardless of being pregnant, making it feel very me.
37 Weeks, Part II
What’s more maternal than milk?
A milk bath for the bump, featuring some candles from our wedding, and a hit of perfect window light.
By far, this was the most complicated shoot and I didn’t get what I was initially envisioning (something more along these lines) but I’m still happy with this one! I’m hopeful that a sense of serenity is what’s coming through first. As for the actual experience of shooting it… I see a tub that’s draining too quickly despite my best efforts, not enough milk on hand to replenish, trying to get the focus right and hide the phone that’s triggering the shot, while keeping my hair dry and carefully positioned despite my movements. Whew!
38 Weeks, Part 1
Another entry to the I’d-shoot-this-anyway category. Some play time in the kitchen with colored strobes and a bump that defies shirts altogether.
38 Weeks, Part II
A simple portrait or a growing body + baby.
39 Weeks
A couple casual at-home shots. If this wasn’t a winter baby, I’d be out and about, soaking up all the bloomin’ nature I could find. Or then again, maybe my low energy levels would preclude too many outings and a part of me is grateful to get to take it slow in the apartment. Either way, I’m thankful for so many opportunities to document growing babe and full of inspiration for my warmer weather mommas-to-be.
