Celebrating You: The Beauty of In-Home Maternity Photography Sessions

As you await the arrival of your little one, your body is undergoing an incredible transformation. Your love, excitement, and anticipation are palpable. An in-home maternity photography session is the perfect way to capture this fleeting moment, celebrating you and your growing family.

Why In-Home Maternity Sessions?

1. Intimate and Relaxed: The comfort of your own home ensures a stress-free experience, allowing your true beauty and joy to shine.

2. Personalized Storytelling: Your home, your love, and your story – all intertwined in beautiful, authentic photos.

3. Cozy Atmosphere: Soft light, plush blankets, and warm textures create a haven for capturing tender moments.

Benefits of Maternity Photography

1. Last Opportunity as a Couple: Cherish this time before your family grows, and preserve memories of your love and connection.

2. Meet Your Photographer: Get to know me before your newborn session, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience.

3. Remember This Moment: Life with a new baby can be a whirlwind. Maternity photos help you recall the anticipation, hope, and love.

4. Empowering and Uplifting: Celebrate your body's incredible journey and the beauty of motherhood.

5. Timeless Heirlooms: Treasured photos for you, your child, and generations to come.

What to Expect

- A relaxed, lifestyle approach to photography

- Guidance on preparing your home for a stress-free session - Capturing genuine moments, laughter, and love

- Beautiful, timeless photos to cherish

Seattle In-Home Maternity Photography

This winter, cozy up in the comfort of your own home and let's capture the magic of this moment. Book your in-home maternity session today and:

- Secure your preferred date and time

- Enjoy a stress-free, intimate experience

- Receive stunning photos perfect for treasuring this special time

Contact me to schedule your session and let's celebrate you, your love, and your growing family.

The Magic of Fall Family Photo Sessions: Why Booking Early Matters

Hey there, mama! As the leaves start to turn and the air grows crisper, I know what's on your mind: Fall family photo sessions! There's something special about capturing your family's love and connection during this cozy season. But, let's get real – Fall is a popular time for family photos, and booking early is crucial to securing your spot.

So, why are Fall family photo sessions so popular? Here are a few reasons:

- Golden light: The soft, warm glow of Fall's golden hour is simply irresistible. It adds a magical touch to your family photos, making them feel cozy and inviting.

- Cozy atmosphere: Fall is all about snuggling up and getting cozy. Your family photos will reflect that warmth and love, capturing the true essence of your relationships.

- Seasonal charm: From pumpkins to leaves, Fall offers a picturesque backdrop for your family photos. It's the perfect time to incorporate seasonal elements that will make your photos feel extra special.

Now, about booking early... As a lifestyle family photographer, my schedule fills up quickly during the Fall season. By booking early, you ensure that:

- You secure your preferred date and time

- We can plan a session that fits your family's style and needs

- You'll receive your photos in time for holiday gifts and cards Don't miss out on the chance to capture your family's love and connection during this beautiful season.

Book your Fall family photo session now, and let's create some magic together!

Why you should consider having your maternity photos at home

As we all know, the weather can play a major role in your Seattle photo session. With rain that lasts from October to May (or so it seems), a large majority of the year is taken up with bad weather. Many people are now opting for in home newborn and family sessions, but lately, in home maternity sessions are on the rise too.

Your home is the perfect backdrop for your maternity session. During an in home maternity session, we’re been able to include the mother-to-be’s food cravings, pets, and a little more skin that many people are comfortable with in a public place. When your maternity photo session is at home, we can use the nursery that your baby will soon sleep in as the backdrop to some of your photos. This will be so special to show your little one in the future.

As with family and newborn sessions, there is no need to stress about the weather, or stay up to sunset to get that beautiful golden light. In home sessions are best done in the mid morning or afternoon, so if you have other kids, we can book your session around their schedules.

If you’d like an in home maternity session, I would love to work with you. Please contact me or feel free to book online.

What to Expect at a Maternity Photo Session

Are you expecting a new baby and thinking about having a maternity session. As a Seattle area maternity photographer for the last ten years, I’ve photographed a ton of expecting mamas, and here are some tips to ensure your maternity session turns out the way you want it to:

Schedule your maternity session for between 28-36 weeks

The whole point of a maternity session is to show off that bump, so make sure to schedule your session once you’re showing but before you’re too uncomfortable. The general rule of thumb is that a maternity session should take place between 28-36 weeks.

Choose a location that is meaningful to you

Many people opt for an at home maternity session, but I have had a couple of families choose flower fields because they are naming their daughter after a flower. To me, that is such lovely nod to the chosen name.

Wear a dress

Dresses always look best for outdoor maternity sessions. There’s something special about the way they hug the body and blow in the wind. Not sure where to start looking? This one gets praise from everyone I’ve known who has worn it.

Get your hair and make up done

We all know pregnancy causes us to feel not like ourselves. One way you can make yourself feel better is by getting your hair and make up done.

Check for chipped nail polish

This is a tip I give everyone before their session. Chipped nail polish really does show up in your images. Make sure you have freshly painted nails, or no polish at all.

Lastly, relax and trust your photographer

As a maternity photographer, I know how to pose you in the best way to make sure you look as beautiful as the rest of us see you.

If you’re interested in a maternity session, please contact me. I would love to photograph you during this special time in your live.

Is it Worth Having Maternity Photos Taken?

Most families know they want to have a newborn photography session but have you ever considered having a maternity session too? Here are my top reasons why I think you should have a maternity session.

This may be the last professional photos of just the two of you.

Once baby arrives, life is going to be all about your new little one. This may be the very last time you’ll have professional pictures of just the two of you.

It’s important to document this time in your lives

Once baby arrives, you’ll forget all the aches and pains, the movements, your body changing seemingly overnight, the small smiles you received from other women who have been in your shoes. One way to take you back to this time is through photographs.

It provides a great way to get to know your photographer before your newborn session

Those first few days of motherhood are raw, intimate, and emotional. When you have a maternity session first, we get to know each other so that when I arrive for your newborn session, it’s just like having an old friend visit and not some stranger when you’re feeling the most vulnerable.

Questions about having a maternity session? Let’s chat.

The Sweetest Love Story {Edmonds Family Photographer}

It has been such an honor to photograph this beautiful family for the third time. You may recognize them from their prior newborn sessions. You can read about their first two newborn sessions here and here.

We met on a beautiful evening in Discovery Park for their maternity session. The temperature was perfect and the sun was shining. The best time for outdoor family sessions is the hour before sunset, but with young kids and being in the height of summer, this can be hard. We opted for an earlier session time, and thankfully, Discovery Park has enough shade to make this possible. Discovery Park is one of my favorite locations for many reasons, but one of the best is because of how versatile it is. There is shade for non-golden hour times, there are views of the water, a giant field to run around in, trees, old buildings, a beach and long grass. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

This session was bursting with love, just the same way every other session I’ve done for them has been. Isn’t it amazing how your heart just seems to grow with love for each child? This is what I can see happening each time this family welcomes a new baby into their lives. Their hearts expand and it’s so beautiful to be able to witness.

When this mama contacted me for her maternity session, she said she envisioned bare feet, a flowy dress and tall grass. I’m so honored that we were able to do her maternity session exactly how she envisioned.

If you’re expecting a new little baby in your family and would love to document this time, please contact me here. It would be an honor to photograph you as you wait for your newest family member.

A Beautiful Golden Hour Session {Seattle Lifestyle Photographer}

This beautiful family session didn’t take place in Seattle. I was so lucky to photograph my sister’s family when I visited New Zealand a few months ago. It was chilly (by NZ standards, not really by Seattle standards) so we worked fast but the results were so lovely. We headed out to do their images, not really having a location in mind. All we knew was that we wanted to do the session in the hills. We drove, stopped a couple of times, then kept moving until we found this gorgeous spot. I love how you can see the ocean in the background and the light was pretty incredible too. My nieces and nephew are growing up so fast and I love being able to photograph them all every couple of years.

I don’t photograph outdoors very often, but I do offer a limited amount of outdoor sessions over the summer. If that’s something you’re interested in, please get in touch so we can get you on the schedule!

At Home with a Family of Six {Seattle Lifestyle Photographer}

These winter Seattle days are cold and gloomy but the warmth in this at home newborn session was a stark contrast. This was my first newborn session of 2019 and it couldn’t have been any more beautiful.

I’ve known this strong mama for about a year and a half. She instructed fitness classes for mamas and their babies and I started attending her classes when my youngest was about 4 months old. She is so strong mentally and physically and I really admire her for they way in which she motivates other mamas to be strong and healthy.

Baby number four was only six days old for his session. He was still so fresh, flaky skin, umbilical cord stump, eyes closed the entire time. His big sisters are so in love with him, as are his loving parents. It never matters whether it’s baby number one or baby number four, each one is so special. We did the whole session in one room. The master bedroom is my favorite room to photograph newborns in. The master bed is a comfy spot for everyone to snuggle, and it’s also a great spot for individual pictures of the new baby. As long as there is one window letting in enough light, then I often stick to the master bedroom for the entire newborn session. The whole time I was photographing this family, I kept thinking about how perfectly baby fits in Mama’s arms. Isn’t it lovely how they just curl up, like they know that’s exactly where they belong? He was the sweetest, snuggliest little thing. Sometimes I hold baby for a bit so everyone can get into place and then once they’re comfortable, I hand baby over. I may have held on to him just a little bit longer than needed, but I just couldn’t help myself.

I am happy for this gorgeous family. I love that we were able to capture Gideon before he lost his umbilical cord stump. I always feel like that little stump speaks of their newness like nothing else. I hope these photographs are forever treasured and you can always look back and remember how tiny he was. Welcome to the world Gideon!

What is Lifestyle Photography? {Seattle Family Photographer}

What exactly is lifestyle photography and how does it differ from traditional photography? The answer may be different depending on who you ask, but I’m going to try to explain what lifestyle photography is to me.

Lifestyle is somewhere in the middle between traditional portrait photography, and documentary photography. Portrait photography is a session where the photographer will pose everyone in a spot that the photographer has chosen and will direct everyone to look (and usually smile) at the camera. Documentary photography is where the photographer will follow the family around and just photograph them going about their day. The photographer will do nothing to alter the scene. If lights are turned on, they’ll leave them. If the family is in an area that might not photograph well, they’ll leave them there and continue to shoot anyway. So, where does lifestyle photography fit in? My approach is to manipulate the scene a little, but ultimately, I still aim to capture the family as it is. Once I arrive at your house, I typically look for the places with the best light, or anywhere that looks like it would be an interesting backdrop. I will direct the family into that space and I may guide them into position. For example, if I have the family on the bed, I may ask young children to hop on their parents’ laps, but that’s where my direction stops. I may offer prompts such as “Can you tickle your baby brother’s feet?” but what I’m really looking for is to capture the emotion once I have you in the place I want you. Normally once I offer a prompt or two, families will just start interacting with one another, and that’s what I’m aiming to get. I will also manipulate the light if needed. I always turn off artificial lighting, and if needed, I will close a shade or two if I want light just from one direction. I love to capture you enjoying just being with your people and I believe that that’s what family photography should be about. Love, connection and a whole lot of authenticity.

If this is how you want your family session to look, please contact me. I would love to chat with your more about a photography session that captures the heart of your family.

A Love Filled Newborn Session {Seattle Lifestyle Photographer}

No lie, I actually cried when I got the email from this mama telling me that baby number three had arrived and asked if I would photograph them once they brought their daughter home to Washington following the beautiful gift of adoption. I am so happy for them and it was so lovely to her big sister and brother adapt to their new roles. Little Zoe, you are so loved. It was an absolute honor to photograph this beautiful love story.