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We recently did our pandemic friendly, outdoor winter maternity photoshoot, and it was a resounding success! This isn’t our first DIY photoshoot; my husband and I have now done four of these together, and I think we get better every time. Normally we try to plan the photoshoot around a babymoon or trip so that the location is somewhere special, but because of the situation the world is in right now, we had to come up with an idea that was close to home, socially distant, and safe to bring the kids with us.
When I was pregnant with our first baby, my husband and I took a road trip through the Rocky Mountains in the early fall and stopped at a couple of beautiful spots and took pictures, with me posing as best as I could trying to copy things I had seen on Pinterest. The second time I was pregnant we brought our little baby and my sister with us and went on a summer trip to the Badlands for something that looked completely different, and I had a few more posing tricks up my sleeve–you can click here to see: Badlands Maternity Photoshoot DIY Tips. The third time I was pregnant, my husband and I cashed in our points and went on an amazing early spring (it was more “winter” in the mountains!) babymoon to Lake Louise where we stayed at the Fairmont Hotel–we got a free upgrade, it was incredible–and took photos by the lake, you can see it here: Winter Mountain Lake Maternity Photoshoot. It had been cold and windy and we got those done in less than 10 minutes!
With this pregnancy, we had to come up with ideas that we could bring all three kids along with us in the stroller, in the cold, through the snow, and still have it look and feel memorable and special. I think we nailed it! Because this is my first time being super pregnant right in the dead of winter, I had wanted to do something really frozen and icy and had hoped to use an ice castle or frozen waterfall as a backdrop. My friend had suggested a kinda crazy and creative alternative, and with just a couple quick emails I was given permission to do a super fast–we were maybe 5 minutes, tops–photoshoot in front of a beautiful, untouched, frozen wall of ice. Then, we went through a drive-through and got the kids some mini doughnuts for being so good and headed to our second location. We had to go on a bit of a trek down a path to get to that beautiful teal bridge, but the we all enjoyed being in nature and out of the house.
I wore the same dress for both locations and just changed the lipstick, gloves, hat and shawl. This was strategic, as I had to redo myself in the passenger side of the car while my husband drove. I think it’s quite wonderful how different the vibes are in both locations, yet the outfits are really quite similar. At the ice wall, my gloves and hat are vintage and the shawl was purchased to coordinate; I wore all three at the garden party the day after my wedding, those pieces are all so special. For the bridge photos, the hat is actually my husband’s that he purchased while we were on a hiking trip when we were just dating, and the Burberry shawl was a gift that I had been saving to wear for a special occasion–this was it! Red lipstick was perfect for the vintage look and pink was perfect for the bohemian look, and no other hair or makeup retouches were necessary (or possible!).
The best advice I can give to anyone wanting to do their own DIY maternity photoshoot is to practice some poses in the mirror before you go so you don’t feel too awkward. Just do a Pinterest or Instagram or Google Image search of “maternity photoshoot” and you’ll see there are really a handful of poses that are done every time which flatter the pregnant body and showcase that bump. Next, be creative when it comes to a location–all you need is something pretty for a backdrop and you’d be surprised what other people have come up with. Search for “[the place you live] + photoshoot” and you’ll see all kinds of ideas that you never would have thought of, and don’t be afraid to email photographers or businesses to ask for permission or suggestions. And finally, be strategic about your outfit: a long, solid coloured dress that puddles on the ground is best because it highlights the silhouette of your body without competing with the background. If you want to change your outfit when you change a location, be strategic about that, too, and don’t disregard the power of lipstick!
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And since we are on the topic of photoshoots, I thought I’d share another that I did in collaboration with my amazing friend before I was pregnant, also pandemic safe and totally DIY. For this one, we waited until the kids were asleep and set up my black photography backdrop and lights in our music room. I dolled myself up with hair and makeup and had just a few posing ideas and outfits for each picture. My husband is pretty darn good with a camera, and a particularly good sport with all my projects, eh?
Then we sent the photos to my talented friend, @Medorannboucher_photography who photoshopped the heck out of them and turned me into a surreal doll. They have such an ethereal and eerie quality about them, yet I’m enchanted by the old Hollywood glamour and vintage vibes; I cannot wait until we can actually do a collaboration together in person. And, I am excitedly looking forward to a return of my waistline–though, to be fair, it won’t be that teeny tiny in real life!
I’m almost 39 weeks pregnant now. The shared baby/toddler Nautical Nursery is ready, the newborn laundry is cleaned, the car seat is waiting by the door, and the maternity photoshoots are complete. All that’s left is for this baby to arrive, I cannot wait to find out if it’s a girl or a boy. Any last guesses?!
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turquoise toffee 