There is a pretty consistent theme, I feel, that has emerged from this last year in lockdown: it is called DIY. Really, I have actually found it quite nice and humbling. There are many things that I never would have considered attempting to recreate on my own, but 2020 invited into my life the opportunity to think more creatively – and I took it. A DIY at home maternity photoshoot is another example of this.
I spent pretty much my entire pregnancy in lockdown while in London. I learned how to design a nursery in lockdown and welcomed some DIY pampering into my routine. One of the things I was so looking forward to during my pregnancy was doing a maternity photoshoot with my husband.
We had our maternity photoshoot booked to take place during week 35 of my pregnancy and the night before our booked photoshoot, England went into another full lockdown with a stay at home order. I cannot lie, I was crushed. This was one of those pregnancy things that I was dead set on doing before even becoming pregnant. I knew I wanted some quality photos to remember this time by.
I was crushed for a good couple of hours until I realized that this was another scenario where the universe was telling me to get creative. So I did.
I did a bit of research and executed my own DIY at home maternity photoshoot, with my husband & a phone holder as the photographer. And you know what, the outcome was stunning – if I do say so myself.
I am not a professional photographer by any means, actually, I have zero photography experience, but I am quite thrilled with the outcome of my DIY at home maternity photoshoot so wanted to share what I did.
Benefits of a DIY At Home Maternity Photoshoot
At the end of the day, I am actually more grateful for the opportunity to do a maternity photoshoot myself rather than have a professional do it. There are quite a few benefits I realized that I wanted to share before getting into the how.
The benefits to doing a DIY at home maternity photoshoot:
- It is FREE. Professional photoshoots are not cheap – and typically you end up paying for not just time, but for prints and digital copies as well. It starts to add up.
- There is no time limit. Often, photoshoots are booked by the hour and any additional hour is paid on top of the base rate. When you are doing it yourself, you can take as long as you want. (Your husband may not agree with this if he is doing it with you, but hey, you’re the one carrying the baby, you can do whatever you want.)
- You can have as many outfit changes as you like, as there is no time limit on the maternity photoshoot.
- You can choose as many photos as you like. Professional packages are often priced based on time and number of photos you receive at the end. When you complete it on yourself, you can have as many final photos as you like.
- You can do more than one. Want to do a photoshoot in week 34, 35, 36, 37 and 40? Go for it.
How to do a DIY At Home Maternity Photoshoot
1. Pick the week (or weeks!)
Most professional photographers recommend completing a maternity photoshoot 6 – 8 weeks before your due date – so around weeks 32 to 34. This is because typically by this point in pregnancy, your belly is showing beautifully and you’re still comfortable. Pushing it much later could result in you not feeling great or wanting to get dolled up for a photoshoot.
I took my own advice and did two different shoots. I did one in week 34 and one in week 39! I felt great for both and like how I could see a significant change in size in the week 39 shoot.
2. Use YouTube to find tips on the camera/phone you are using
For my photoshoot, I used an iPhone – which I suspect most will. I had just recently upgraded to the iPhone 12 because of the photo capabilities as I knew I would want to capture every single moment of the newborn journey.
Up until this point, I knew how to take a photo and I knew how to change the setting to portrait. That was it.
I went on YouTube and found some beginner tutorials on how to use the iPhone photo settings better which was super helpful.
3. Get a phone holder/tripod/partner
2020 was also the year of selfies but that is absolutely not what this photoshoot is about!
Get something that will hold your camera or phone. This could be a tripod, a phone holder or a husband.
I purchased this phone arm and it worked great. I used this for the couple photos, while my husband took the solo photos.
Side note: the phone arm has come in extremely handy with my little one. I can prop my phone up now while on FaceTime and show my little bundle off to everyone hands-free.
4. Pick a setting – or a few!
You are the director, therefore you get to do this maternity photoshoot wherever you would like. Or in multiple places.
You can do it indoors or outdoors, in your favourite park, backyard, kitchen, bedroom. Wherever speaks to you!
Wherever you do it, however, my biggest piece of advice is: pay attention to detail. Be extra mindful of your surroundings. Have a very keen eye for what’s in the in the background that will show up in the photos.
Bits like this – circled in the photo below – are not glamorous and don’t look very professional. Although others might not pick up on it right away, it is all I can see in what would have been a beautiful photo.
5. Be mindful of lighting
Anything you read about photography will tell you natural lighting is the most important aspect of any successful photoshoot. You don’t need to be a professional to nail lighting.
What I highly recommend doing is in the lead up to your planned photoshoot day, see how the lighting is at different times of day.
If you are taking photos inside, make note at what time of day the natural light is shining in for the best effect. Also make note of when it is too bright. Take a few test pictures. Plan your DIY photoshoot around the lighting.
Same with outdoor spaces. A big bright blue sky may seem like the perfect backdrop but it actually is not.
Early mornings, later in the evening or on overcast days when the sun is not shining as bright are the best times to take photos outside. If you can’t plan around the sunshine, don’t worry. Just make sure when you are taking the photos in the moment, you are aware of how the sun is impacting the outcome and make any adjustments to your angles in the moment.
6. Pamper yourself beforehand
If you had booked a professional photoshoot, you would most likley consider getting your nails done or doing your hair. Your DIY at home maternity photoshoot is no different, so treat yourself to some DIY pampering beforehand.
7. Select a few outfits
Again, with a professional photoshoot, you are working within a set time frame. This doesn’t always allow for multiple outfit changes. But when you do your own maternity photoshoot, you can choose as many outfits as you like! Such as:
- Tight: A tight dress that shows off your growing baby is always a winner.
- Flowy: go for a Boho Chic feel with a flowy, long dress that allows you to cup your belly to show off the growing shape.
- Fun: pick your favourite outfit – could be matching PJs with your husband or your favourite tee.
- Casual: try a pair of jeans with a tight top to show off your bump.
8. Do your make up
Before you start the photoshoot, do your own make up.
Professionals tend to recommend puttnig on more make up than you normally would to make you pop in photos. If that is not your style, go with your everyday look. You want to feel like yourself in these photos.
9. Start the photoshoot
This is where the DIY really starts to come in to play. We are now ready to take the actual photos.
Tips for solo pictures:
To get some pics on your own of just you and your bump, have your husband be your photographer and director.
Ask them to direct you on where they think you should look, how your hair is positioned, how the lighting is. Although you both may not have any experience in this realm, you both will know what makes a good photo and what doesn’t. Shadows, double chins, poor posture – anyone would be able to pick up those small cues in photos.
Tips for couple pictures:
This is where you will want to use a tripod or a phone holder.
Before you position the camera, take a few trial pics yourself to make sure the lighting is okay by having your partner stand in that designated spot.
Once you are ready, position your camera in the holder.
Do not position the camera on selfie mode. If using a phone, make sure you are looking at the lense rather than the screen. The main lenses on the back of a phone take much beter pictures than the camera on the front of a phone.
Use the timer (I recommend 10 seconds, 3 is too quick!) and photoshoot away! On an iPhone, the timer setting automatcially takes 10 pictures, so make sure you hold still for a couple of seconds.
You may need to get really creative with how you set up that tripod or camera arm – we had ours hanging off a closet door, upside down – but hey, it worked wonders, evidence below.
9. Take a few pics then take a look
For both solo photos directed by a partner and tripod photos, take a moment at the beginning to see how the photos are turning out. Make any adjustments based on what you like and don’t like.
The wrost thing would be to spend an hour doing photos to only realize you are really not digging that outfit or how your hair is falling in every single photo.
10. Edit your pictures
This step is entirely optional.
Most cameras take extremely clear pictures these days, but a little touching up goes a long way. This is especially helpful if you are looking for a consistent colour scheme or vibe for the photos, which can be accomplished through adding preset filters to your photos.
2 simple steps to editting your photos:
- Download the Lightroom App by Adobe. This is entirely FREE and easy to use on mobile. The desktop version is paid for.
- Get optional presets. Presets are filters that allow you to create a cohesive and consistent feel across photos in a matter of seconds. I really like 123presets. In these photos, I switched between using Bright & Airy and Indoor Magic.
11. Enjoy your pictures
Now that you probably have 100’s of photos of you, your bump, and your partner, do something with them.
Blow up a few of your favourites, print off a bunch to put in a photo album, make a scrapbook, send them to family, look at them on your phone daily – but cherish them in a way that is meaningful to you.
See, this whole DIY thing is great! Look how many different outfits I got to wear. My booked photoshoot was only going to one hour long, so I really took advantage of being able to do a couple of photoshoots on my own time.
I am so glad I did this. Although it wasn’t my original plan to do an at home maternity photoshoot as my pregnancy photoshoot, I will absolutely cherish these pictures forever.