I am so excited to share one of my recent maternity sessions! It has been fun creating art and building friendships and making mamas feel wonderful during this time. I had partnered with a few amazing women to participate in this beautiful session. I definitely recommend hiring them for your professional session needs (all links below lead to their websites!).

When my amazing clients contact me about a session (for the first time) and telli me their dream session is a mixture between portraits and authentic moments, I know exactly what they are going for. FYI - I do always give my family instructions and prompts to capture authentic moments, smiles, laughter and love but having a few ideas in mind before getting in front of the camera is always helpful! Keep these tidbits in mind when we are working together.

Getting Creative with Portrait Photography

A few tips for how to take your portrait photos up a notch.

When you think of portrait photography, the standard head and shoulders shot with a slightly tilted chin probably comes to mind. While there is a place for more formal portraits, adding a little creative flair can change up your images and give you amazing results.

Here are a few subtle ways that you can really turn your portrait photography around.

Forget Eye-Level

There is no rule that says a portrait always needs to be taken at eye-level. Have your photo shot from above to give your portrait a more artistic flair.

Lose the Eye Contact

While a subject making direct eye contact with the camera does create a connection with the person viewing the photo, there are other options such as having the subject focus on something unseen to bring an element of mystery and intrigue to the shot.

Bring in a Prop

Using a prop in a shot helps tell a story, brings in some color or just adds some general visual interest. It’s important that you keep the prop simple though so that you aren’t diverting the attention off the main subject of the photo.

Experiment with Lighting

Try taking photos around a shutter or doorway where you can play with natural light. Another option is to play with shadows or even brightly colored lights. Again, it’s important not to detract from the person in the photo if you will be using dramatic lighting.

Play with Backgrounds

Adjusting something as obvious as the background can make all the difference to a portrait shot. Backgrounds of different colors or even different textures can all be used. If patterns are used however, make sure that they aren’t too busy.

Once you start getting creative with portrait photography, it’ll be hard to take a plain portrait shot again.

This beautiful styled maternity session was done during a warm evening this last month in Lake Oswego, OR. Creative mamas came together to capture the beauty of these two. I love the way this session came to play out. In one location and two different outfits each, I was able to capture multiple images for each mother to cherish. We planned this around golden hour and you can see throughout the evening the way the light changes as the sun sets.

Photography - Stella Maris Photography

Make Up Artist - Simply with Claire

Hair Artist- The Balayage Bae

Floral Crown Design - Nature Nymph Creations

Models Samantha Brinda / Ally Lee

Event Design - Molly Yi Photography

Do you imagine having a beautiful maternity session that makes you feel like a goddess? Contact me for more information. I would love to capture this beautiful time for you and your family. I love including immediate family members as well during the session. This is an opportunity to capture your family’s story before a new chapter begins!