When to Schedule Your Maternity Photography Session

Maternity photography is a beautiful way to visually document your journey toward motherhood. If you’re trying to get pregnant or if you’ve just found out that you’re pregnant, you may be wondering when the best time to schedule your photo session is. Here are some tips to help you.

Capture The Magical Maternity Moment

During pregnancy, your body goes through lots of beautiful changes. In a lot of cases, many women find a sense of renewed confidence and sensuality in their bodies during this time. If you want to capture as much as possible about these transitions, you may want to capitalize on your maternity photography session.

For instance, you can take pictures at home during the end of the first trimester when your baby bump is just beginning to show, another in the middle of your pregnancy, and yet another shortly before you give birth. But to truly capture that magical maternity moment, you want to schedule just one professional maternity photography session when your stomach is right past the bust.

Choose the Second Trimester

For most moms-to-be, the second trimester is the best time to schedule a maternity photography session. Usually, the morning sickness has cleared by the second trimester, and their bellies have started to round out.

Note that many first time mothers, in particular, don’t start showing until the fourth or even the fifth month of pregnancy so you may want to schedule a photo shoot for later in the second trimester rather than right at the beginning. With second, third, and other subsequent pregnancies, you may find your body changing shape a little bit earlier. Keep this in mind when deciding when to schedule your photography session.

Additionally, the second trimester is ideal because you haven’t moved into the discomfort of the third trimester. Near the end of pregnancy, many women feel uncomfortably large and a bit physically awkward. The second trimester is the “honeymoon” phase between the extremes of the first and third trimesters.

Schedule Your Session Early

Photographers often schedule far in advance, and if you want to be sure that you get the photographer you want, you may want to schedule your session as early as possible. In fact, you may want to schedule your session as soon as you get pregnant. Even if you’re not ready to announce your pregnancy to friends and family yet, you may want to schedule your sessions discreetly with a photographer.

For instance, if you realize you are pregnant when you are two weeks along, you may want to schedule your maternity photography session about five or six months later during the 24th or 25th week of your pregnancy, near the end of your second trimester.

For our expecting clients, we have a full wardrobe of various coverings, wraps, and other outfits that you can choose from. All portraits are respectfully photographed in good taste, and nudity is always optional and discreet. James will make sure that you are comfortable with the various poses and that each session is tailored toward your individual needs. The best time to schedule your maternity session is around 28-34 weeks, when the tummy is nice and round. This time varies with each woman.

To learn more about when to schedule your maternity photography shoot, contact us directly. At James Hill Photography, we are committed to creating beautiful visual representations of your pregnancy. In addition to doing maternity photography, we also do newborn portraits, family photography, and senior pictures. Give us a call at 404-289-6383 to set up a session today.