Women are incredible, gorgeous beings whose bodies do miraculous things. The most miraculous and gorgeously stunning of those is during your pregnancy.
Sure, not EVERYONE loves being pregnant. For my first pregnancy I felt beautful, womanly, like a superhero who could take over the world. The second time? Not so much… swollen feet, sciatica, exaustion… and just generally blah.
Nonetheless, being pregnant is a unique time of your life — every pregnancy is different and worth documenting. You will never be in that body again, for better or worse.
But why maternity boudoir?
The reason is two-fold: I have been finding that while many pregnant mamas do think that it's important for them to capture this special time in their lives, as their body is changing and growing and shifting while helping mold their tiny new baby into being -- BUT -- many also don't feel picture worthy in this time, and certainly not sexy in their new bodies.
Intent and passionate about changing their perspective towards a more fulfilling and empowered one, I wanted these reluctant mamas to see and believe what I (and many others) see and believe: that as their body changes, grows, curves, glows, it’s absolutely stunning. A maternity boudoir session will not only have these mamas thinking in a more positive way about themselves in this body, but also remember their maternity overall in a much more positive way.
And it turns out to be true… after photographing many maternity boudoir sessions with women who initially felt completely unsure in their new pregnant body, and unsure of their sexiness in this time, what they have found is that, hands down, there is no better way to become confident and feel incredibly sexy in their pregnant body than by taking maternity boudoir photos!
The other important thing to remember about your pregnancy is that there are no do overs. You can't recreate those photos. So, I urge you mammas....TAKE THE PHOTOS. Hire a photographer you love and document the crap out of your growing bump. Whether it be maternity boudoir, a beauty session, or a family portrait session.
Then there's Miss C. She and I had plans to photograph her first pregnancy, when alas, she went into labor early the day before our shoot! So when she was pregnant for the second time we knew we HAD to work together and schedule our shoot early!
She knew that she would cherish these photos forever, and I’m so proud to have documented them for her. The session couldn't have gone more effortless, she couldn't have been any more stunning, and the final product most definitely could not be beat. I ADORE THESE PHOTOS AND THE WOMAN IN THEM!
In her own words:
What an amazing, wonderfully empowering experience. I knew my session would be special but it was so much more... I felt so celebrated!!! Stephanie's spirit and effortless coaching made me comfortable every minute and I had an absolute blast! I am so happy that she captured this moment in my life but now feel like I don't want to wait for another "official" moment for my next boudoir session...
Her smile, her infectious energy, her grace… seriously S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G.
I urge you, mammas, get in front of the camera. If you find the right photographer (*clears throat*), you will not regret it. But if you hide from the camera like I did, you probably will.