I first met with Anna when she was just 5 months pregnant and was flattered to hear that she first saw my images at St. Margarets Fair two years ago. Anna mentioned she immediately followed iJudge Photography on Instagram because she knew she would want a maternity photo shoot with me when expecting; how nice!
CONSULTATION BEFORE YOUR MATERNITY PHOTO SESSION
Having a consultation with clients before their photo shoot is crucial. The forthcoming arrival of your little one is an incredible life changing moment. Therefore an outdoor maternity photo session should be planned with much care and attentiveness.
Anna lives nearby so we met in a local cafe in Twickenham. We planned the photo session together. We talked about the places that were special to Anna and her husband Craig. We also discussed the outfits which would look best in the environment for maternity photography.
PLAN TO BOOK YOUR MATERNITY SESSION FOR THE TIRD TRIMESTER
The best time to take maternity photos is in the third trimester, between 28 and 34 weeks. At this point, the bump will be showing well and look so nice in photographs, and you should still be able to move around and pose comfortably.
Anna’s request was to have the session at 36 weeks since she was convinced her baby would be late because it happened to family members! Time has passed quickly and the planned maternity photo shoot was only a week away. I messaged Anna regarding the final arrangements and was astounded to hear she was on her way to hospital as her waters broke. I wished her luck saying “looks like it will have to be a newborn photo shoot instead!”
Two days later I contacted Anna to find out how she and the baby were doing when her response pleasantly surprised once again: “I’ve been monitored for 48 hours and released home so we are all good for the maternity photo session in Twickenham on Sunday”. Goes to show ‘expect the unexpected’ during pregnancy!
BEST LOCATIONS IN TWICKENHAM FOR AN OUTDOOR MATERNITY PHOTO SESSIONAnna and her husband Craig live in the heart of Twickenham. They really liked the idea to take a stroll around the best photography locations in Twickenham on a nice summer evening.
We instantly agreed that we will meet at the York House Gardens where we would start the maternity photo shoot. We would then continue to Twickenham riverside which is very special to Anna and Craig. They always loved walking along the river but spent a vast majority of time here during the lockdown last year. We had an idea to take some photos at their local pub by the river “The White Swan” but it was extremely busy on this warm summer evening. We decided to continue walking towards The Orleans House Gallery and Gardens and then to Marble Hill Park . We finished the maternity photo session here with the last photo of these beautiful parents-to-be, with the historic Marble Hill House in the background.
Two days later I received a wonderful thank you email as it turned out we have captured the last day of Anna’s maternity. Anna felt her first contractions on the way home after the session and 24 hours later they welcomed a beautiful baby boy Alfonso. This made me feel extremely happy – we captured the final moments of Anna’s pregnancy journey!
