Wray Maternity Shoot

This morning Sydney and I went over to a friend's house and did a little maternity photo shoot.  Sister Wray is due to have baby #2 around Christmas Day (in about 6 weeks). I used my 50mm f/1.8 lens to get some practice.  (A couple shots would have been a lot easier with a wider angle but we figured it out.)

We tried a few indoor shots and I like this one the best.  (I used the black reflector to put a shadow side on her.  It might be a little too much but I like the effect.)

ISO 1250, f/2.8, 1/60

This is my favorite shot from the day.  The leading lines are perfect, the shadows give good depth without being distracting, and she looks comfortable.  (I would have liked to see all of her boots but my vantage point wasn't ideal.  I still need to get myself a good stepladder!)

ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/250

We had to get some shots in the red leaves so in order to keep the parked cars around us out of view, she had to sit down while I stayed up high.  It was a bit hard for her to get comfortable against that tree with her cute baby belly but I think these last few shots look nice.

ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/400

I need some more ideas on posing maternity shots without a second person and no props she wanted to hold.  (It kinda looks like she's praying.)

ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/320

This shot just makes me smile.  It reminds me of my own pregnancy photos.  What a cute belly she has!

ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/640

I came home feeling frustrated, mostly because Sydney had irritated me the whole time instead of doing what I asked (which was our agreement for letting her tag along), and while I did indeed discard many of the photos we took, I am very pleased with how these turned out.  It is interesting to notice that 4 out of my favorite 5 have her in the same basic orientation plus one classic headless belly shot.  I guess we know where my sweet spots are for maternity posing!  

I felt a little more in control of the posing in this session than before--at least more aware of my instructions and doing my best to help her be relaxed and look good (no funky bumps in the shirt or smooshed looking baby bellies).  Practice is tough but it is making me better!

I am doing another shoot for a friend on Monday.  She recently bought an awesome camera (Nikon D7000) and is learning how to use it.  She is also pregnant with baby #2 so it will be a maternity shoot.  I am hoping we can work together and help each other out with what we think the pictures should look like instead of bumping heads as we both find our styles (and as we both feel a little intimidated by our cameras!).  She, however, is a whiz at Photoshop (which I am getting for Christmas!!), so she has agreed to show me the ropes with that and I am excited to learn.  Photoshop has so many bells and whistles that I'm not sure what to do with it but I have been exposed to it in the past and would love to have more control over my RAW files as well as use it for other non-photography things.  

This is a process and I am far from professional but I am feeling more and more confident behind the camera and don't take as long to get set up.

I do need natural light so I can keep my ISO low, so I am worried about the impending winter!  I may invest in a dedicated flash unit sooner than later!