Expecting Sessions

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

There are so many names for Maternity Sessions, including but not limited to Expecting Session, Belly Sessions, Madonna Sessions and Pregnancy Sessions. Here's a little insight on what to remember when photographing a pregnant woman.

First of all remember that most expecting sessions are done during the 6th to 8th month of pregnancy, and mom isn't feeling all that wonderful. She's normally carrying around 30 extra pounds or so, her ankles are swollen, she's uncomfortable, and can be dehydrated most of the time. That's not to say she isn't excited about her new bundle of joy... she's just at that point where she cant wait for baby to get here! Not to mention she is ready to get back to her normal self (if there is a normal self after bearing children).

I try to make mommy as comfortable as I can, with as little getting up and down as possible. I try to start my expecting sessions with mommy standing. We do as many standing poses as we can, and I always ask mom if there is anything she has seen that she would like to try. If it's a standing pose we try to do it at this time. After we've exhausted the standing poses (and usually mommy) we do the seated or laying down poses which gets mom off her feet. Sometimes I do high key and low key portraits of my expecting women, but most often I just do low key. Low key is normally done on a black backdrop. This is important as we all know black is very slenderizing. Dramatic lighting helps shadow part of the face and body which enhances mommy and makes her look her very best. I also use a wrap (whether black or white depending on the backdrop) so the upper body is wrapped, and then the lower body is wrapped, exposing the mid section. After all these portraits are all about the baby belly!

I make my pregnancy sessions as quick as possible, generally 45 minutes to an hour. I make sure I have bottled water on hand and also play soft music. If I decide to change backdrops that gives mommy a chance to relax in the middle of the session. If daddy is involved... all the better for helping mommy get up and down. If not, I always make sure I lend a hand when she has to get up, sit down, or lay down.

I always use props that are geared towards mother and child. If we know what mommy is expecting we use ribbon (pink or blue). If we know what babies name will be we use blocks to spell out their name. If we don't have a name yet we use blocks to spell out Baby, Baby Boy, or Baby Girl. We often use flowers, because flowers depict the feminine, which represents women and femininity.

When editing a maternity session I only try to soften a bit, and remove blemishes. Some images are made into classic black and whites, and sometimes a border is added, but that's about it. Natural and beautiful... just like mommy!

Love, Laughs & Photographs,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media.

New Borns - Expect the Unexpected

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All rights reserved

Every parent wants and loves photo's of their newborn baby! Babies are so sweet and precious, and no one ever wants to forget how unbelievably adorable their baby was as soon as he or she is born.

Last week I photographed Baby Riley. He was one of the most tender, calm, pleasant babies I have ever photographed. I was referred to Riley's parents from a previous client, and I love that! It's like building your own special family... your own photo family! ;)

Now here's the cool thing about Riley... he and his parents live on a boat! Oh... I had so many great ideas for this session! However, when I arrived, I realized this wasn't exactly the boat I had envisioned. It was rather small... ok... it was really small... with lots of baby stuff! Thankfully I was prepared for anything, and brought along an assistant... cause I gotta tell ya, there wasn't even room for a light stand!

Riley's daddy moved some things so we could work in one small corner of the cabin. I used my baby poser (bean bag chair), and the natural light coming in from the hatch to illuminate Mr. Riley. Natural light for a natural baby. We went to the outside front of the boat and did some shots with towels and ribbon... through all of the moving, and propping, and posing, baby Riley was just as peaceful as could be. We used hats, hands, blocks, and stuffed animals. We shot front, back, and sides. We got a smile, a one eyed peek, and oh yea... we got pee'd on! Yet still he remained incredibly calm and cute through it all. We got some great shots that his family will Cherish forever.

So here are my thoughts...

This is a baby who will never need a rocking chair, as he is constantly being rocked by the ocean. His lullaby will be the natural sounds of the waves and the birds. He will grow big and healthy because he will always have the warmth of the sun, and his night light will be the moon and the stars. He will have more knowledge than most children because he will travel to beautiful places, and he will be at peace with himself and his universe.

Yours in Photography,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media.

Summer Sunset Sessions!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

The weather is beautiful again!! It's time for our Summer Sunset Sessions on Clearwater Beach! We love this time of year... not to cold, not to hot, nice tropical breezes and a lot of vacationers! This time of year brings clients from everywhere. With all those spring breakers I get calls coming in all the time because they want their pictures to show what a wonderful vacation they had on the beach!

Last week it was a wonderful family from Texas... this week it's a High School Senior... and soon it's a family of 30, from all over the place! I gotta tell ya... If I'm not in the studio, my favorite place to shoot portraits is on the beach! With beautiful backdrops, a relaxed setting, and an enjoyable atmosphere, nobody can go wrong with beach portraits.

I usually start with the group shots in the dunes, then move to the waters edge for a few more group shots. We don't want little ones to get wet and sandy before it's time! Once we have the whole group done (depending on the head count), we move to individuals, or smaller groups, using a variety of poses. After that... the fun begins! Now we can get our feet wet and frolic in the waves! The little ones love this... as well as some of the grown-ups! After several candid shots of everyone, I usually ask the adults if there is anything they have seen that they would like to try (they usually always have something in mind). When it's all said and done we end our session with my all time favorite "The Jumping Shot!" Everyone loves it!!

Beach portraits are normally scheduled in the evening when the light is prettiest. If not evening, then early morning although light in the morning in much cooler (hues are blue) where evening brings nice warm light (golden). I'm not much of a morning person... that's not to say I don't rise early, but it takes me awhile to get moving in the a.m. As the day moves on... so do I!

So remember this... beach portraits are beautiful, relaxing, and fun. Evening or morning light is best. And children of all ages have a wonderful experience!

Until next time...

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

All images capture with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media.

Bellies and Babies

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - all rights reserved

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks around here! After listening to Sandy Puc (a very cool, together, informative photographer), I've decided to work on more Maternity/Expecting Sessions, and more New Born Baby Sessions! A few weeks ago I put out an ad looking for models... Pregnant woman and babies under 12 weeks old. I am offering a free package to my models that consists of 2-8x10's, 2-5x7's, and 8-wallets. A week after I put up my ad in different places on the web, I started receiving phone calls and getting information from friends and family about anyone they knew that was pregnant, or had a new born. Great content for my upcoming portfolio, photo book, and web advertising!

Last week I shot a beautiful young pregnant woman (and her husband). She is 8 months along, and wanted her photo's done quickly before her baby was born. The session went fairly quick, as I was all set with backdrop, lighting, etc. before they arrived. It took about 45 minutes total. I tried to do all the standing shots at once, and then all the seated shots at once, so the up and down was minimal for my model.

This week I have a newborn scheduled (along with my normal family beach portraits). I cant wait to put my content together and start working on my Baby Program, which will consist of a New Born session, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year sessions that are nicely priced. At the end of the year I will be putting together a nice large print collage (story board) of the child's first year. I will also offer a photo book that the parents can eventually give to their child when he or she is older. If I happen to do the mothers expecting photo's they will also be incorporated into the book. :)

Kind of a neat way to capture the memories and the growth of baby for their first year! Hopefully it wont stop there! Parents love to have their children's portraits done at least once a year as they grow older! It would be lovely to photograph a child from birth up to High School Senior, Wedding, and so on!

What a great way to start the second quarter of the New Year!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs!

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500, on Lexar digital media.