Welcome to this multi-part series of articles on Baby’s Growth Stages Captured in Photography by Shannon Kietzman from My Baby Photos.

Whether you are expecting your first child or your fifth, your pregnancy is a special time in your life. As such, you will want to capture these remarkable months with photos that you can cherish forever. By keeping a few key thoughts in mind while taking maternity photographs, you will be certain to have some amazing photos to share with your child when he or she grows older.

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Capturing the Moment

The key to any photograph of human subjects is to capture the moment. This means conveying the emotions of the subjects and telling a story with a single snapshot. When it comes to maternity photos, there are several different angles you may choose to take in order to capture this special moment in a woman or in a couple’s life. These include:

• The Mother-Child Connection
• The Family Bond
• The Beautiful Female

By setting the pregnant woman or the woman and her significant other in certain poses and by using creative angles and backgrounds, you can better capture these special moments and tell a touching and memorable moment with a single photograph.

The Mother-Child Connection

Every mother is aware of the special connection a mother feels with her child. Even before the child is born, the pregnant woman begins to form this bond and to feel a deep and undying love for her child. This moment can be captured in many ways. For example, a simple photo of the mother laying down and holding her pregnant belly as she looks dreamily toward the camera can help communicate this special bond.

Of course, you should never feel obligated to have your subject look at the camera as you take her photo. In fact, photos with the mother looking away from the camera can create a more private and intimate feeling. In addition, creative use of color, such as in the photo below, can further express emotion. The use of black and white photography with the flower and its red petals being the only color helps to symbolize both new life and love.

Whether the mother looks toward the camera, away from the camera or toward her pregnant belly, keep in mind that the goal is to express the deep, heartfelt emotion a woman experiences as her child develops inside her.

The Family Bond

When taking maternity photos, another option is to take photos that include the father as well. These pictures should communicate the joy the couple feels as well as the bond that is created between mother, child and father. This doesn’t necessarily mean showing all of the mother and father, however, as simply showing their hands as they embrace each other and the mother’s pregnant belly can create an intimate and touching photo.

Of course, showing both the man and woman’s faces as they hold onto each other and the pregnant belly can also express a great deal of emotion and affection if you can get your subjects to show these emotions with their facial expressions.

Another option is to place the focus on the pregnant belly while conveying emotion through the father’s actions, such as the belly kissing photo shown below.

Regardless of the pose, focus on the love and affection the subjects feel for each other and for their unborn child in order to create a truly remarkable photograph.

The Beautiful Female

Many consider the form of the pregnant woman to be the most beautiful on earth, and you can highlight this beauty with the help of the proper lighting, poses and props. The lighting in the photo below, for example, focuses on the curves of the pregnant form.

Another option is to use soft and sheer fabrics to further create a sense of femininity.

If the pregnant woman is comfortable with it, you may also want to consider taking a nude photo of her and her pregnant belly. If she is not comfortable with being completely nude, have her cover key areas of her body so they are not exposed.

By focusing on the beauty of the female form, you can help the pregnant woman better understand and appreciate her beauty and just how special this time of her life truly is.

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Shannon Kietzman is a successful author and blogger over at My Baby Photos, a website dedicated to Kids and Kids photography.

I would like to thank Travis Jon Allison, Houstonian, JAK Moore, mandaloo, rtabasco (Rick), Michelle Black and Thomas Kuoh for making their image available under a Creative Commons license. This article would not have been the same without them.