Maternity Portraits: How to decide between a Studio or Outdoor Maternity Portrait session.
At Imy & Me Photography our Maternity Portrait sessions are captured around the 35th week of pregnancy. We offer three types of sessions:
* Studio Portrait Session
*Beach Portrait Session
*Park or Grassland Portrait Session
I am often asked which type of session is better. This is such a personal choice and it really depends on what you want your images to look like, however, there are some benefits to every type of session. Here are the benefits of choosing a studio portrait session.
1) Weather-
We all know that the weather can be very unpredictable, especially when choosing a Beach Maternity Session on the Central Coast of NSW. Outdoor sessions can produce stunning backdrops, but sometimes the outdoor elements have other plans in mind, throwing us storms, rain, strong winds and harsh light. The rain and wind are not your friends during an outdoor maternity session. Beautiful dark clouds are stunning, but it can be tricky to complete the session before the rain starts falling. Despite our best efforts to plan, prepare and predict the weather, there has been the odd occasion where we have had to reschedule halfway through the session, due to an unpredicted change in the weather. This is where the beauty of a studio session comes in.
Our studio is temperature controlled with air conditioning, light controlled with studio lights and we have all the time in the world to capture that special shot. In a studio session we don’t need to worry about losing the light during a sunset, managing rapidly increasing light during a sunrise, or dealing with wind ruining your hair and covering your face. We don’t need to in the studio there is no worry about flowing dresses being difficult to manage due to the wind or issues like blue bottles on the beach, or bugs in the park. Every element is simply controllable in the studio.
The aim of a Maternity session is to capture the beauty of the pregnant woman and this requires a beautiful pregnant belly. For this reason, Maternity sessions are scheduled around the 35th week of pregnancy. When poor weather is predicted it can be a challenge to reschedule the session to another available date before the baby is born. Studio sessions negate all of these issues.
At Imy & Me Photography we ask our pregnant mums to get in contact with us if for some reason the baby is going to arrive before their scheduled Maternity session. The beauty of a studio session is that we can shoot at really short notice, if needed.
2) Time of day
Our outdoor sessions are always captured one hour before sunset, this period is known as the golden hour to photographers. This time offers a magical window of opportunity to capture moments bathed in the warm, golden glow of the sun’s descent. The beautiful sunset skies create a stunning backdrop, but this comes with it’s challenges.
During winter the last hour of light can produce a very cold environment. When older siblings are being included in the session the cold tends to be unpleasant for them, making them less likely to want to participate in the session. In summer the last hour of light can provide a much more pleasant temperature, but it is later in the evening, with sessions usually starting at 7pm, which can be very late for older siblings, especially if they are very young.
A studio session can be scheduled at any time during the day, meaning everyone can be home and ready for dinner or bed at their usual times.
3) Safety & comfort
Safety is paramount in our studio. The environment inside the studio is controlled with systems and strategies in place to reduce risks to our customers. Outdoor sessions pose a higher risk. We are unable to control the environment and any dangers that may exist.
Beach and outdoor locations are generally not fenced meaning it is important that older siblings are supervised at all times. Siblings often want to run and explore the environment making it more difficult to get them to participate in the session.
Some siblings are not fans of the beach. The sand and water can produce sensory issues for some children, whereas the studio can be regulated and sensory needs to be taken into account.
4) Modesty, Privacy & choice of gowns/outfits
The studio is a closed environment where you can change gowns/outfits without having to get changed outdoors without any privacy.
Many of our customers like to use our sheer gowns or have images captured in their underwear, or even naked, but they wish to do this in a more private setting. The studio is perfect for this. Having a studio session allows you to choose any gown or outfit you like whilst maintaining your privacy.
Outdoor sessions allow for 1 hour of shooting time because of the light disappearing as the sun sets. This means there is not enough time to go to the bathrooms for changing of gowns.
5) Creativity
Studio sessions tend to allow for more creativity in sessions. We have lighting, lighting techniques, props, backdrops and outfits on hand to create magical images for you. Creativity outdoors is more restricted.
A final note:
With all of this being said, we absolutely love our outdoor Maternity sessions ( they are our most popular maternity session), but if any of the challenges mentioned above are an issue for you, then we suggest that an indoor studio session may be a more suitable option for you. After all, our studio Maternity is just as stunning as our beach or grassland Maternity sessions.
Get in contact with us to discuss the perfect Maternity session for you and your family. www.imyandme.com.au/contact/
