expecting. beginning.

ethereal maternityethereal maternity inspiration

I took these photos for a friend, Jacque, who is expecting a baby girl any day now. Mateo & I spent the morning with her, our friend Angela, and Rome (the biggest & most handsome dog ever). I was a little nervous about taking on a “maternity shoot” because I know how meaningful photo documentation is. I really wanted to capture the beauty she is and what a special moment in time this is. There was nothing to be nervous about. Jacque is the most down-to-earth, naturally ethereal mama. It was a relaxed morning. Mateo may have eaten a few too many chocolates and watched a couple extra episodes of Curious George on an ipad. But it was a relaxed morning. :)

maternity photo inspirationpregnancy photos light inspirationmaternity pregnancy photographymaternity posesmaternity posing, light filled pregnancy photosjacque40jacque1jacque35jacque27jacque ethereal maternity

Isn’t Jacque beautiful? And Rome! That dog is something! :) He was taller than Mateo! But really, he was a gentle giant. He’ll be an excellent big brother. ;)

You’ll love this — that little sweater that Jacque is holding up in one of the photos is what she wore home from the hospital as a newborn! I love that. It’s so special that she can wrap her own baby girl in the same cozy, little top!

I love that I can give Jacque these photos. And I’m thankful to my friend Angela who connected me to Jacque and always pushes me to use my talents. I tend to focus on what I lack in talent, but you need to use what you have to move forward. I do know that. I may never be “ready” but sitting on talent is a waste. For everyone. It really did mean a lot to me to be able to document the end of Jacque’s pregnancy for her. That motivates me. And while I did have to experiment a bit and make poor 38-week-pregnant Jacque move around, we figured it out. And I learned so much.  I still don’t think of myself as a “photographer,” but title aside, I’m finding myself more and more drawn to photography. If I could have any wish, I’d probably wish that my eyes could take photos. (And for Mateo’s health and happiness, etcetera, etcetera…sure). :) It wasn’t ever my plan to start taking commissioned photos, but I’m starting to think about branching out and pushing myself in that direction.

I remember (so badly) wanting to be able to capture light-filled images during my pregnancy and just not being able to figure out how. I still have that same camera, but I’ve learned so much more about how to use it. It was through becoming a mom, needing a creative outlet, and wanting to document Mateo — that I started playing around with my camera. This blog in particular has pushed me. I just want to learn more.

outtakesphoto bombDSC_1062

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

14 Thoughts on “expecting. beginning.

  1. kate:

    Wonderful, really wonderful… love how glowing and bright and rich these images are. Well done! :D

    Kate

    • Thank you Kate! :) Really. I bet you’ve been getting more into photography too being in Edinburgh. I love following your ig feed.

  2. JaeHi:

    I LOVE the soft image basking in the sunlight! Every photo looks so etherial and so romantic!

    • Oh yay, that’s what we were going for. :) Thank you.

  3. I am so impressed. What camera are you using? I would love to geek out about cameras and lenses with you some time. Isn’t the learning part so gratifying? It is a great motivator, because you know that the next shoot will go ever better. You will be more confidant, you will be better at interacting with your model, you will be more familiar with your camera and how to utilize the light (it really is all about light) and in turn you will get even better images. Adults are totally different than kids. Much more predictable and moldable. You are so much more in control when photographing an adult than when photographing a child. Both require their own strengths, and you have them Henna!

    • Oooh, that WOULD be so fun. I use a Nikon D5100 and this was with a 50mm 1.8. I am going to jump up to a full frame soon (eek) but then that means I will have to take some photography jobs to pay it off! And Oh, I’d love to talk lenses. I know lenses make the biggest difference in your photography and I just want to save up and buy some good glass. Even my cheap-o 50 has totally made a world of difference! It’s sooo hard to choose what lens though and especially since good ones are so crazy expensive! Fun though. Okay, haha, obviously we could keep talking about this! ;)

      • Oooh, and yes, I had to add. TOTALLY, it’s amazing how much you learn during a shoot and then also when you’re going through the photos (figuring out what you can do better or make easier for next time).

        • I learned a lot from this website: http://parttimephoto.com/

          And my greatest inspiration: http://www.timcoulson.com/blog/

          I emailed Tim and I asked him what lenses he used and he said pretty much exclusively the 35mm f/1.4 so I went out and bought it, and it was pricey. But I LOVE it. But ever since I bought my full frame camera (Canon 6D, LOVE, preforms beautifully in low light) I use my 50mm f/1.4 the most (my first lens) because with the full frame camera it makes the 50mm look more like 35 and it makes the 35mm really wide angle, a bit too wide for portraits. So if you do get the full frame try out the 50 and see how you like it. But if with the cropped sensor camera I recommend trying a 35 and seeing if you like it. You can always rent before making the investment. But they really are worth it. Christmas list? ;)

  4. Beautiful pictures! I just discovered your blog – I’ll definitely be checking back :-)

    • Oh fun, glad you found the blog. Happy to have you. :)

  5. Beautiful photos! Stopping by from The Wiegends ;)

  6. amy:

    Amazing Photos. What a lovely mom to be…and yes, best photo bomb ever.

  7. Em K:

    your friends photos turned out beautifully, what a great gift to give :) she will cherish these for years to come!

  8. Jacque:

    We all had a lovely day celebrating this special moment in life. I am forever grateful. It is the best gift, thank you Henna!

    Xk.

Post Navigation