by Brit Herz

Created on: May 27, 2009

A soft black and white portrait with a dim light reflecting on the newly found curves that is housed by the expecting mother is displayed on many a couple's mantel. From a broad societal view, mothers are seen as pure beings. They are the givers of life and the epitome of grace. Even if that is not always the case, this is what you need to capture when photographing an expecting mother, especially in the last stages of pregnancy.

A woman is said to be at her most beautiful state when she is pregnant. The issues of weight and other hold ups that have dwelled on her in the past are now small and insignificant. Of course no woman wants to see her flaws portrayed in a photo that will be around for all to see for years to come, so making subtle soft edits may be necessary for things like stretch marks. It is said that most women will actually glow when they are pregnant and it is believed that due to the rise in hormones, people will find her more attractive. So ideally this is a great time for photos.

The photos can be taken in stages:

To be accurate it is becoming more popular to take pictures in a chronological sense. In the beginning when there is little to no showing of pregnancy about one to two months in, is ideal to start. In these pictures I try to make the mom seem more independent, a lot of color. More about herself and her own beauty. If available this is also a good time to get some photos of both the parents in a happy "hey we just found out" kind of a state.

Somewhere along the middle, about three to four months, is a good time for the next set of photos. This shows a some growth from within the mother. These photos I can go either way with depending on the attitude of the mother and the family. Some would like to include the father some don't. The father is used only at the mother's request and not for more then a handful of pictures. I try to do a mix of still somewhat independent pictures mixed with the motherly black and white protective pictures.

In the last stage, about eight months or so, is the main pictures that are going to be remembered the most. These photos I tend to keep in a very subdued and united fashion. Almost as if the mother and the child are now completely one and the independence of the mother has diminished to become joined with the child. I tend to sway towards black and white but lighting can be used to play with color photos as well.

Learn more about this author, Brit Herz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.