What To Wear for Maternity Photos | Woodbridge Maternity Photographer | Northern Virginia Photographer

Bringing a baby into the world is a wonderful life event that should be captured. It’s a time you are going to want to remember and share with your little one once he or she is a bit older. If you are thinking about or have recently booked a maternity photo session then the below tips should come in handy as your prepare for your session.   Spring is around the corner, and the stores and malls will have plenty of pretty spring clothing that you'll want to have for your maternity portrait session.

Here are a few tips and ideas on how to choose the perfect maternity session outfit to get beautiful portraits and the results you'll adore.

 1. The Maxi Dress.  Long or mid knee length maxi dresses with a chunky necklaces photograph well. A maxi dress highlights that beautiful baby bump and covers up any areas you feel are “problem” areas.

 2. Wear Solids.  Solid colors photograph best however if you have a pattern you love and you want to include your significant other in the photos you want to be sure that you aren’t overly pattern happy and are wearing clashing patterns. Keep in mind that patterns can be very distracting, you what the focus of your images to be that beautiful baby belly not the pattern of your husbands favorite shirt.

3. Look at the colors in your home.  If your home color palette is composed of neutral colors – if your walls are beige and brown think about what colors would be complimentary. Colors such as a deep turquoise or burgundy pair well with neutral colors. If you have a more bold color palette with accent walls with pops of colors you may want to match some of your color choices with your accent color. When you get your large canvas print up on the wall you don’t want the colors to clash with your wall color.

4. Choose your color palette.  There are lots of factors to consider when you are planning your colors but first and foremost choose a palette you like. Keep in mind the location of the session and the colors of the background. Colors such as deep blues, sea foam and mint photograph well on the beach but may not look as natural in a park setting. The time of year that you are having your photographs taken may also influence the colors you choose. Other questions to ask yourself: Do you want to use the photos for any particular reason? Are you alright with wearing orange because it’s fall and then having that canvas hanging on your wall?
There are lots of great ways to get color palette inspiration. You can search on Pinterest for color palette boards or just photos that contain a color scheme that is appealing to you.

Spring Color Palette Board for Maternity Portraits

 5. Don’t get too “matchy-matchy”.  If your “significant other” is going to be awesome enough to take some beautiful photos with you think about wearing complimentary colors or colors in the same color palette.  Choose the color palette you love and then start raiding your closet to look for items you already have that fit in that color scheme. Another tip: If you have a favorite piece of clothing that you know you want to build your outfit around go to Design Seeds and search color palettes using that color as the base color – for example: you have a beautiful coral maxi dress you know you want to wear but you are not sure what other colors to use to accessorize. Set coral as your search color on Design Seeds and see what palettes come up. You may not have thought that dark blue would go well and your husband has a dark blue shirt, you add a dark blue scarf and you are coordinated and look amazing.

6. Avoid the jeans and black/white shirt look.  While a white shirt is classic you can sometimes end up seeing more than you intended in your photos. White can also wash you out and make you look pale.

7. Choose a timeless look.  You’ve invested quite a bit of money for your maternity photos that will become treasured family heirlooms (imagine your son/daughter looking at your maternity photos when they are adults – the worth of these images is invaluable).  You want to choose clothes that have a somewhat classic and timeless look.  Another reason to avoid patterns – think back to your Grandmother’s 1970’s living room curtains!

8. Choose clothing with texture.  It’s great to choose articles of clothing with different textures to add interest to the photo. Pair cotton with jeans, throw in some tweed or have your husband wear chords. Be creative.

9. Accessories are awesome...so are layers.  Start with your base layer of clothing – your solid colored dress, a solid colored top and jeans and then add layers of texture and accessories. Add a textured short jacket or blazer, add a floral scarf, add a chunky necklace and bracelets or a headband. Don’t forget to pay attention to your feet. A cute pair of shoes can make the outfit, but it may be appropriate to go barefoot depending on your location (example - beach setting).

10. Lay it out.  There are tons of great tools out there online including thousands of Pinterest boards dedicated to ideas on what to wear for portraits. Once you’ve pulled some options out of your closet just keep it simple and lay your clothing choice out on a solid neutral colored surface (beige carpet works great).

For more maternity outfit inspiration, visit Pinterest.

Are you an expectant mother and would like to schedule a maternity portrait session, contact Tamieka today at (571) 250-5073 or by email ([email protected])

Tamieka Smith is a Family, Maternity, and military photographer located in Woodbridge, VA offering portrait photography and framed portraits preservation services to the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. metropolis.

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