Yesterday’s Cyber Monday Workshop Sale was a TOTAL BLAST! Thanks to all the women who spread the news, invited a girlfriend and got signed up!  The energy online was FANTASTIC, happy tears from so many and new friendships made every hour!  I had my own happy tears as I saw names sign up who I know have been wanting to come for three plus years!  Happy Holidays ladies, Brian and I are so happy we could add to your blessings this holiday season!

Today, I’m so excited to share a new Photo Recipe with all of you for a Pregnancy Shoot!  This was a special shoot I did in Central Park (NYC) for a former bride. When you are doing a pregnancy shoot, you’ll soon realize that all your balances are off.  Mom is out of balance with her beautiful tummy, so how do you obtain a sense of balance, peace and flattering points of view?  Let’s walk through it together!

PHOTO RECIPE for PREGNANCY SHOOT in CENTRAL PARK (NYC)

WHEN:  If this is your subject’s first pregnancy, you want to wait until they are 8 months pregnant.  Often, a first time pregnancy doesn’t give us that round belly until the last trimester.  We don’t want the mom-to-be looking chubby–she needs to look pregnant!  By the third trimester, her tummy is a perfectly round subject.  Unless…she is having twins!    If she is pregnant with twins, her tummy may be ready for a shoot at six months!  However, if this is mom’s second, third or fourth pregnancy, her tummy will be looking round as early as four months.  This was a frustrating realization when I was pregnant with Blaze.  By the third month, I was already in my maternity clothes!  My body just let go!    Be sure to ask your mom-to-be what pregnancy this is and how far along she is.  Set yourself up for success by how you calendar the shoot.

PREP:  Choose a spot(s) that has soft backgrounds;  wheat field at sunset or different patterns and textures of green shrubbery, or a bright window behind her to blast out.  We found these beautiful Fall leaves and decided to play here for a few!

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.0, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 4oo ISO

I love the colors with her romantic blouse, but I also loved this black and white one when I caught her by surprise.  There is something so pure and stunning to her expression.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.0, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 4oo ISO

I also have mom-to-be bring wraps, any colors she likes.  And if she doesn’t have any, I bring a few to play with.  The image below is one of my favorites.  The sun had already set, and I wanted all the soft colors to tell the story from her soft tummy to the light green wrap to the blurred flowers and bridge lamp in the background.  Notice how she is leaning in to the camera–to give her body more balance in the photo.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/1.7, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 8oo ISO b/c sun had set and was losing light fast.

But push the boundaries, don’t stop with the beautiful smile.  Photo coach her into a quiet space that allows a deeper expression to come forward.  And if you turn it to black and white, the expression will be that much stronger.  I love the sense of peace and utter contentment in this photo.  I also love how STRONG she looks.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.8, 1/60th of a second Shutter Speed and 4oo ISO

FOR P&S USERS (point and shoot users): Turn off your flash and set your camera to Portrait mode.  Experiment with standing on a curb to get a little height on her (slimming for her neckline).  Encourage her to also lean toward the camera so that her energy comes to you, and you avoid double chins.

FOR DSLR USERS:  Turn off your flash.  Go to Manual mode and set your Aperture (the degree of how blurry you can make your background) to the lowest f-stop possible.  We want to make everything around mom-to-be soft and buttery, blurry to highlight the lines of her tummy even more!  If you can’t go down very low in your f-stop, get closer to your subject and have them stand farther away from their background.  This will also blur your background.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.0, 1/800th of a second Shutter Speed and 25o ISO

COMPOSE:  As you can see, I shot a lot of vertical images.  The vertical composition seems to balance and flatter a mom-to-be even more.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t do horizontal photos.  Just make sure you find the story before you shoot.  When I’m doing pregnancy shoots, I’m keeping my eyes open for circular patterns to accentuate mama’s belly.  I LOVED the architecture on this famous bridge and used the patterns to pull out even more repetition of circular patterns.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.8, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 64o ISO

I also liked the idea of her sitting in front of the circular pattern.  But I waited until everyone, all the onlookers, were out of the frame before I took the shot.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.8, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 40o ISO

When everyone is either willing to wait or gone, then we take the shot.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/1.7, 1/250th of a second Shutter Speed and 40o ISO

CAPTURE:  You can experiment with your focus as you capture a mom-to-be.  If she is looking down at her tummy, focus on her belly button.  If she is looking at you, focus on her eyes.  If she is looking up to the sky with her eyes closed, I would still focus on her eyes.  And if she is looking out to the city, full of expectation of what is to come, I would focus on her face and all the peace it holds.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/2.8, 1/100th of a second Shutter Speed and 40o ISO

And sometimes, it’s even more powerful to not see the face.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/1.7, 1/400th of a second Shutter Speed and 40o ISO

BONUS:  When you think ALL your natural light is gone, and you simply don’t have enough light to work with–consider what story is waiting to be told.  This was our last shot, long after the sun had set.  I didn’t think I had enough available light to pull it off, but I thought about the story being more about the quiet, almost covered, innocent moment then simply getting a photo that has enough brightness.  Sometimes we are so focused on having bright enough photos, we can miss the beauty of photos that hold their story in the fading light.

My DSLR Setting: Aperture was f/1.4, 1/60th of a second Shutter Speed and 80o ISO

With her blue top, argyle socks, and low-low lighting…this is my favorite of the day!

Shachar, you were a gorgeous bride, and you are even more stunning (how is that possible!) as a mom-to-be!  I’m so glad we got to do this photo shoot for you!  Brian and I are soooooo happy for you and J!  Look for all the rest to come today…have fun choosing which ones to frame! 

Seriously, I love you girl!  Who else does a tree pose with me while pregnant (AND follows Brian around the park, regardless of how many circles we go in! )

xo,

m

p.s. Forty MORE Photo Recipes for Babies!

Check out my book “Your Baby in Pictures” for FORTY Photo Recipes to try with a baby!

p.s.s. Looking for Seattle Military Family for TV Show!

I’ve been invited to share photo tips on one of Seattle’s morning shows.  I thought this would be a great way to honor a couple military families and give them a family photo for the holidays while being on TV.  Any takers?  Your family would have to be available one day this week or next from 9am-11am.  (Looking for a family with kids anywhere from 4-9 years old and a couple who has had their first baby–baby between the ages of 0-6 months old.)