My First Maternity Shoot
This morning we set off for 10am and headed down to Gorleston beach. We expected it to be fairly quiet however even though we thought we had chosen the quietest part of the beach if picked up during out time there. My auntie and family didn't mind people around us and neither did I. No one made fuss of us and it was as if we wasn't there so it made it more comfortable for ourselves.
At first my photos were looking over-exposed, but after playing around with the camera and filters things seemed to go a little smoother.
On arrival we walked further down the beach away from where it tends to get busy. We couldn't walk too far down because as it turns out walking across sand can actually produce contractions! (oops) However all was fine in the end... still no sign of baby anyway! But we managed to find a spot far enough so that we had no one in shot but close enough to the path.
I set up my equipment: tripod, camera, background and began positioning them. It felt awkward to begin with however as we continued it got a little easier and ideas just fell into place. My aunt actually commented on how well I instructed them on positioning. She had previously had a professional shoot and felt there was not enough communication. This was very good to hear as I always find I lack communication! I suppose this is something I have improved on over the course of picking up little jobs for family, friends and acquaintances.
We had trouble with getting my younger cousin to have his photo taken. To begin with he was fine but after he wanted to play and wonder off. We worked with it however and tried to get shots of him playing next to them having their photo done and it didn't look so bad. Even though it is part of a maternity shoot to get the best view of the bump, I felt a massive pain asking my pregnant aunt to switch position due to bad lighting or the bump wasn't showing enough. Especially on the floor it must have been difficult for her!
The most annoying thing during the shoot was people walking in the background and STOPPING in my shot. It was obvious what we were doing and we had even moved ourselves closer to the sea so that we weren't taking up a lot of room as it is a public beach, and people still decided to walk behind the model. One couple stopped to play with their dog in the sea and I had to move my set-up.
Here are a few images that I shot at the beach...
On arrival we walked further down the beach away from where it tends to get busy. We couldn't walk too far down because as it turns out walking across sand can actually produce contractions! (oops) However all was fine in the end... still no sign of baby anyway! But we managed to find a spot far enough so that we had no one in shot but close enough to the path.
I set up my equipment: tripod, camera, background and began positioning them. It felt awkward to begin with however as we continued it got a little easier and ideas just fell into place. My aunt actually commented on how well I instructed them on positioning. She had previously had a professional shoot and felt there was not enough communication. This was very good to hear as I always find I lack communication! I suppose this is something I have improved on over the course of picking up little jobs for family, friends and acquaintances.
We had trouble with getting my younger cousin to have his photo taken. To begin with he was fine but after he wanted to play and wonder off. We worked with it however and tried to get shots of him playing next to them having their photo done and it didn't look so bad. Even though it is part of a maternity shoot to get the best view of the bump, I felt a massive pain asking my pregnant aunt to switch position due to bad lighting or the bump wasn't showing enough. Especially on the floor it must have been difficult for her!
The most annoying thing during the shoot was people walking in the background and STOPPING in my shot. It was obvious what we were doing and we had even moved ourselves closer to the sea so that we weren't taking up a lot of room as it is a public beach, and people still decided to walk behind the model. One couple stopped to play with their dog in the sea and I had to move my set-up.
Here are a few images that I shot at the beach...
Once we had finished at the beach we headed back to their house for further shooting. My aunt wanted some photos of her bump, naked, so we both felt it would be a more comfortable environment to do so inside. I had previously bought a black and white backdrop for a newborn shoot and decided to bring it back out for my maternity shoot. I thought the black would show off the bump best and with a black vignette finish would create a warm, sweet image (hopefully)! I don't have any lighting equipment therefore I had to switch between ambient and tungsten light. The light from the window was just enough for the majority of my shots.
I had my laptop connected up to the tethering and used that to show my aunt and uncle what I had taken and if they wanted anything different or done again. It's so helpful having tethering so that I can check up on the focus as sometimes its difficult to see on the camera screen.
I'm so glad my family asked me to do this for them and that they felt comfortable enough to work with me being their photographer. Even with people you know very well it can be a nerve wracking thing! I was so nervous when handing the photos over to them but they seemed very pleased with them and gave me some money as thanks.
Here are a few photos I took during my session indoors...
I asked for a few peoples advice on the bump photos. Not professionals in photography just close friends and family. I asked what they thought as I was unsure whether the darkness made it look unflattering which is NOT what I want! I feel these two images above are the best of my ability in both photographing and editing skills. The bottom image is my favourite from the lot.
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