When to Take Maternity Photos

A common question pregnant mothers have is, “when should I take my maternity photos?”

The standard time-frame for taking professional maternity photos is in the third trimester of your pregnancy, between 26-34 weeks. However, every woman and every pregnancy is different and there are no absolute rules against having your photo session outside of this recommended timeline.

Below are a few situations when you would want to consider having your maternity session outside of the 30-35 recommended time-frame.

When there are safety concerns

If you are having a high-risk pregnancy and maternity photos are important to you, you may want to consider having your maternity photo session earlier than the recommended time-frame to avoid overexerting your body late in the pregnancy.

While I will always be diligent and sensitive to your energy levels during your session, you know your body best.  Monitor how you feel in the weeks leading up to your session, and if you feel like you would like to re-schedule it earlier (or later), reach out to me to check on availability.

When you have scheduling conflicts

Don’t let the scheduling conflicts keep you from celebrating this precious moment in your life.  If you’re not available for your maternity session between 26 and 34 weeks of your pregnancy, then I suggest doing it earlier. While later is not the best choice and I do not suggest waiting, I have had a few mamas book a last minute session merely days before giving birth. This obviously would dictate location choices to ensure safety of mama, and prevent labor from starting while you’re out with me.

When you simply prefer the look of your body earlier in the pregnancy

Utilizing certain poses and angles, lighting, and clothing choices, our I am experienced in how to emphasize and draw focus on your belly.  So even if your bump isn’t as big as you initially wanted for the photos, you can still get the results in the photos you were envisioning.

Sometimes clients plan their maternity session for the recommended time frame, but if you feel like you’re growing faster than expected, we can explore changing you session to an earlier date. Of course this will be based on availability.

Every woman and her body is unique.  If you want to commemorate and celebrate your pregnancy at 25 weeks, then let’s do it!  Again, there aren’t any hard and fast rules to this art and experience.  Do what you want and enjoy it!