Pregnancy is a very special time in every woman's life. Some women choose to capture these memories with maternity photos, while others may just want some snapshots of the experience. Here are some tips on how to pose for pictures when you are pregnant.
Depending upon the type of pose you choose, a pregnant woman can appear either very demure and attractive or vulgar and offensive.
The Face
The most important feature in a maternity photo is your face. You should smile for these photographs to show that you are enjoying this experience. If possible, use a professional make-up artist before the photo shoot to accentuate your facial features and highlight your best physical assets. Be sure not to overdo it with heavy make-up as the pictures will only look strange once they have been developed from film or digital media. Your skin has natural coloring that is much more flattering than any color cosmetics available on the market today. Bear in mind that not only will you be viewing these photos many times over, but your child will be seeing them too when they are grown up. You want your photos to show that you were a happy and healthy pregnant woman.
Before the maternity photoshoot, practice making faces in front of a mirror or window until you find one that flatters your facial features and shows off your best angle. Your photographer should also help you with posing depending on how you look in different angles and lighting conditions.
The Hair
Flowing hair is always glamorous; however, it can get in the way during maternity photography. Depending upon what type of pose you adopt and the background in which you plan to take the picture, arrange for styling beforehand so that it does not obstruct any part of your body or pose that may look unattractive. You may want to wear your hair down or just pull it back and away from your face using a clip or barrette, especially if you plan on wearing a low-cut top which will obviously sell more maternity photoshoot poses than high necklines.
Clothing
The best times to take these photos is during the warmer months of April or May, as well as September and October. This means that for most women who are not ready to give birth by this period, they must buy maternity clothes. There are several reasons why this type of clothing should be avoided in maternity photography sessions: firstly, these types of outfits draw too much attention towards your stomach area; secondly, the styles and colors do not compliment all skin tones and hair types, and lastly, these clothes are not flattering.
It is best to dress in a way that flatters you even when you were not pregnant. This means that you should choose clothing that enhances your assets rather than clothing that makes them look worse. For example, a woman with a small chest area may want to highlight this by wearing a cleavage-revealing top while larger-chested women might want to play up her long neck instead. The main idea is to show off the features you have always liked about yourself or others have complimented you on; highlight them during maternity photography sessions.
Posing
Your goal at this stage is to make it look like you are still slim and attractive enough for other people to be attracted to you. In order to do this, avoid poses that make it look as though you are heavily pregnant or ones that show off your full body from the side angles.
The Hips
For those women who want their hips and bottoms to appear larger, a pose with one leg bent inward toward the front camera will help achieve this effect. The other leg should then be pointing towards a 45 degree-angle away from the camera lens. Make sure not to overdo it with this type of pose because an extremely large bottom may not be attractive at any stage in pregnancy, much less during maternity pictures.
For women who would like their hips and bottoms to look smaller than they actually are, try standing up straight while pointing your toes toward the camera. This will elongate your leg line, making them appear longer and slimmer. Keep in mind that at this time of gestation, you are still carrying around extra weight so it is best to highlight areas that compliment your figure rather than trying to hide areas that may be unattractive during pregnancy photoshoots.
Body curve
A simple way of adding curves to a straight-up-and-down body is to use two hands on top of one another with an arm placed inside the crook created by the hands. One hand should be placed on or near one hip while the other arm should come below the first with their fingers curling over onto themselves. The heel of both feet can also touch each other as well, creating an S curve with your body.
Avoid poses that make you look like an isosceles triangle or one where your hands are all pointed at the camera lens, making it appear as if you have no waist whatsoever.
Remember to keep the head up and wear heels for this pose in order to sell maternity photoshoot poses better. Heels highlight the calf muscles, which when viewed from behind will create curves on the calf line that mimic curves used in pregnancy photography ideas lying down.
The Full Body
For pregnant women who want their full body to appear slimmer than usual, try bringing either leg forward while keeping it parallel to the front of the camera lens; pull back whichever leg is closest so that it appears furthest away.
The idea is to create the illusion of a long and leaner body but with balance so that it does not look like you are leaning too much towards one side or another. The rear leg should be relaxed and in a somewhat smooth line.
For women who would like their full figure to appear more voluptuous, try bringing both legs back while they are lined up next to each other with the toes pointed toward the camera lens; keep your feet together and pull whichever leg is closest in close enough so that they touch each other. You will then want to tilt your upper body slightly forward with the chin down slightly and your eyes raised up towards the camera lens. This pose can also be done sitting down if this works better for you.
The Legs
What is most important when choosing maternity photoshoot poses for legs are to highlight the calf muscles, which will create more curves on the calves. This can be done by using one leg in front of the other or bringing one leg forward while keeping it parallel with the front of the camera lens. Your rear leg should be relaxed and line up smoothly next to your first leg so there are no kinks where they meet.
For women who want to appear slimmer all over, try bending both knees slightly toward each other but not enough that it looks awkward or uncomfortable for you; keep your feet together as you do this. Some women also prefer wearing tights instead of socks if their ankles tend to swell during pregnancy.
For women who would like to appear more voluptuous all over, try standing up straight with your feet spread apart and the knees slightly bent. When choosing maternity photoshoot poses for legs, this can also be done sitting down as well as lying on your side.
Conclusion
You may not get a chance to do maternity photography again after this child is born, so take the time to choose the right types of poses that highlight your best assets and create tempting images for people who will be looking at them long after you have forgotten about them.