Recently I was in Arizona visiting family and because I’m no stranger to opportunity, I was concocting the ways in which I could capture the rolling desert landscape. Since I’ve been doing lots of underwater photography work with maternity, this seemed like a perfect moment to try something new. I found this beautiful lavender pregnancy dress off Chicaboo which gives you all of the glam, old hollywood vibes. I thought this soft, velvety look would be the ultimate contrast to the structured rock and wide open spaces. Lest we not forget, the subtle hues of purple we would find in the stone and root systems that would make the shot really pop. With a model all squared away in town we were ready for an epic session. Traveling across country always sounds so exciting when you’re purchasing your ticket, but the days leading up to departure your mind inevitably is racing with all the things you need to accomplish. Mommas, I know you can relate! And here I am adding this wonderfully glam dress into the mix along with my photography equipment! But the pay off, oh the pay off would be all worth it I reason with myself. How could I not capture this?!
Cut to we have made it to Arizona when unfortunately I learn my maternity model could no longer make it. But this is Gates Pass, surely there was something, maybe someone, I couldn’t let go of this vision. Now, this is where things get interesting – I bought a pregnancy belly off of Amazon Prime! Never in my life would I have imagined putting on a fake belly. Never would I have anticipated getting dolled up, hiking in these gowns, with a fake belly, alongside my supportive husband to capture these images. But when life gives you Gates Pass, you make pregnancy!
Pulling off a maternity shoot with a momma who isn’t pregnant definitely required some creativity! More than once I’ve had a mom who wanted maternity portraits who didn’t carry in her belly and didn’t have that bump we all can’t help but smile about. This Artfasion Belly Stuffer and Spanx Shapewear is the perfect solution to getting that baby bump exactly how you want it to look! Or, for my fellow photographers, making your own baby bump magic…with no bundle of joy in nine months!