Michela + Julia | Family Maternity Portraits

Beautiful Michela got in touch with me a few months ago and told me she was pregnant and wanted to schedule a maternity portrait session.  Her daughter Julia was also going to be included in the shoot (Daddy had to work, but hopefully he can make it for the next session!)  Michela is about 7 months pregnant here, which is the best time for maternity portraits.  The tummy is usually a really nice size by 7 months (of course every woman is different) and it’s not too close to your due date that you might deliver before the portraits are even taken!

We wanted to do some elegant portraits of Michela, with a bit of a sexy vibe to them.  The heels definitely help add that mood, and her gorgeous eyes and dark hair add beautiful accents to the images.

The very talented Melanie Sivitilli did Michela’s hair and make-up for the session, and even treated Julia to some lip gloss so she would feel as pretty as a princess (her favourite is Princess Jasmine).

Now let’s be honest – kids aren’t always in the mood for photos.  But sometimes that’s half the fun.  Julia (though extremely cute, fun and full of personality) was being a bit moody that day (like many 3 year olds can be from time to time).  One minute she would be happy and smiling and the next minute she’d be having a stomp around the house.  No matter how great the parents are (and Julia’s Mum handled her like a pro), it just goes to show you that kids can be very random!  This is where patience steps in.  You have to roll with it – you can’t force a three year old to sit still and smile.  They have to want to do it.

So what do we do when we have a three year old who’s in a bit of a mood?  We play!  Mum does her hair, I call her a Princess, and I capture everything that happens in between.  To get the images, you just need to let it happen naturally.  It’s really the only way.  And I probably laughed more through this session than most, and we had a great time as a result.  I also love it when I get a really good scrunched-up angry face from a young kid.  Mom and Dad will laugh at that photo for years!

Here’s my favourite image from the shoot – a self-portrait of me and Julia via the mirror (this is the scrunchy face I mentioned earlier!):