Maternity Portraits in our Classic Studio Gowns

I know one mama who is excited to see her maternity session blog post! This sweet mama-to-be is due in September, and she was absolutely radiant for her maternity portrait session. We started with studio portraits in our Saratoga Springs portrait studio, and Genna selected a few of her favorite gowns from our Mama Wardrobe. I especially love the boho lace off-the-shoulder gown on her! Doesn’t she look like a goddess???

Genna was excited to show off that gorgeous baby bump with some bare bump photos, too! An oversize shirt was the perfect accessory. Wondering what else looks good in bare bump photos? Cozy cardigans, lace kimono tops, swimsuit coverups, and bathrobes!

Next up were sunset portraits at the Hall of Springs with their puppy! I loved doing a mix of indoor and outdoor portraits for their maternity session, and the outdoor portraits were the perfect opportunity for their fur baby to join us.

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Inspired by this classic maternity session in our Saratoga Springs studio? Save this image or any from the post above!

Enjoy a sneak peek at our beautiful new mama gowns in the studio

One of my favorite things about our maternity sessions is helping these mamas-to-be feel like radiant goddesses for their portraits. I love celebrating their baby bump and talking with them about their little one’s upcoming arrival, and getting so excited to plan their newborn session together.

However, one thing that clients always ask me is:
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR???

It’s hard. I get it! You want something that is going to photograph beautifully, and when you’re pregnant, you want an outfit with a soft & flowy fabric that is going to accentuate all of the beautiful parts of your shape that you want to show off. It sounds easy enough, but when you go searching for an outfit it turns out they are incredibly hard to find.

That is why I have a studio closet filled with gorgeous gowns for our clients — maternity clients, new mamas with their tiny babies in their arms, and even mamas with older babies and toddlers!

Melissa came to the studio with the most adorable baby bump to model a bunch of our new gowns, and I love how beautiful these classic styles are on her!

Our mama wardrobe has something for everyone.
Flowy fabrics
Lace
Cap sleeves
Strapless
Off the shoulder
Sheer
Floor length
Short
Lots of white
And so many colors, too!

We have a bunch of infinity wrap dresses like the ones below, which can be tied a million different ways to create a different style of dress every time. I love these dresses because they flatter every single body and they help mamas feel amazing and so, so beautiful!

Winter Maternity Portraits with a Red Gown

When Lorraine first reached out to plan her maternity session, we talked a lot about leaving some wiggle room in our calendars to try and align it with a snow day. After a few snowstorms that promised 7 inches of snow simply disappeared from the forecast, we decided to go with a wintery session (minus the snow!) at our original location. The end result? Absolutely lovely maternity portraits!

Lorraine & Moe brought their THREE fur babies with them. I always love incorporating dogs into our sessions, and these three were pretty amazing. Can you even believe we got a portrait with all of the dogs facing forward? No Photoshop head swaps or dog swaps necessary!

This mama-to-be looked radiant in her red gown, and it popped against the neutral and cool winter landscape.

This might be one of my favorite shots from this session! I LOVE the excitement on their faces here!

Lifestyle Maternity Session with Saratoga Springs NY Maternity Photographer

When Ashley & Tyler reached out to me to plan their maternity session, they knew they wanted something a little different.  Something a bit more relaxed.  Something cozy.  I suggested a lifestyle maternity session in their home with their dogs, everyone all cuddled up together on the couch, on their bed, and in the nursery.  They were so excited, and I just love how their entire session turned out!

Waiting for baby is an absolutely magical time, and I love capturing these baby bumps and mamas glowing with anticipation, eager to meet their little ones in a few short weeks.  

Ashley was truly radiant, and so eager to meet her baby girl.  I adore these quiet, backlit moments in this light-filled corner of their home.  When I saw the light streaming through the windows in this alcove, I **may** have asked Tyler to move the dog crate and an end table out of the way.  Definitely worth it for these beautiful portraits!

They designed the most beautiful nursery with stars and a moon on the navy blue walls, and the furniture was Ashley's when she was a little girl.  

All of our maternity sessions have time for an outfit change, which is a great opportunity to do two very different "looks" in your portraits.  I love the more casual tunic and leggings that Ashley chose to wear in the bedroom, and the cozy portraits that we captured of this sweet family of **three**!

Check back soon for their sweet baby girl's newborn portraits!

An Airy Studio Maternity Session in Saratoga Springs | Saratoga Springs NY Maternity Photographer

Jessica's maternity session was extra special because of the timing. 

Her original due date was only one day before my due date, and she wound up delivering her baby girl early, just a few days after her gallery reveal appointment!  I received a text from her one morning saying, "Well, I won the 'whose baby will be born first' contest!"  I was as shocked as she was, and then just a few days later we found ourselves at the hospital getting ready to welcome our little boy early, too! 

I am so happy that we slowed down to capture these moments for this family at the very end of their journey to parenthood.  These maternity sessions are so full of anticipation and excitement, and it's always amazing to celebrate this time as a couple waits to welcome their baby to their family.

Isn't she absolutely radiant?  I love these backlit images that give her such an ethereal quality.

Jessica loved being able to choose a few lace dress options from our studio closet of gowns, and they were perfect on her to show off that lovely baby bump.  

Are you expecting a little one this year?  Plan ahead to do your maternity session before week 36.  You never know if your baby will arrive early, and you wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to celebrate your pregnancy with a maternity session!

Best of 2017 Maternity Sessions | Saratoga Springs and Boston Maternity Photographer

Waiting for baby.  You spend 40+ weeks imagining what it will be like to hold your little one in your arms, dreaming up the perfect nursery, and preparing for life with a baby.  Don’t forget to take time to slow it all down and appreciate this stage you are in right now.  

Pregnancy is an absolutely beautiful time in your life — even if parts of pregnancy don’t feel all that glamorous, you are growing a tiny human inside of you and that little miracle deserves to be celebrated!  This is one of the reasons that I love our maternity sessions so much.  I love working with mamas-to-be, celebrating their bump, and helping them feel glamorous as they get excited to welcome their baby to the world in a few short months.  

All of our mamas have access to our collection of studio gowns for a little splash of something beautiful during their session, and most mothers-to-be radiate happiness and confidence when they look in the mirror and see themselves in one of these long, flowy, perfectly feminine dresses.  With their dress on and a little boost in confidence, they completely rock their session and flaunt their adorable baby bump!  

Every year I love going back through our sessions and sharing a few favorites on the blog.  Enjoy a peek at a few of our most memorable baby bumps from 2017, and be sure to check out our other “BEST OF 2017” blog posts!
 

Did you love this BEST OF 2017 blog post? 
Check out our other top posts on the blog!
 

Best of 2017 Cake Smash Sessions
Best of 2017 Family Sessions
Best of 2017 Lifestyle Newborn Sessions
Best of 2017 Studio Newborn Sessions
Best of 2017 Fresh 48 Sessions
Best of 2017 Brothers & Sisters: Candid and Fun Sibling Portraits
Best of 2017 Beach Sessions on Cape Cod
 

A Summer Maternity Session at Congress Park - Saratoga Springs NY Maternity Photographer

We've been in the middle of a baby boom lately with so many newborn sessions in both Saratoga Springs and Boston, which also means we've enjoyed even more maternity sessions than usual, too!  

Jessica & Matt joined me at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs for a sunset maternity session, and we had the park almost entirely to ourselves on a rare quiet evening downtown.  Jessica wore one of our lavender gowns from the studio collection, and she was absolutely radiant while celebrating her baby bump and counting down the weeks to her sweet little one's arrival.

This is one of my favorite shots from their session, and it's a pose that I think we'll definitely have to do more often!  I love how casual it is while showing off Jessica's beautiful baby bump and her long flowing gown.  

I can't wait to meet their sweet little baby in just a few weeks!  Check back soon for their Fresh 48 session and lifestyle newborn session here on the blog!

A Greenhouse Maternity Session with Amy & Lo | Saratoga Springs Maternity Photographer

Sometimes things just come together perfectly, like these two:

Amy & Lo met at the Saratoga racetrack a few years ago on Travers Weekend, and they've been inseparable ever since.  They got married last fall, and reached out to me about planning their maternity & newborn sessions as they eagerly wait for their baby boy to arrive later this summer.

When they mentioned finding a location with a more natural feel, I suggested that we do their session in a greenhouse.  Well, as things just come together perfectly, luck would have it that Amy's family owns a local greenhouse and she grew up planting seedlings and watering the flowers right here in this building.  So of course we decided it would be the perfect location for their maternity session!  

Don't you agree?  I'm in love with the soft, diffused light and the beautiful flowers & greenery!  But of course, the real stars of the show are Amy, Lo, and her adorable baby bump!

They both have family in Holland, so we had to incorporate these vintage wooden shoes into their session.  I love it when families bring a beautiful & meaningful family heirloom to their sessions for us to use in their portraits!

Wondering what to wear for your maternity session?  I have a growing collection of gowns in the studio, like this slate blue one below.  These are perfect for our studio mamas, and I am always happy to let you come visit and try a few on beforehand to choose the ones that you'd like to wear during your portrait session!

Amy absolutely rocked the blue gown, and it looked incredible on her.  I love the way it showcases her baby bump and complements her hair & skin.  She's definitely radiant!

Maternity sessions are best done between weeks 28-36.  If you're expecting a little one, I would love to chat with you about adding a maternity session on to your newborn package!  

Enjoy a few more recent maternity sessions on the blog:

Emily's Backlit Maternity Session in the Studio

Waiting for Baby Luca: A Studio Maternity Session

Waiting for Baby Luca | Boston Maternity Photographer

Sweet baby Luca...

Long before she held you in her arms, your mama loved you.  She held a special place in her heart just for you, and she ached for the day you would be placed in her arms and she would enjoy her first cuddles with you. 

Maternity sessions are always filled with anticipation, joy, and eager excitement.  I love capturing these calm, quiet moments celebrating what is yet to come.   I love it when these radiant mamas walk into the studio and are eager to celebrate their little one and to embrace their pregnancy and this beautiful stage of motherhood.  

Maternity sessions are quickly becoming one of my favorite types of sessions at the studio.  Many moms get their hair & makeup done before coming to the studio, and then they get to select a few gowns from the studio collection for their portraits.  The gown collection is steadily growing with beautiful, lightweight, floor-length gowns that fit all mamas-to-be, and they flatter you in a way that you can't help but feel gorgeous!  Seriously, put on a lace gown and tell me you don't feel beautiful... no way, you can't do it!  ;o)  

These backlit images (against the clean white backdrop) are always some of my favorites because they lend such an ethereal quality to your images, and they make you & your baby bump the focus of the session with nothing to distract from what is most important in the session -- the two of you!

Maternity sessions are typically done between weeks 32-36, though they can be done up to week 38 of your pregnancy -- we just don't schedule too close to the due date because you never know when your little one will make an appearance!  Many moms book their maternity session during the second trimester, and that gives us plenty of time to plan wardrobe & location together!  

Emily: Saratoga Springs & Boston Maternity Portrait Session

The joy of motherhood comes in moments like this one.

It comes in looking down and anticipating all of the many ways that your life will be changed once your baby arrives.  Wondering who he or she will look like, what their first word will be, what their laugh will sound like, and who they will grow up to be one day.  

Maternity portrait sessions are all about the ANTICIPATION.  This is such an exciting time in your life as you wait & wonder about this tiny little person that is going to come into the world and change your life in more ways than you can possibly imagine.  

Emily came to our Saratoga Springs studio for her maternity portrait session, and we had such a wonderful afternoon together showcasing her gorgeous baby bump and celebrating this incredible time of eager anticipation.  She just radiated joy and grace, and I loved watching her glow with confidence and happiness as she tried on one gown after another from our studio wardrobe and completely rocked her maternity session.

Backlighting has become my absolute favorite element to incorporate into maternity sessions.  This style of dreamlighting is so airy and beautiful, and it gives such a gorgeous glow to the mamas.  It allowed Emily to truly shine during her session at the studio!

And this one, my favorite image from the entire session.  Though I love every single image that we captured this one stands out to me in the way she casts her gaze down with those soft curls framing her face and her hands gently holding her bump.  This one encapsulates everything that I love so much about maternity sessions, and I cannot wait to welcome more expecting mamas into the studio for their sessions in the coming months!  

Please email me at hello@nicolestarrphotography.com or use the CONTACT tab above, and let's plan your session!  These are best between weeks 30-36, and we often start planning maternity sessions during the second trimester to save a spot on the calendar for you.  

Now booking at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio, and at our Attleboro portrait studio.  Plus, if you've been dreaming of maternity portraits on the beach this summer, let's talk and plan a session on Cape Cod for sunset to show off that beautiful baby bump! 

Waiting for Baby {Maternity Photos}

Isabel, Dallas and I have been friends ever since Isa and I met each other 6 years ago by sharing offices across the hall from each other in our grad school basement.  We have had so many fun moments together over the years, and we have shared oh-so-much laughter.  They were one of the first families that I photographed last year with their little boy Nico, and when Isa asked me to do her Belly to Baby photos (maternity and newborn), I was thrilled to be able to capture these special moments on camera for them as they await the arrival of their second little boy. We met up for our session at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.  Afterwards, Isa told me how much fun they all had "playing in the park" during our session -- because that's how it felt, like a play date that just happened to involve a camera.

I am absolutely 100% in love with all of their photos.  There you go, I said it -- and yes, photographers aren't supposed to choose favorites.  ;o)  Their session was so much fun, so natural and full of laughter, that as I was going back through my photos to edit and retouch I couldn't help but burst into smiles and laughter so many times at the beautiful (and sometimes comical... just wait, you'll see what I'm talking about) images that we were able to capture.

LOVE.  Pure and simple.

What a stunning mama.

And the love & laughter between these two?  It was contagious!  Dallas and Isa, you two are so wonderful!  I loved capturing your joy and laughter on camera!

This series of photos literally had me laughing so hard when I was clicking through and editing.  Isabel wanted to do some photos like something she had seen where Dallas would be waiting impatiently for the baby's arrival.  We goofed around a bit, and got in a lot of laughs.  Their expressions are priceless!  Apparently this is what impatient looks like.  ;o)  Their silliness here captures the essence of them and the fun that they create when they're together:

Congratulations on your beautiful growing family!  I can't wait for your little boy's arrival next month!  So happy to be your "photografriend".

And Baby Makes {3}

A few weeks ago I met up with Kate & Matt at Veteran's Park in Westborough for their maternity shoot. It was the perfect fall day, and it was becoming quite a baby-anticipation-filled day for this happy couple... right after our session they went to their first baby class!  I'd like to think that our belly-kissing session was a nice jump start to their class.  :o)

{Matt meant this as a joke, but little did he know I'd capture it and it would become one of my favorite images from the session!}

Kate & Matt's little girl is going to be a winter baby.  She's due to arrive with the snow in late January/early February, and everyone is eagerly anticipating her arrival!  Kate and I teach together, and her husband is also a teacher.  In fact, they are commonly known as two of the math gurus around town  ;o)  We kept joking about how the newborn session would be staged with their little girl propped up on math books, and when collecting props for the maternity shoot, Matt leaped into the room with a calculator and suggested, "Should we bring this?"

Off to the park we went with a bundle of balloons.  I have a theory about balloons after doing a couple of shoots with them now.  So a baker's dozen is 13, right?  And that would make a klutz's dozen 11.  Well, a dozen balloons is never a dozen balloons! We had barely gotten them out of the car and started walking when we looked up at the sky and saw one floating away.  At which point we stopped to count and found that we only had 8 balloons left.  NO IDEA where the rest disappeared to, or when they disappeared, but they did!  And then our mathematicians started constructing story problems based on the disappearing balloons!

{Whimsical: my new favorite word to describe my photography.}

Aren't these little shoes adorable?  They were the first gift that Kate & Matt receive for their little girl, and they came with the most adorable hand-knitted dress, too!

I really like this last image.  Their whole family is there, including little Rudy the dog!  And the way Matt is looking at this momma-to-be... love!

Such a wonderful session.  Thank you, Kate & Matt, for many laughs and many wonderful moments to capture.  I'm already eagerly anticipating the next time we get together with a camera to photograph your little girl.

*~*~* Belly to Baby Package *~*~*

Capture the anticipation, the wonder, and the excitement wrapped up in those nine months of waiting!  Then once your little one arrives, capture the little toes and the sleepy yawns before the moments pass you by much too quickly.  Contact me for more information today!  This is a GREAT gift idea for all those moms-to-be on your holiday list.  Spread the word -- now booking sessions for 2013!

A Birthday Arrival: Alice Olivia {Boston Newborn Portraits}

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at 2:15pm

Boston, Massachusetts

Alice Olivia was an early birthday gift to her mama, arriving just two days before her 30th birthday.  This little girl's arrival was long-awaited and much-celebrated.  From an early conversation shared in a coffee shop last January to a hazy February afternoon in the city when Arlene and Chris shared their news with friends, and all the moments in between when baby Alice accompanied her mom on her own labor of love (her doctoral dissertation!), this little girl's arrival has been eagerly anticipated by everyone involved.

For weeks, friends and family anxiously kept their phones nearby waiting for news.  Every lapse in response time we got from Alice's parents we figured surely meant that they were in the hospital delivering the baby.  Just days before Alice arrived, I joked with Arlene that she should have her baby on Tuesday to coincide with my day off.  And wouldn't you know, Alice decided to make her grand entrance into the world just in time for her mama's grad school friends to visit on their free day last week.  Isabel and I rushed off to the hospital on Wednesday, knowing that a 22-hour old baby was waiting for us in her bassinet.  We had a tradition to uphold of celebrating the newest baby's first day of life!  With our cameras, a toddler, a birthday cake, elephant plates, a pink bundle of tissue paper, and a candle in tow we found our way to room 663.

It was magical.

First glimpse...

Watching three-year old Nico with Alice Olivia was like déjà vu.  It felt like only yesterday Arlene and I were rushing to the hospital to celebrate his arrival into the world with a birthday cake and blowing out a candle, and here he was with his blonde curls looking into the crib and giving the little baby girl sweet kisses covered in his goldfish crumbs.  

Alice's parents kept everyone guessing about her name right up until the end, giving little hints here and there but nothing concrete.  But here's the thing -- they didn't give "normal" hints.  Oh, no.  They told us that her middle name was bilingual and was 4 syllables in English but 3 in Spanish.  That her first name was a family name but was a little hard to pronounce in Spanish.  That her initials were "very cool".  That there were two A's in her names, and many letters from her middle name were in her first and last names, too.  Ooooh, the hints kept getting more and more complicated and as much as we all guessed and analyzed, compared and discarded, we also didn't really want to know the name and wanted the surprise factor, too.  In the end, Alice Olivia is a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.

A huge congratulations to Arlene and Chris.  Alice is lucky to have such amazing parents.  I can't wait to run over to their house and cuddle up with that little baby girl.  And I'm really looking forward to capturing her on camera.  :o)  This was my first experience with hospital photos, and I'm quite excited with how they turned out.  What do you think?

These last two photos just kill me.  She's just so sweet and new.  Don't you just melt looking at them?

She is so loved already.

Bienvenida al mundo, Alice Olivia.

Oooooh, BABY! {Arlene's Maternity Shoot}

Arlene is one of my friends from grad school, and we go way back to the days of sharing grad student offices in the basement of a building on Comm Ave in Boston.  Every time we get together we always stir up some mischief and have an absolute blast, so this photo shoot turned out to be one of the most fun shoots I've done in these past few months.  Entering her eighth month of pregnancy and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her little girl, Arlene was game for anything and everything. A few things I learned on this photo shoot:

• I must find a way to incorporate balloons into my daily life.
• Jamaica Plain = funky, colorful, and amazing backdrops for photos
• There are photos that just BEG to be in black & white.... and a number of them came out of this shoot.
• When Arlene told me she had a big family, she really wasn't kidding...

Let's start with the balloons.  I've always wanted to just bring a big bunch of balloons with me to surprise a friend, so I filled my car with pink and white balloons and made my way to Jamaica Plain with pink globes bobbing around and filling my rear view mirror.  We joked about how I wound up bringing her a klutz's dozen (11 - I popped one!).  Balloons have also been a photo prop I've been dying to try, so I knew that Arlene would be up for anything.  And wow, am I glad I brought them!  They added a nice punch to the photos and gave us something to laugh about while attracting all sorts of interesting looks.  Not to mention that it was an incredibly windy day, so Arlene had quite the challenge of reining those balloons in.

Those backdrops in JP...  There's nothing like city-living to give you an unlimited amount of backdrops and unique props.  All were discovered on the fly.  That gorgeous blue wall, vibrant murals, brick walls, librerias for this Spanish literature doctoral student, pink benches in front of hair salons.  The options were endless.

The black & whites...  There's just something about the shadows, the light, and the silhouettes in these photos.  :o)  When I saw Arlene's black maxi dress, I told her she HAD to wear it for these photos.  Simply stunning.  She is RADIANT.  Have you ever seen the movie The Family Stone?  The last ones in this little batch remind me of that old photograph of Diane Keaton.

Barefoot and pregnant.

A few more shots back at home..

Meet Nina, their friendly chocolate lab.  It took many, many clicks of the shutter to capture this one.  Let's just say that Nina doesn't pose on command!

Hahaha, a little fun with those last two chapters of What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Arlene wore the cutest T-shirt: Due for Delivery Sept 27, 2012 with her zip code on it.  So adorable!  Even the UPS man was chuckling when he noticed it while dropping off a package.

Oooh, and about that big family...  I posted two sneak peek photos of Arlene's session on my Nicole Schwalm Photography Facebook page, and by early the next morning they had been seen more than 600 times EACH by her family members.  Unbelievable.  That little baby is going to have so much love to welcome her into this world in September.  I can't wait to meet her!  Expect to be seeing a lot more of that little girl on my blog come the fall -- she is my belly to baby package!