Getting ready for your new baby’s arrival is so exciting, and our studio wants to help you celebrate this special time in your life! As an award-winning photographer, I (Stephany) am committed to bringing out the best in you during your in-studio maternity photography session. We love turning maternity images into works of art, we love treating you like a queen during a maternity photoshoot, and we love sharing this beautiful season of your life with you!

When you become a Mama, you become a superhero. We’ll be sure to capture that during your maternity session. In this article, we’ll share everything you need to know about the in-studio maternity photography process!

Where does the process begin? With the design consultation!

Everyone is different. Everyone has different looks, tastes, styles, passions, interests, hobbies, experiences—the list goes on and on. Why would you want your maternity photoshoot to look like everyone else’s? There’s only one YOU! Your maternity session should be a reflection of who YOU are.

That’s why a design consultation is so important. As a Dallas maternity photographer, I (Stephany) want to make sure that your in-studio maternity photography session will be a work of art. That art will happen in the best way after we meet with you and get to know you, and we’ll make sure that you look fabulous!

The design consultation is an opportunity for us to meet you and get to know your style, personality, and esthetic so that we can create something totally unique just for you! During this consultation, we’ll discuss all of the ways in which we can bring the vision for your in-studio maternity session to life. We’ll talk through ideas for wardrobe and theme, keeping everything in the exact style that represents YOU!

One thing to keep in mind at this stage: The best time to schedule a maternity photoshoot is, we believe, at least two months before your due date. In our experience, the seventh month of any Mama’s pregnancy has proven to be the ideal time for a maternity session to occur. So, please remember this when you’re ready to discuss a possible date for your in-studio maternity session. And when you’re ready to set a date and discuss more details during your design consultation, click here!

What will you wear during your maternity photoshoot? Check out our maternity gown collection!

The next step in your fine art in-studio maternity photography session is selecting your wardrobe from our maternity gown collection. You’ll choose a variety of maternity gowns that you’ll wear during your in-studio maternity session. We’ll be sure to help you pick the ones that look the best on you!

You’ll be choosing from our maternity gown collection that has more than 100 designer handmade gowns. These gowns come in a variety of styles: classic, boho, slim fit, A-line, open belly, lace, chiffon, tulle, thick knit, etc. There are also a variety of colors in our maternity dress collection: red, grey, black, blush, evergreen, lavender, and royal blue to name a few.

Although our couture maternity gowns are hand made with the softest high-quality silk, and some of our gowns are one of a kind, our wardrobe isn’t made up of just maternity gowns. We also have a wide variety of crop tops, sexy bodysuits, and fancy bralettes to choose from—even hats and other accessories!

For more information about these options and to browse through our maternity gown collection, check out this article! 

After you select a maternity gown and we schedule a date together for your in-studio maternity photography session, you’ll be all set!

What happens during a maternity session?

When it’s time for your in-studio maternity session, you won’t have to worry about a thing, because we’ll treat you like a queen! Your fine art in-studio maternity photography session will take place inside our studio in Hickory Creek, Texas. As a Dallas maternity photographer, I (Stephany) have made sure that our facility is located here in the Metroplex and that everything you need will be available right here at our studio. Unless we discuss otherwise at your design consultation, we’ll take care of all of the details, and all you’ll need to bring is your beautiful self!

When you arrive, you’ll notice that everything will be set up just for you—just like we discussed during your design consultation! Your maternity gown will be ready for you, and we’ll take care of all of the details.

We’ll have everything set up for you in a beautiful, relaxing ambience with music in the background. You’ll even have water, snacks, and other refreshments available to you! The different outfits, accessories, and materials that you’ll use during the session—maternity gowns, bodysuits, bralettes, crop tops, fabric tosses, draping fabrics, hats, and more—will be ready for you.

We’ll do a combination of setups for studio shoots from simple setups to more complex setups. Each setup will use different wardrobe, so you’ll be changing clothes a bit. Some of the gowns might have an open belly style, if you’re comfortable showing off your beautiful baby bump that way during your maternity photoshoot! Your comfort during this special time in your life truly is high priority for us, so don’t be shy about telling us how you feel about anything during your in-studio maternity photography session!

The rest of your immediate family can be a part of your maternity session, too! We can take some shots of you, baby’s Dad, and baby’s siblings. Whether it’s you alone or you and several family members, we can arrange all of that for you! We’ll be happy to work out any details during your design consultation. (If you haven’t scheduled your consultation yet, click here!)

Just keep in mind that your maternity session will last for about two hours, and we’ll take pictures of your family (and pets are welcome, too!) at the end of the session. But throughout the entire maternity photoshoot, the main focus will ultimately be on YOU and capturing the beauty of this miraculous season in YOUR life!

Where will you get your hair and makeup done? Try our pampering service!

One fun thing that you could do as a part of your in-studio maternity photography session is enjoy our pampering service. This is an optional package to be included with your in-studio maternity session.

Here at our studio, before we begin taking pictures of you, we will arrange to have your hair and makeup done. This beauty session will last for 90 minutes, and you’ll look absolutely gorgeous, Mama! Then after you enjoy your pampering time, we’ll fit you into the beautiful maternity gown that you will have selected from our collection.

Our pampering service is optional, but think about it: How many chances will you have to get salon-style treatment after your little baby is born?

When we first initiated this service, we thought it would be a great way to serve all of the Mamas that walk through our studio doors. After the baby arrives, you’ll be very busy taking care of your family. Why not make your in-studio maternity session a one-stop shop for all of your maternity photography needs? We can take care of everything for you during your maternity photoshoot: maternity gowns, hair, and makeup!

You’re a very special person, so you deserve to be treated like a queen for a day. During the hours that you’ll spend here at your in-studio maternity photography session, you won’t have to worry about a thing!

For more information about our pampering package, see this article! We’ll be happy to answer any of your questions during your design consultation as well. (Click here when you’re ready to schedule your design consultation!)

Want to do something extra creative and trendy during your maternity photoshoot? How about a milk bath?

Another special package that we offer as part of your fine art in-studio maternity photography session is a milk bath. As you may already know, a milk bath maternity session is a current trend in maternity photoshoots.

This is because of the symbolism that is captured in the maternity images that we’ll take during your milk bath. You’ll be clothed in a beautiful sheer lace gown (or whichever lovely dress that you picked from our maternity gown collection) and surrounded by one of the most important things that you’ll ever give your baby: milk. After giving life to your little bundle of joy, you’ll continue to nurture him or her with your milk. The milk bath session will tell this beautiful story with maternity images.

In terms of practical details, here’s how this will work: We’ll do your milk bath photoshoot at the end of your in-studio maternity photography session with a mixture of water, milk, and bath additives. As part of the fine art experience, we’ll use the combination of fruits, flowers, flower petals or colored bath bombs that will bring out the beauty and elegance that you naturally radiate while you’re carrying your precious new baby.

Although a milk bath is not a required part of your in-studio maternity session, it will be a creative, trendy way for you to remember this unique time in your life. We’d love to chat more with you about it during your design consultation. (If you haven’t scheduled that yet, click here!)

For more information about the maternity milk bath sessions that we offer, check out this article!

How soon will you get to see your maternity portraits?

The next step in the in-studio maternity session process is the reveal session. This will happen about two weeks after your maternity photoshoot. At this time, you’ll see the maternity images that we produced during your in-studio maternity photography session. We absolutely LOVE this step in the process because we get to see your reaction when we reveal your maternity images! (If you’re moved emotionally during the reveal session, it’s OK!)

During this session, you’ll get to see a photo gallery of your maternity images in a slideshow, and we’ll help you pick out your favorite pictures. We’ll then show you several options of how to put those images together into a final product. We have special software that will show you how your maternity images will look inside your home—even on your wall—in different sizes. This part of the process will enable us to design a final product that will be perfect for you and your family inside your home.

When you show your family and friends the beautiful photos that you posed for during your fine art in-studio maternity photography session, you’ll want them to be impressed! And when your precious baby grows up and asks all kinds of questions about how you got ready for his or her arrival, you’ll have your maternity images ready to show him or her. We’ll create some works of art for you so that you’ll always have something to remember this special season with! We offer several heirloom products such as heirloom albums, portfolio boxes with museum quality fine art prints, wood art pieces, modern acrylics, handmade museum quality canvases, and more!

If you’d like to see a quick video with a few examples of final products from maternity sessions, click here. Or if you have your own ideas of how the final products could look like in your home, please let us know and we’ll be more than happy to discuss those ideas with you!

How will you receive your maternity pictures?

The final step in the in-studio maternity session process is the delivery of your final product: portfolio boxes with museum quality fine art prints, heirloom albums, handmade museum quality canvases, modern acrylics, wood art pieces, etc. As a fine art photography studio, we insist on doing everything ourselves so that you won’t have to lift a finger. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we'll deliver your photos to your home personally, and we’ll even hang everything on your wall for you!

To summarize...

In this article, we’ve focused specifically on everything you need to know about an in-studio maternity session:

● Where does the process begin? With the design consultation! The most important step in this process is the design consultation where we’ll meet you and discuss specifics about your maternity session.

● What will you wear during your maternity photoshoot? Check out our maternity gown collection! Our collection of couture maternity gowns is available to you, our client.

● What happens during a maternity session? We’ll take care of everything for you during your photoshoot, and we’ll make sure you look and feel fabulous during our entire time together.

● Where will you get your hair and makeup done? Try our pampering service! This service is available to you here at our studio while you’re getting ready for your big moment in front of the camera.

● Want to do something extra creative and trendy during your maternity photoshoot? How about a milk bath? Having a milk bath photo session is another creative way to capture the beauty of motherhood.

● How soon will you get to see your maternity portraits? We’ll reveal your photos in about two weeks.

● How will you receive your maternity pictures? We’ll prepare all of your beautiful maternity portraits and deliver them to your home in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Some last thoughts

But what if an indoor session isn’t for you? That’s OK! Simply contact us here and let’s talk through some ideas with you about a possible outdoor maternity session! We usually like to have our outdoor sessions at White Rock Lake, Highland Park, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, or the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. In-studio maternity sessions are especially great when it’s very hot or very cold outside, but outdoor sessions are fantastic when the weather is nice!

If you’d like to see some examples of other work that we’ve done in previous maternity sessions, click here to browse through our maternity portfolio page.

Click here to watch a short video that will give you a taste of the fine art experience of our studio. And click here to take a short virtual tour of our studio!

If you have any questions at all about what to expect during an in-studio maternity session, contact us here. Let’s chat!