My First Baby Bump Portraits

I've always known that I've wanted to do baby bump portraits but without having done one comes the fear that I may not be able to do them justice. Well I no longer have that fear.

Last week I had a fantastic photo shoot with my good friend Zoe. I'm sure it helped to do this first with a friend as it did involve a little experimenting and a little nudity which for me anyway needed a little getting used to. Zoe on the other hand didn't seem to have a problem at all. Why is it always the clothed person who is more uncomfortable than the unclothed.

In order to ease our way into the shoot I opted for the fully clothed poses to start with. And we gradually worked our way down to the bare essentials. This is a technique I will employ for all future shoots as well seeing as it seemed to ease us in quite nicely. By the time we made it to totally nude I hardly even noticed. Not that all baby bump photos need to go this far though.

We actually ended up finishing off with clothed poses. For the final set I switched to the white background. In this case I played around with the lighting again. Rather than create very bright (high key) images I decided not to light the background so as to get something somewhere in between. As it turns out I quite like the look of these images too and plan on using this technique a lot more in future. Particularly in the new studio.

This turned out to be an experience I am so glad to have had. I started out being very nervous, wondering if I would be able to produce something artistic and appealing. And as with most women, the shoot started off with the words 'I hate pictures of myself' which of course put even more pressure on me. But with each pose I was able to produce something both myself and Zoe were proud of. The experimenting really paid off.

Now I can't wait to have another opportunity to do the same. And to have another opportunity to do more experimenting because I can now see that being the key to continual and long term success as a skilled photographer.

Comments

Susan Renée said…

These images are absolutely beautiful, Christina. Stunning work.

28 November 2009 at 20:40

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm Optima UK who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...

My Associate Panel

As I mentioned in my last blog, I achieved my Associateship in Portraiture with the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers). I just thought I would share with you the panel I submitted. Having sat through the assessment I see that there are a couple of images that I wish I hadn't chosen, more so due to not having enough variety rather than the lack of quality. but overall I am pleased with my submission. I always thought that once I achieved my Associateship I would be done with qualifications. Working towards a Fellowship just seems so unattainable. I don't think I can just sit here not striving towards a goal though. Besides, my husband has already set 5 year plan. So I guess I've not seen the end of qualifications just yet. But don't be expecting any news on this front for quite some time though. A fellowship is on an entirely new level and its going to take a lot of work.

My First London Fashion Shoot

Well I finally did it. I bit the bullet and faced my fears and headed to London with a good friend, Mr. Panikos Hajistilly to do my first location shoot. We chose our locations together and Panikos organised a model and brought so much of his gear which he kindly shared with me. And probably most importantly, he showed me how it's done. I was so surprised to see just how much wonderful light was there, just waiting to be used. I am a studio photographer and while I understand the use of studio flash very well, I am very much out of practice and out of my comfort zone with using available light. Its one thing to place lights and backdrops around my subject in the comfort of my studio. Its very different to find the right light and the right backdrop in unfamiliar territory and to place my subject in it. That may sound simple enough but honestly it is not, particularly on a day with no clouds in the sky. One of our planned locations just wasn't possible as a result of the ...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog