Client Appreciation: A Venezuelan Maternity Session

Once upon a time in a land far, far away called Venezuela, I shot my very first maternity session. Jaqi, the mother being photographed, was barely showing at 7 months pregnant, we we got a bit creative in what we wanted to do to show off her teeny baby bump.

We took the photographs at this little private resort on the Northern coast of the country at a little place called Guakamaya. A lot of the huts were empty while we were there, so we took the liberty of using up different spaces to get different poses and looks. The weather on the coast was perfect for a photoshoot as well, with enough warmth mixed with an ocean breeze to stay at a perfect temperature the whole time.

The charm and atmosphere that these beach huts had to give made for beautiful, interesting backgrounds in each shot.

Keeping Jaqi's small bump in mind, we had to be strategic with her poses and hand placements to show that these were more than just personal portraits - she was carrying a child!

In the left image above, we had Jaqi arching her back up to push her belly out more, while cradling her precious bump with her hands to further accentuate it. In the right image above, as it was hard to tell there was a baby bump at all when she sat in a normal position, we had her tuck her dress to help accent the belly, with her making a heart with her hands to tell the viewer that love was growing inside of her.

In the images on the left above and below, we continued having her cradle her small bump, with the lifesaver behind her creating a nice frame within a frame, and a focal point for her head to lean towards.

​Obviously, having your client gaze down lovingly at their growing belly is going to make it obvious to the viewer that there is more going on in the portrait than just a pretty client.

Jaqi really wanted an image where she was relaxing in a hammock with her growing child, so we ensured her body was wrapped to draw focus to the baby. I normally try to keep my clients' faces shadow and line free, but in this case, it enhanced the idea of the carefree lifestyle on the beach, plus none of the lines disrupted or took away from her gorgeous features. The lines also helped highlight the belly as they created a slight curve over the bump.

I really enjoyed shooting my very first maternity session, and working in a beach resort only made it that much better of a first experience.

In case you're wondering why I was in Venezuela, I was visiting my sister, who, yes, is the star of this photoshoot! 
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She now lives in California with her two beautiful children, and I am blessed to be the Godmother to the girl who was growing in her tummy at the time of these pictures.

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