Introduction
pregnancy pictures• About the Guide
pregnancy picturesThe Basics
pregnancy photography• How to Prepare
Pregnancy tips• Wardrobe

Elements of Posing
maternity photography guide• Posture
Pregnancy tips• Arching
Pregnancy tipsWalkthrough - posture
Pregnancy tips• Gaze
Pregnancy tips• Expression
Pregnancy tips• The Leg Up

Pregnancy photography• Best Foot Forward
belly pics• The Crossover
belly picsWalkthrough the Crossover

Pregnancy photography• Finding a Pose
belly pics• Placement of Hands

Maternity Posing Ideas
pregnancy• The Cradled Belly
maternity• The Proud Mom
belly picsWalkthrough - Proud Mom
belly pics• The Seated Triangle
Pregnancy tips• Just the Belly
Pregnancy photography• The Hands of Love
Pregnancy photography• Over the Belly
Pregnancy tips• Peek-a-boo
Pregnancy tips• The Open Shirt
Couples:
Pregnancy tips• Face to Face
Pregnancy photography• The Kiss
belly picsWalkthrough - Couples
Pregnancy tips• The Bump
Pregnancy tips• Prom Gone Wrong

Pregnancy tips• Dad & the Belly
Posing with Kids:
Pregnancy tips• Holding the Sibling
Pregnancy photography• Bribes & Trickery
Pregnancy tips• The Sibling & the Belly
Pregnancy tips• The Juggling Act
Pregnancy tips• Dad & the Belly
Pregnancy tipsWalkthrough with children

The Camera Angle
nude pregnancy portraits• The Profile
nude pregnancy portraits• Straight On
nude pregnancy portraits• 3/4 View
nude pregnancy portraits• From Above
nude pregnancy portraits• From Below

Creatiing a Progression
nude pregnancy portraits• How to take a progression


The Maternity Silhouette
nude pregnancy portraits• Rules of the Silhouette

Nude and Semi-Nude
nude maternity photography• The Pregnant Nude
nude pregnancy portraits• Working with Fabrics
nude maternity photography• Coverage I
nude pregnancy portraitsWalkthrough - Coverage
nude pregnancy portraits• Coverage II
nude pregnancy portraits• Coverage for Couples
nude pregnancy portraits• The Demi
nude pregnancy portraits• The Seated Nude
nude pregnancy portraits• The Sweep
nude pregnancy portraitsWalkthrough - Swept Fabric
nude pregnancy portraits• The Horizontal Nude

Photographing yourself
nude pregnancy portraits• What you will need
nude pregnancy portraits• Settings

7 Common Problems with Maternity Portraits
maternity posing ideas• Backdrop Trouble
maternity posing ideas• On Camera Flash
belly pics• Harsh Lighting
maternity portraits• The Window Dilemma
maternity portraits• Lost in the Background

maternity portraits• Unflattering Wardrobe
maternity portraits• Overprocessing

maternity portraitsWalkthrough - Processing

 

Katsoulis Photography of Boston

The Illustrated Guide to Pregnancy Photography is now available for the iPad, and Kindle. The guide is filled with over three hundred pages of beautiful, instructive photographs, in-depth walkthroughs, galleries and more, demonstrating how to get great pregnancy portraits.

Katsoulis Photography of Boston

This guide is brought to you by Katsoulis Photography of Massachusetts. Gregory Katsoulis has been creating professional maternity portraits for over 10 years.

If you are looking for more ideas, please visit my online gallery of maternity photography, showcasing some of my best work.

If you find this guide helpful, please link to us from your blog, website or message board. You should also feel free to drop us a line and share your best pictures! guide@momphoto.com


Facebook Maternity

Backdrop Problems

If you are going to use a backdrop, iron it! This is especially true if you do not actually own a professional backdrop and you are going to use a bed sheet or a piece of fabric. Nothing says amateur maternity portrait more than a wrinkly bed sheet taped to a wall with the mom-to-be standing about foot away like she's posing for a prison mug shot. If you can't iron it, steam it in your bathroom for an hour to get rid of the wrinkles. If you can't get rid of the wrinkles, don't use it at all. You will be better served using a wall or a doorway.

Professional Pregnancy PortraitsProfessional Pregnancy Portraits

It is worth noting that some backdrops, such as the blue muslin below, are designed to remain wrinkled. It is possible to use to this to good effect. It is also possible to use drapery or wrinkles to create a textural backdrop, but in most cases wrinkled backdrops are just bad form.

Professional Pregnancy PortraitsProfessional Pregnancy Portraits

Maternity Portrait PosesMaternity Portrait PosesWhen selecting a backdrop, you will want to be careful about the possibility of losing your subject. For example, in the photo to the left, replacing the wrinkled sheet with a black backdrop will hide any wrinkles the black fabric may have, but will also lose the detail from the back of the mom-to-be's head.

This is a very common error when photographing dark subjects on a black backdrop. This can be corrected with an additional hair light set behind the subject to outline the hair.

 

The same effect can also be used strategically, though it is rare. In the two examples below there is a huge difference in the contrast between photos of the same subject; a mom-to-be very pregnant with twins. The first photo, a traditional silhouette, is probably a better and more interesting photograph, but the second does succeed in honestly minimizing the size of the belly.

Professional Pregnancy PortraitsProfessional Pregnancy Portraits

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