Pregnant woman photography

[P_R]

Hello.
I and many of our friends are in the baby growing phase of life. I have one and one on the way. So as is natural, a few friends have asked me to do pregnant mum shoots. I accepted the first and was generally disappointed with the results and have declined further requests until I figure out the best poses and / or techniques.

Do I do a lingerie shot? Lingerie seems inappropriate for what should be a celebration of (new) life.
Nude, Demi Moore style then, in maybe b/w? Don't know, especially hard to do with friends though.
Mums dressed in sports type gear to accentuate the bump? But what if mums are larger and not happy with sports clothes?

So my question is have you done pregnant women photography and what poses worked? And if anyone has links to sites, I'd be happy to follow them too. Suggestions welcome especially as I'll be using my local model as a test!

Thank you for any suggestions.

P_R.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

What seems appropriate for some people, it may seem very sensual to others. see this discussion on another topic about photo pregnant.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php/topic,17316.0.html

 

[AcutancePhotography]

Go to youarenotaphotographer.com and don't do what they do.

 

[iron-t]

I haven't done any preggy photography professionally, but have taken some shots of my wife for posterity. A key factor is how far along they are. Pregnant belly is not going to look nice, much less the mom herself, when the baby is about to pop out. But you don't want to strike too early because she might just look unflatteringly chubby.

Tasteful nudes can be really nice and arty, but definitely aren't for everyone. I like silhouette shots when you want to be very understated. Take this one, overlooking Lake Michigan. She's wearing a sundress and clasping her hands underneath the belly. I could probably do better nowadays with my 5D3 (this was shot with a couple years ago with a Panasonic GH1), but I still like it.

 

[Zen]

In-silhouette shots like Iron-t's are conservative, understated and certainly NOT sensual/sexual. But they certainly tell the story. His is a dynamite shot that conveys inner peace in the Mom to be, and a gentleness that we all envision Moms to have. Couldn't be a better pose. There are many variations on the theme, of course, but the silhouette is the way to go. For those ladies who may feel unlovely or are a bit shy about appearing in that condition in a photo, the silhouette gives a measure of anonymity that a full color head on shot would not.

Wish I had done this with mine, but alas, I did not.

Good luck.

Zen