maternity photography

Top 25 Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

A maternity photoshoot is a great way to celebrate the coming addition to your family. It can also bring your family together to reaffirm your commitment and love. For mom, it can have additional benefits, as maternity photography is a great way to celebrate your personality and commemorate this special time. Maternity is a truly wonderful time in your life, and you will want to be able to look back fondly on this time with photos and other priceless memories documenting the occasion.

Pretty Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Pretty maternity shoots are popular because they create an image that you will be happy to show off, put on the wall, or look back on fondly. Here are some ways that people like to create pretty maternity photoshoots.

Flowing Dress

Flowing dresses create an attractive feminine look. Tulle, lace, sheer, silk, chiffon, and bohemian dresses can all look amazing. Let them flow free, blow in the wind, or just drape yourself in the fabric. Pick the one that best expresses your style.

Lei po’o (flower crowns)

A flower crown creates a magical appearance. On Kauai, we have access to some of the most beautiful and exotic flowers you’ve ever seen. Flower crowns have a special meaning in the Hawaiian culture. For example, the plumeria, with its delicate petals and sweet fragrance, symbolizes new beginnings and positivity.

Natural Beauty

Kauai is naturally one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and it makes a wonderful backdrop for pretty maternity photoshoots. From the beach to the lush fields and jungle, to the mountainsides, Kauai has the landscape to capture any mood.

Sweet Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Celebrating your family’s love is an important part of maternity photoshoots, which is why many people choose sweet maternity pictures. If this is the feeling you want to capture, consider these pictures.

Kissing the Baby Bump

Having your partner or an older sibling kiss the baby bump captures the love everyone feels for the upcoming addition to your family. It puts so many hopes and dreams on display that it’s always a powerful picture.

Cuddling Older Children

Sweet maternity photoshoots are all about love, and it can be important to bring the older siblings into the picture to express everyone’s love. Plus, cute and unpredictable children always bring something special to any photoshoot.

maternity photography with the kids

Cradling the Belly

Show off your commitment to loving and protecting your new baby with a simple and sweet image of you and possibly your partner cradling the belly.

Funny Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Some people want to celebrate the pregnancy with humor and attitude. For these people, funny maternity photoshoot ideas can be a great choice, and if they give your friends and family a chuckle, so much the better.

Humorous Props and Belly Art

Don’t want to put your acting chops to the test? A shot of the baby bump with humorous props or belly art can get the joke across without your face in the frame.

Harried Husband

When pregnancy forces mom to put her feet up, your partner has to do a lot more around the house. Even for an engaged partner, this can be the next level of work, and it can show. For humor, you can have the mother relaxing while her partner rushes around doing everything.

Romantic Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Romance doesn’t end at marriage or at pregnancy. You can show the love that brought you together in a romantic photoshoot that displays the undying flames of your passion.

Sunset

Taking a maternity photoshoot with the sunset behind you both can turn you into a pair of silhouettes captured against the fading light. Or if you don’t mind getting up early, a sunrise works well, too. Kuai has many beautiful beach locations to capture the sunset.

maternity photography at sunset on the beach

Hands Clasped

Having your hands clasped in front of or on the baby bump is a great way to show that you are still holding each other tightly and won’t let go.

Holding Close

Full body shots showing the couple holding each other closely can convey a deep love. Face-to-face and front-to-back poses can both work wonderfully.

Unique Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Are you looking for something different that you won’t see that often? Here are some ideas that will help your maternity photoshoot stand out.

Underwater

You will sometimes see underwater photoshoots, but they are not common because they take a lot of preparation, a good location, and special equipment. The good news is the clear ocean waters on Kauai provide the ideal location for underwater photoshoots, and Betty Laurent has the equipment to capture these beautiful maternity photos.

Mom on the Go

Maternity photography tends to celebrate mom as a domestic icon. It almost never captures her as a professional woman, even though many moms are these days. A maternity photoshoot at the office, clinic, or courtroom displays another side of mom’s personality.

Extended Family

We often say that it takes a village to raise a child, but we rarely bring that village together for maternity photography. Celebrate the extended family that has supported you in your life, and whose support you will depend on even more once baby comes. Choose your natural family, godparents, or your found family.

maternity photography with extended family

Casual and Relaxed Maternity Photography Ideas

Don’t want a photoshoot that looks overdone or like you’re trying too hard? Casual and relaxed photoshoots are a great way to capture what you’re really like. Don’t forget the casual wardrobe that completes the look!

In Bed

Maternity photoshoots in bed have the advantage that you can relax during the entire shoot. Poses are easy, making this a popular choice in late pregnancy.

Sitting on the Ground

Although it’s not always easy for mom to get up and down, there is a definite casual look to a photoshoot with mom or the couple sitting on the ground together, perhaps sharing a cup of coffee or watching TV.

On a Stroll

Instead of pictures of you resting at home, you might want something a little more active, but still casual, like a leisurely stroll. The Kauai landscape gives ample settings for leisurely beach strolls or mountain hikes. Easy to adapt for either solo or family shoots.

Traditional Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

Want a maternity photoshoot that highlights your traditional family values or ties you to your family history? These traditional photoshoot ideas are perfect for you.

At the Family Home

Get a picture of you and your family at the family home. This can either be your home or a home of your parents, grandparents, or ancestors.

maternity photography at home

In the Nursery

The nursery is the most traditional place for the baby and taking maternity photos in their links you to a history of people preparing for their baby’s arrival.

With an Heirloom

Another way to link to history is by including an heirloom in the photoshoot. It can be something large like a baby carriage or small like a ring that’s been passed down to you, cradled over the baby bump in a closeup shot.

Artistic and Creative Maternity Photoshoot Ideas

If you are looking to create a special look with your maternity shoot, you can come up with literally anything you want, but here are some time-tested methods for creating a compelling and artistic maternity photo.

Wet Look

A clingy wet dress or wet drapery can also make a nice artistic look.

Nude

A nude is a classic art style, and it can make an engaging maternity photo. You can modestly cover yourself with your arms and the angles so the picture is still one you can have on display at home.

Black and White

Black and white photography always makes an impression, and it can look powerful if you know how to shoot it.

Silhouette

A silhouette is a great way to capture your maternity figure artistically. Clothed or nude, in color or black and white, a silhouette is always a tasteful, artistic way to do a maternity photoshoot.

silhouette maternity photography

Award-Winning Maternity Photography on Kauai

Betty Laurent is an international award-winning fine art photographer who specializes in maternity and newborn photography. She focuses on the creative process, making the experience of the photoshoot as joyful and emotive as the results. Every photo is hand edited and hand crafted to bring out each subject’s unique beauty.

Kauai is a great place for a babymoon, a wonderful chance for you to get away and have a nice relaxing vacation before things get really hectic after the baby is born. It’s the most relaxed and peaceful of the Hawaiian Islands with an idyllic atmosphere that is truly unmatched. Plus, our Ohana Concierge Approach™ means that we take care of all the details, from locations to clothes to props so you can simply enjoy your vacation.

To schedule a maternity photoshoot to celebrate this special time in your lives amid the breathtaking beauty of Kauai’s natural wonders, contact Betty Laurent Photography today.