Maternity

This session was one for the books and special for a couple of reasons. First, this Mama and I were due one day apart. We were both having contractions prior to this shoot so we both wondered if it would even happen. But we made it and I just loved meeting this family. Second, this was my first raw/intimate (boudoir) maternity session besides the self portraits I did of myself.

Prior to this session, I decided to share my own bare belly self portrait. I’ve done this before with breastfeeding photos because I fully believe I must be vulnerable first for you to be comfortable. It’s not always easy to share my own photos that are more vulnerable, we all have insecurities about ourselves and fear of what others may say, but I know how important it is to acknowledge the beauty of life. Being able to celebrate what our bodies were created to do and seeing the beauty is important, however that may be (more traditional or more raw). By sharing my own photos, I hope to show the beauty of ourselves and make you feel comfortable. If I’m vulnerable with you, you are more likely to be vulnerable with me.

This sweet Mama was encouraged to reach out after my post. Not only did I encourage her but she encouraged me as well. Her sweet words meant so much and knowing God is using me to make a difference for people on my small corner of social media makes this girl’s heart very happy.

This session was a mix of family and boudoir maternity. I was so excited when she told me she wanted some of the more raw photos because I have such a heart for this type of maternity session. Being able to capture this Mama in such a real and raw way was such a privilege. And having her trust me to capture this moment in life and allow me to share these photos with you was such an honor. And, wouldn’t you say this Mama is absolutely stunning?

My hope is to be able to show many more of you how beautiful you are in these moments of life when you may not feel like it. Pregnancy has a weird way of making you feel like you’re not as beautiful as you were but looking back you realize just how beautiful you were during pregnancy. I, also, hope you reflect on how incredible it was to have life in you and see your own beauty.