First Maternity Session

saurora · January 6, 2008

This was a much anticipated session I had with my niece who is expecting her 2nd boy this month. These were shot in her bedroom using a combination of natural window light and off-camera flash bounced on the ceiling, plus some reflectors in some shots. All were shot with the Canon 35mm f/1.4L....not the greatest portrait length, but works well in tight spots and is a light-sucking machine!!! I also used a small step ladder to gain some different angles in the tight quarters. I think I will be going to an all IS lens line-up this year, as my hand-held shots are beginning to suffer more. However, no room for a tripod here. I had given prior thought to what I could do with posing that would be complimentary and not too trendy. I didn't come up with anything extraordinary, but my niece was in a very 'reflective' mood and gave me very good expressions and seemed so relaxed. This is a lovely woman who doesn't always feel that great about herself. The best compliment I received was a thank you note from her expressing that she thought the photos turned out so pretty, which she said was a difficult thing for her to say about herself.

I hope you enjoy and appreciate any and all feedback!

#1 A little soft and mis-focused, but I like it.

#2

#3 Intentionally saturated!

#4 She is very fair-skinned and I had not given much thought to how white her tummy would be. We decided it 'glowed' like a full moon!

#5 A little attempt at humor...

#6

#7 My 2 year old nephew wanted to be included except that he has decided he no longer wants his photo taken!!!

Thanks for looking and commenting! Got to run to yet another baby shower! :rofl

More shots here if you are interested.

~Jan~ · January 6, 2008

Maternities can be so fun! I like #6!

Xandertures · January 6, 2008

I also like #6. The facial expression is great!

Scott_Quier · January 6, 2008

Here are my thoughts (FWIW)

1. A little soft? How cares. This is a very soft, reflective moment. Very nice mood.

5. The humor shot - very fun!

6. Nice. Better if she hadn't fisted her right hand, didn't lean so heavy on that arm. She could have leaned against something to help her relax her should a touch. But, it is a very successful photograph and she looks wonderful in it.

DavidTO · January 6, 2008

Nice!

My biggest criticism is that your skin tones are off. They are uniformly too magenta, IMO.

Elaine · January 6, 2008

I think she looks lovely (especially #6) and you did a very nice job! In your gallery, I also liked the one similar to #3 but zoomed out a bit more. I really like the setting of these. They somehow seem more real, or something. To be honest, I'm not always fond of the studio style maternity shoots. Maybe because I imagine how uncomfortable I would be in that situation! This setting seems to have worked quite nicely. Bravo!

ShepsMom · January 6, 2008

Ahhh, these are nice! I love maternity shots, they are so much fun and moms to be always love them. Very nicely done. #4 and 6 are my favs!

Richard · January 7, 2008

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon here on #6. Very natural pose and expression. Nice work.

Cheers,

saurora · January 7, 2008

Thanks to all of you who liked #6, it is one of my favorites too.

Scott (et al) thanks for taking the time to comment....your comments are always welcome and extra feedback is always helpful!

David, I worked a long time on these and knew I was still 'off' in the skin tones. She is very fair-skinned and I think the orange drapes (even though they were pulled back) also cast some more color. I'll give them another look. Thanks for your initial approval!

inHisimage · January 7, 2008

Good job!
Good work. Thanks for the inspiration. I like #3 the best. It's very creative and I like shots that tell a story.

urbanaries · January 7, 2008

SUSAN!!!

These are unbelieveable, the best maternity set I've seen in a loooong time! I adore the fabrics and colors you've chosen, they give a lot of texture and depth to the images. The fact that she doesn't feel pretty right now but thinks the photographs you took are pretty speaks volumes! That's the huge reward of well done maternity photos, to show her how beautiful she really is.

Sappiness aside, #1 has a wonderful, natural feel to it. I do wish her arm wasn't so tightly cropped, but I love the feminine lines and lighting in this one very much!

#2 is very fresh, LOVE the colors and the pose...hip, sexy, serene.

#3 is great, shows off that marvelous, vibrant fabric! Maybe mask out the purplish hue in her belly, but otherwise beautiful.

#4 I'm just not feeling for some reason. I think maybe it's the flower, but her expression seems off too. That said I love the setup, her clothing and the lighting. You really impress me with your indoor posing, there is a lot of variety here, yet with a studio quality, and I know how hard that is to do in someone's house!

#5 is cute! But she seems to be straining her neck?

#6 is phenomenal as others have said. What a gorgeous, luminous niece you have!!!

#7 and #8 are very sweet and fun! I checked out the gallery and loved all the ones in this series!

I am just blown away by these Susan, I think you did an awesome job thinking through the details, executing and processing. And obviously, making a sensitive subject feel at ease.

Bravo! Go pour yourself a glass of wine!

saurora · January 8, 2008

Elaine wrote:

I think she looks lovely (especially #6) and you did a very nice job! In your gallery, I also liked the one similar to #3 but zoomed out a bit more. I really like the setting of these. They somehow seem more real, or something. To be honest, I'm not always fond of the studio style maternity shoots. Maybe because I imagine how uncomfortable I would be in that situation! This setting seems to have worked quite nicely. Bravo!

Thanks a lot for your comments Elaine. I'm glad you feel the setting worked so well. It's certainly not easy, or always successful, shooting in someone's house. I was a little worried as I wanted them to be very special to her. Thanks again!

saurora · January 8, 2008

urbanaries wrote:

SUSAN!!!

LYNNE! WOW! THANK YOU!!!! (sorry, I'm shouting!) I took your advice and poured myself another glass of wine.

These are unbelieveable, the best maternity set I've seen in a loooong time! I adore the fabrics and colors you've chosen, they give a lot of texture and depth to the images. The fact that she doesn't feel pretty right now but thinks the photographs you took are pretty speaks volumes! That's the huge reward of well done maternity photos, to show her how beautiful she really is.

You should see the silly grin on my face.

Sappiness aside, #1 has a wonderful, natural feel to it. I do wish her arm wasn't so tightly cropped, but I love the feminine lines and lighting in this one very much!

I will revisit that one. I think I cropped it tightly to get rid of a piece of furniture and then I extended the canvass on the right to place her off-center. I could probably do better.

#2 is very fresh, LOVE the colors and the pose...hip, sexy, serene.

Just the way pg moms should feel!!! :tuesday

#3 is great, shows off that marvelous, vibrant fabric! Maybe mask out the purplish hue in her belly, but otherwise beautiful.

We both have exact tastes in color...we both adore RED! I grabbed this table scarf/runner at a decorator store 10 minutes before leaving for our session. I knew it was 'her'. She was greatful as she doesn't have too many sexy maternity clothes. I'm already re-working on this one.

#4 I'm just not feeling for some reason. I think maybe it's the flower, but her expression seems off too. That said I love the setup, her clothing and the lighting. You really impress me with your indoor posing, there is a lot of variety here, yet with a studio quality, and I know how hard that is to do in someone's house!

I took a lot of photos and was pretty amazed myself at the (unexpected) variety I was able to come up with in such a small area. I suggested poses, but mostly the expressions were her own.

#5 is cute! But she seems to be straining her neck?

..yes, this one was awkward. I tried propping her with pillows, but at 8+ months, she looked a tad uncomfortable!

#6 is phenomenal as others have said. What a gorgeous, luminous niece you have!!!

She is a doll.

#7 and #8 are very sweet and fun! I checked out the gallery and loved all the ones in this series!

I am just blown away by these Susan, I think you did an awesome job thinking through the details, executing and processing. And obviously, making a sensitive subject feel at ease.

Bravo! Go pour yourself a glass of wine!

I just got a thank-you (e-mailed from my niece) for the baby shower I attended yesterday. As an after-thought, she attached a copy of photo #6 to share with all who attended. Made my day!

Thanks again for your awesome review and checking out the gallery, Lynne!

photocat · January 9, 2008

They are wonderful Susan. Nr 3 is my absolute favorite. It could work for any pregnant mom... No face, just the bump, it shines.
I don't care about the color cast, the shots speak to me, and if they speak, I forget about color casts. There is a lot of red, I dare everyone to try and shoot that without color cast. You pulled it off, and very nicely.
Your niece is a gorgeous woman, sensual, sexy, even with bump.
Your pics must make her feel good about herself! What a gift to give to someone...
Well done!

saurora · January 11, 2008

inHisimage wrote:

Good work. Thanks for the inspiration. I like #3 the best. It's very creative and I like shots that tell a story.

Thank you! That's a nice compliment.

saurora · January 12, 2008

Thanks Catherine....hope you're out having fun with your new camera this morning! Enjoy the states while you're here.

DavidS · January 13, 2008

Those are awesome. Great poses, great light, beautiful photos.

saurora · January 16, 2008

DavidS wrote:

Those are awesome. Great poses, great light, beautiful photos.

Thanks David! I appreciate your comments.

First Maternity Session

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