Austin Pregnancy Photography | Safety First!

Safety isn’t just for newborns in the Hello Photography Studio! I’ve spent some time talking about safety procedures I used when positioning newborns during studio newborn sessions. However, navigating maternity photos can be tricky, too. Outdoor maternity photos take planning to ensure that everything is just right for mom’s maximum comfort. Even in the studio, I like to try and make the conditions perfect to ease some of the more uncomfortable aspects of posing for photos. But for this Austin pregnancy photography session, mama wanted something pretty unique — something that required careful safety planning. Read more about her session here!

Two side-silhouettes of a pregnant woman, one in black and white. She is wearing a flowing white gown

Thuy’s Austin Pregnancy Photography Studio Session

Meet Thuy, a mama with a plan! Although this was her first time doing maternity photos, it was not her first time having kids. To celebrate her final pregnancy, she came to the Hello Photography studio with some pretty cool ideas in the back of her mind. More on that later.

Series of 10 austin pregnancy photos featuring a pregnant woman in a black gown doing various maternity poses. Every other photo is black and white.

I love when moms come alone, and it actually happens a lot more than you’d think. To me, it’s just an empowering experience for both of us. We laugh, listen to loud music, and just have a lot of fun.

An austin maternity photo montage of a young mom in a cream-colored, sheer gown posing her baby bump in front of a plain, brown background

Don’t get me wrong – having dads help during the sessions is terrific. But mom-only sessions have a completely different vibe. Plus, dads don’t always want to be at a maternity session! But moms do, and that consistent enthusiasm is something I can get behind.

Creative Safety During Maternity Photos

As you can see from these photos, Thuy did some classic maternity photos, like the flying fabric trains behind her maternity gown. She really liked these, but her big ask was one I had to really prep for.

Two photos, one in color and one in black and white, featuring a mom in a deep purple maternity gown looking up hopefully. The train of this mom’s gown is flowing behind her in this maternity photograph.

I have all this great fabric in my studio, and I’ve definitely worked out some creative shots using fabric before. Thuy’s ask defied expectations (and gravity)…

Austin photography montage featuring a pregnant woman in a dark green, satin maternity gown in various maternity poses

Thuy wanted to do a shot where it looked like she was hanging from midair. Before we took the photo, I wasn’t sure how it would come out, but I told Thuy I’d give it a try. I put together four separate images to get the one you see here! I needed one shot of her hair and hand dangling, then one to capture her hand holding the fabric, then one shot of her body in the fabric, then a final shot of her dangling feet.

Artistic maternity photo of a pregnant woman in a tulle sling hanging above a neutral, white background. A reflection of the photo is featured beneath.

This shot is gaining popularity among maternity photographers. Some have special fabric suspended from the ceiling for this. Unfortunately, my studio isn’t set up for that, so we set up the shot as a composite and used a spotter. Thuy was sitting on a box the entire time! Once we were done taking the composite shots, we put them all together and removed the box she was sitting on to get this gorgeous image. Both Thuy and I were thrilled with the results! It all came together.

I want to thank Thuy for her enthusiasm, which helped push me out of my box for this session. Now I have some great new poses to add to my portfolio (for the daring maternity subject!). Plus, I had a great time in the studio getting to know Thuy. Best of luck on the next few steps of your motherhood journey!