Recently, I had the great privilege of capturing one of those very special moments in life – the joy of soon-to-be-motherhood.
Amanda was excited, super excited, for her maternity session. I wanted to make sure that she had something different from the everyday maternity photos that you see floating around social media, so we sat down and figured out what she thought about her pregnancy and what it meant to her. As part of a great cycle (more so than ever, now), we settled on a gorgeous little area of central London wherein lives the Tree of Life. No joke, it’s actually called that and it was perfect for what we had in mind. It’s a big, beautiful tree, quite majestic in it’s enormity. The name suits it, though, as it stands near to the middle of a fair size green space right in the heart of London.
Initially a little timid in front of the camera, Amanda settled more and more into a comfortable rhythm as we moved through the environment. I wanted to set a pace that was in no way rushed, a gentle and thoughtful journey of sorts that allowed her to reflect on her own life-changing journey. It was a way for her to re-evaluate some of the emotions she had been feeling and the events she’d experienced leading up to the session.
In her words:
“I’ll be a first time mom and I’m ready to pop any day now (39 1/2 weeks). These photos were taken when I was still 32 weeks and mobile, which isn’t the case anymore as I’m sure other mothers here know all too well. It’s been an interesting journey so far and I’ll never quite understand how people always say how beautiful pregnancy is when it is in fact filled with many unclassy and embarrassing moments that you’re never quite warned about, however most of these events will give you a good laugh and future stories to tell. I must say though I truly felt the beauty of pregnancy and bond with my future little girl when I worked with my photographer Jay on my maternity shoot, he is a very talented photographer who gave me photos that will be treasured to myself and my family for a lifetime.“
For me, it was an opportunity to really blend her situation and experiences into the environment we were in. The “all natural” look was what we were aiming for – the new mother surrounded by the original Mother – and one I believe we pulled off quite nicely. Too often, things get bogged down in complicated details. Simple is sometimes best.
Cheers!
