Being pregnant is one of the most precious and cherished times of any woman’s life. Even if you’ve had a difficult pregnancy, a maternity photo shoot is an incredible way of commemorating what you’ve endured to bring your beloved bundle into the world. Here are some ideas of how to approach this very special shoot.

A magical milk bath

Wildly surreal and romantic, milk bath photography is one of the hottest trends in maternity and new-born photography to emerge in recent years.

The setup is fairly straightforward, simply add enough milk to a bath of water to make it opaque, and sprinkle with flower petals. Your subject matter will really pop against the creamy background. Playing with how much of the body is submerged or revealed from the milk and produce some really interesting pictures.

Bring on the baby animals

Go for the ultimate ‘awwwww’ moment by incorporating small fluffy creatures into your shoot. Puppies or kittens will always go down a treat, but you could also use chicks, kids, or lambs, depending on what you can get access to.

Get out into nature

Depending on what your local surroundings are, why not head into the great outdoors for your maternity shoot. There’s nothing more beautiful than a beach at dawn, or a field in the golden afternoon sunlight. Orchards, mountains and botanical gardens also work beautifully.

A floral affair

Embrace your inner goddess with a spectacular flower crown – or go full Beyoncé and have your maternity pictures taken in front of a flower arch or wall. The effect will be soft and romantic and feminine.

Channel your inner mermaid

Head underwater for a really whimsical and unusual maternity shoot theme. Wear a floaty dress or play with scarves in the water for an unbelievable otherworldly effect. Distortions and reflections in the water will give it a whole other element.

A family affair

If you have older children, capturing images of them interacting with your bump will make your heart swell. Take the opportunity to dress the whole family up or go for a ‘mommy and me’ vibe by getting coordinating outfits with your littlies.

Future besties

If you’re blessed enough to be pregnant at the same time as a close friend or family member, use the opportunity to have a special shoot. It’s like hitting the jackpot playing the mobile pokies NZ offers as its basically destiny for your little ones to become the best of friends. You can play now and enjoy it if you like. Think how special it will be for them to look back and know they were close to each other before they were even born.

Holy smokes

Playing with coloured smoke bombs is an easy way to make striking images. The smoke bombs add a striking pop of colour and oodles of atmosphere to any shot.

Strike a silhouette

Capture your bump in all its glory by shooting a striking silhouette shot. Go for a stark contrast of your body against a bright background in black and white or do something a little more moody in shades of grey.