A Winter Maternity Session at Sumner Beach
Some sessions go exactly to plan, and sometimes Christchurch winter has other ideas!
Amber and Jaime's maternity session was originally planned for Taylor's Mistake at sunrise. I always head out a little early to check conditions, and that morning the roads were covered in black ice. With the hill over to Taylor's Mistake ahead of us, it just didn't feel worth the risk, so we made a last-minute switch to Sumner Beach instead. It worked out beautifully!
There was frost right down on the beach (a new one for me!), but thankfully barely any wind. We had still water, gorgeous soft sunrise light and somehow Amber managed to look absolutely stunning despite it being properly freezing.
They were both so lovely and completely unfazed by the last-minute change of plans, which made the whole morning incredibly easy.
What does a maternity photography session actually look like?
Maternity sessions are about much more than just photos of your bump. We'll usually do a mixture of mum on her own, plenty with your partner, close-up details and all those little in-between moments too. If you already have children, we'll include them and create plenty of family photos as well.
Amber and Jaime also brought along a little teddy embroidered with their baby's name, which we incorporated into a few photographs. I love including meaningful little details like this.
What to wear for maternity photos
Amber brought a couple of different outfit options along, which is always absolutely fine with me! In fact, it’s a really easy way to get more variety from your maternity photoshoot and create a few completely different looks within the same gallery. This session is such a good example of just how different those looks can be. Amber started in a gorgeous long fitted white dress, which really showed off her bump and gave us that classic maternity feel. Some people love a long, flowing dress, others prefer something more fitted, and both photograph beautifully. She then changed into jeans and an open linen shirt for something more relaxed and casual and it was so lovely to have her gorgeous bump out for the second half of the session. I absolutely love this look for maternity photos too. It feels a little more intimate and really puts the focus on your bump. And I’m always down for showing as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. Bump out, a little more covered, or fully nude, I’m game if you are ❤️
There’s really no one thing you should wear for maternity photos. The most important thing is that whatever you choose feels like you, that you feel comfortable and beautiful in it, and that we get to celebrate that gorgeous bump while it’s here.
Sunrise or sunset?
One of the lovely things about sunrise in Christchurch is that the sun comes up over the water, which gave us that gorgeous golden light coming across the beach. Sunrise isn't your only option though! Most of my outdoor sessions happen around sunset, either at the beach or somewhere completely different. The location, time of year and the kind of feel you're drawn to all play a part, and we'll figure out what works best for you.
I'm so grateful to Amber and Jaime for being so wonderfully go-with-the-flow. A last-minute change of plans ended up giving us the most beautiful morning and I couldn't be happier with what we came away. I'm with so thrilled I could capture this little chapter of life for them.
If you're having a baby and looking for a maternity photographer in Christchurch, you can find out more about my Christchurch maternity photoshoots here.
Katie x
