What to wear
What to wear for a maternity photoshoot
Fitted over flowing, or one of each: jersey and knit define the shape, stiff fabric hides it. A long dress with the waist defined under the bust does…
What to wear
Fitted over flowing, or one of each: jersey and knit define the shape, stiff fabric hides it. A long dress with the waist defined under the bust does…
In short: Fitted over flowing, or one of each: jersey and knit define the shape, stiff fabric hides it. A long dress with the waist defined under the bust does most of the work. Bring sleeves if you are self-conscious about arms, and seamless skin-tone underwear for anything light. Try everything on the week of the shoot, not when you book.
Colour. Deep solids — forest, navy, rust, black — hold shape in backlight, where pale fabric goes translucent and loses the silhouette that the whole session is built on. If you want white or cream, plan for it to be lit from the front rather than behind.
Fabric. Jersey, ribbed knit and stretch silk follow the bump; poplin, denim and anything structured hide it. A long dress with the seam sitting under the bust does more work than any other single garment.
Footwear. Barefoot or flat. Heels change how you stand at seven months and the discomfort is visible in the shoulders within ten minutes.
The thing that ruins frames. Underwear seams under fitted fabric. Seamless, skin-tone, and put the shoot outfit on before you leave rather than arriving in tight jeans that leave marks for an hour.
Between roughly 28 and 34 weeks, when the bump is clearly defined and standing for a session is still comfortable.
Location changes the answer: Home is genuinely the best option here — it is warm, there is somewhere to sit, and you can stop. A studio gives controlled light and a clean background. Outdoors is beautiful in the right month and miserable in the wrong one; in London that means May to September for comfort, and the hour after sunrise for light and empty parks.
Planning pressure to account for: An hour at £300 covers a compact maternity session with one look, including ten retouched photographs; a second look is £100. Studio hire, if used, runs £35–£180 per hour. Additional retouched images are £10 each.
Bring each proposed outfit as a complete look, including its shoes and accessories. The final choice is made against the actual background and light rather than from a generic colour rule.
Fitted over flowing, or one of each: jersey and knit define the shape, stiff fabric hides it. A long dress with the waist defined under the bust does most of the work. Bring sleeves if you are self-conscious about arms, and seamless skin-tone underwear for anything light. Try everything on the week of the shoot, not when you book.
For a one-hour session, plan one complete look and one quick variation such as a jacket, shoe or jewellery change. Two hours can normally support two or three resolved looks. More changes reduce shooting time, so photograph the most important outfit first and treat extras as options rather than promises.
Choose colours that separate clearly from the location and suit the intended use of the pictures. Solid tones and controlled texture are reliable; very fine checks, tiny stripes and reflective logos can distract or produce moiré. Send phone photographs of the options with the brief if you want a decision before the shoot.
Bring the garments on proper hangers, matching underwear, the shoes for every full-length look, a lint roller and simple touch-up products. Pack one neutral backup layer. Steam everything beforehand, but keep a small steamer nearby for travel creases and final adjustments on set.
Send the date, location and what you need photographed.