Maternity Photos in the Open Fields
by Stylishly Aubree Lynn, Stylist/Producer/Writer
I have only had the opportunity to style one maternity photo shoot. So it was very fitting that the second one was for my own pregnancy. With El Niño in mind, we thought that we were going to do a maternity photo shoot in the snow. We had already picked out fur coats for the shoot and I was very excited about how it would turn out. But just like San Diego’s weather, El Niño wasn’t so much of a winter wonderland for inland or the mountains. We still wanted that “mountainesque” feel, so we stuck to our original plan of having a mountain like terrain around us. Tina Stout, my mother and photographer, started scouting out places that were in keeping with the theme and that allowed us to have the freedom for a creative photo shoot. We decided on a place in Ramona, called the Open Fields, for the photo shoot.
Picking out clothes was a little more difficult than I originally planned. I really didn’t want to buy new clothes at the end of my pregnancy just to wear once for a photo shoot. So I dug deep in my closets to see what I could manipulate to work for my newly developed body shape. Thank goodness most tops are meant to be left open for the show of the belly bump. This helped a lot in selecting clothes for the upper half of my body.
Aubree and her husband share a special pose for the camera. Photo courtesy of Tina Lynn Stout Designs.
We decided to go with a lot of traditional laces and whites that were more maternity-like. However, I had to have at least one outfit that really spoke more to my husband and my style, as if I weren’t pregnant. We ended up turning toward a look that was more raw, animalistic and fitting for the scenery around us.
The day of the shoot ended up being a little off schedule. We did not realize that there was a gate in to the Fields that opens at 8 a.m. We departed our house at 5:45 a.m. to insure we captured the “magic hour,” which is the first light of sunrise. As we expected, as the day went on, the sun got harsher and warmer and impacted the lighting for the photo shoot. Yet, we were able to experience a good amount of natural winds that really helped to cool the shoot. So with what we were wearing and my hair, the results were favorable. We spent roughly 2 1/2 hours and did three different style settings.
At this stage I was about 34 to 35 weeks in to the pregnancy. I know if I would’ve waited any longer I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in those photos and I wouldn’t have had the same amount of energy and enthusiasm in preparing for the photo shoot. Pregnancy leads to physical changes that happen constantly. The week of the photo shoot I had enough in me to be able to change outfits behind rocks and move around comfortably. I was also able to do certain poses that required that I endure standing long periods of time and hiking to certain points of the terrain.
Obviously, these are all factors to keep in mind when planning your own maternity shoot. You want to feel beautiful and excited about the photo shoot. Reality is, your body does change, as does your mood and your energy levels. You’re never going to get that special moment back, with your child within. So it is important to plan accordingly so that the end result is nearly exactly what you expected.
A themed maternity photo shoot is different than anything you will ever do. For us, it was very special and created memories that will last forever.
Special thanks to my mother who is always up for a good photo shoot, and special gratitude to my husband for his patience and willingness to go along with our creative ideas.
To see the full photo shoot, visit Stylishly Aubree Lynn – Facebook.com/stylishly.lynn and scroll to Maternity Shoot (Ramona Open Fields). Clicking on this section should allow you to take in the entire photo shoot. Enjoy!
Category: Life Style, Local News
