So I am officially done shooting weddings for the year! It is crazy how fast it went by, and I am so happy that pregnancy really didn't interfere with my shooting schedule. When we first found out I was pregnant, my initial reaction was shock. (even though we were trying it is hard not to be shocked when you see that extra line on the pee stick) I then was a little panicked and immediately started trying to figure out how far along I would be on September 1st. That was the latest wedding I already had booked, and even though I had already done the math before because I knew we couldn't start trying until February so that I could still shoot my weddings, I still needed to double check. (I'm a bit of a planner) Well I determined that September 1st really shouldn't be a problem, and that I could probably do the one on September 8th that I had been discussing with a bride a few weeks prior. I did however make that my last wedding, and although it was hard to turn other couples down for later dates, I feel as though I made the best choice for myself and my business. Now I have some time to get completely caught up on editing and my other shoots before the baby gets here. (hopefully) I have been swimming in editing this week, and so I decided to take a little break to get my baby belly photos posted.
These were taken a couple weeks ago when I was 32 weeks. My sister was in town to help me shoot a wedding, and I talked her into snapping a few photos. I like having Carley take my photos for me. I can still be in control of the shoot, and be as bossy as I want, and she gets it. She is good with my camera, and she naturally has a good eye. I thought about having these taken professionally, but it was going to be hard to find time for Kevin and I to do it, and I am honestly too much of a control freak. I had some very specific ideas, and I wanted a mix of couple shots, as well as some more intimate belly shots. That isn't to say that I don't have the same nerves about having my photo taken as everyone else does.
I realize that I post photos of myself and family regularly, but that doesn't mean it is easy. I made a decision a long time ago about what I wanted my blog to be. I found that the blogs that I most enjoyed following were ones that had a mix of photography as well as the photographer's personal life. I liked getting to know the photographer through their personal stories, and I loved the photo inspiration as well. Since I really enjoy writing, I wanted to make this blog a mix of personal and professional. I am comfortable sharing through writing, my husband is not such a sharer, and he would probably not post the majority of the personal stuff that I do, so I do need to remember to be mindful of his privacy. There are also things you will probably not see me post about. I am not comfortable posting photos of my bare belly, and even some of these photos might be more revealing than I am comfortable with, but as of right this second, it seems like a good idea. Since I am human, and I have the same reactions as a lot of people to photos of themselves, I thought it would be fun to post some of my feelings about these photos. A little inside to what goes through my head when I edit photos of myself. Here goes....
I actually like this photo of myself, I'm doing that sideways glance thing again, but my face doesn't look swollen. (I am using the word swollen because I have convinced myself that my face has not gotten fat from pregnancy, it has just swelled up a bit-pulling my hair back makes my face look less swollen)
I almost discarded this photo because it was quite a bit overexposed, but now it is one of my favorites. It just needed a little extra love.
This is my favorite of the session. I always like photos where we are looking at each other. I do not however like my profile, but we look happy and that's the way it is in real life....ha ha yes this is exactly how we look when we are sitting on the couch and I am in my ugly prego sweats eating ice cream with my unwashed hair on top of my head. (that was last night-but I was definitely happy)
What the heck (not the word that went through my head) is this....I hate this traditional prego pose. Yes please put me in front to showcase how massive I am compared to my husband. Should have had your hair back the whole time. Even my knees look chubby, lets just put the watermark over them so no one notices.
How sweet and romantic...just like real life again. Not bad hopefully no one notices that you can see up my dress. Whatever its not like a room full of people wont be getting the full view soon enough.
Probably my favorite one of just me. No cheese grin, arm looks good, and hair is back.
As we were setting up for this photo, I knew that I would like it better in black and white, and I do. I love black and white photos, and some lighting situations are just perfect for b&w.
These next three photos are basically the same pose but in different outfits and lighting situations. This was a photo I HAD to have taken to document my growing belly so we did it a few times, and I really like them. Maybe because you can't see my swollen face. All three are very different, and I honestly don't know which I like best. I am probably most comfortable showing this first one because I have the most clothing on, and the lighting and colors are nice.
Yes, I have another one of these in perfect focus, but I don't like it as well. Plus, there was no way it was going to be shared. I am wearing my wedding lingerie. It is a baby doll nighty, and it opens in the front so it worked nicely for my prego body. We did a few in this outfit just at my house, and I am so glad to have them to look back on. I love that this photo has a painterly quality to it, and the soft lighting and curves make for a nice belly photo.
I love this image in contrasty black and white. I like the curves and angles in this photo. I would probably say that I love this photo if it wasn't me in it. At first I cropped out my butt, but the curve adds to the photo. My head however did get cropped out. Since my face it turned to the camera and away from the light source (window) my eyes look a little dead. They aren't catching any light, and they look like dark holes.
I like the lighting, and I don't hate my serious face. Window lighting really is flattering.
Hello pregnancy breasts. My belly looks decent. Keeper.
Penny completely photo bombed this one. This was when we first started the bed photos. She was napping on our bed, and as soon as I laid down, she hopped onto my belly. Seriously if we had tried to get her to lay like that, it wouldn't have happened. It was all her. I am thankful to have this image as Penny has been such an important part of our family. I can't wait to see her with the baby, and even though I think she might be a little jealous at first, I know she will ultimately come to love and be very protective our new family member.
Obviously I think it is important to document major milestones in life or else I wouldn't do what I do. I absolutely value photos, the story they tell, and the memories they preserve. Do I like every photo I am in-absolutely not, but I do like having them to look back on. There will be a point in my life when pregnancy is a very distant memory, and I will want to remember how I looked, and hopefully these images will also bring back some of my feelings about pregnancy. There are days when I find my pregnancy curves very womanly, and I am in complete awe of my changing body. Other days, I am quite disgusted with my swollen body, but it is still so worth documenting. It has been an incredible journey for us so far, filled with ups and downs, and nothing in this world will ever compare to feeling my baby move inside my expanding belly. I will never forget my husband's face at our first ultrasound when he saw our baby for the first time. There have been so many firsts, and that will only continue after baby is born. I have a lot of fears about motherhood, but a big part of me knows that I was put on this earth to be a mother. So even if I am not crazy about every single one of my maternity photos, I am thankful to have them, and thankful for the visual memory they will give me.
