Location and Lighting

The best advice we can give for budget-friendly photography, is to use natural lighting. There’s no need to pay for fancy lights or reflective panels, when you can take glowing, bright photos outside! Many women choose an area such as a field, a beach, or a greenspace (such as their backyard) to take their maternity photos.

It’s okay to choose a more public space, if it really speaks to you. Remember to be mindful of nature, and try to go at a time when fewer people will be around, like weekday mornings or early afternoons. To minimize distractions in the background even more, throw a simple sheet of fabric over low hanging branches; that way, you can use natural light without having to worry about people, animals, or wind-blown branches getting in the shot (buying by the foot may be your best option for this, readily available at any fabric store).

Be sure to scout out your chosen spot a day or two beforehand, around the time of day you’d like to take your photos. You’ll get a better idea of which angles you’d like to use without having to move the camera, and you’ll have the opportunity to practice for the poses you want in the final photos.

If you’d rather not shoot your photos outside, or if weather simply doesn’t permit, you can rent a cheap photography studio with a green screen. Prices will vary by city (and by fanciness), but you can achieve similar results with a long sheet of green fabric pinned over your curtains.

If you do decide on an indoor shoot, be sure to light the frame as much as possible; you can face an open window to light up your features, or take the shades off your table lamps. White bulbs (i.e. fluorescents) are brighter than warm bulbs, and will help you achieve a more natural look.

Camera/Editing

It isn’t strictly necessary to invest in a nice camera or professional photographer for your photoshoot – modern phone cameras have the benefit of decades of research behind them, and have quality comparable to most digital cameras. You will need a friend or family member to take your photos, though; a stack of books can help them not to shake when taking photos, to make sure they don’t come out blurry.

You are of course welcome to treat yourself to a professional photographer, but consider hiring a student photographer! Their rates are typically less than a professional’s, and you’d be helping them out too, by adding to their portfolio (a collection of work they can show to future clients, to help them gain more work). Many student photographers will have editing skills as well, or at least know several talented editors they can recommend to you.

Anything you feel you absolutely cannot do yourself, there are talented people ready to help you out, I promise!

Make-up

We advise doing your own make up, depending on how glamorous you want to look. If you want more of a homey feel, do your make up the same as you do it everyday – there’s no rule requiring you to look blemish-free and fabulous in every photo, and certainly not into your third trimester. Pregnancy is difficult! There’s no pressure to look perfect!

On the other hand, this photoshoot can still serve as an excuse to be a little more glam than you otherwise would. If that make-over is going to make you feel better about yourself, you should get it! You’ll want to look back on these photos and remember this day as a good one, so spend your budget where it matters most to you!

Again, going with a student cosmologist or a talented friend who can commit to being on-scene for the length of the shoot is well worth it. Sephora or a professional artist are good options to visit before your shoot, but make sure they teach you how to touch up your make-up throughout the day, so you can still fix it on the fly yourself.

Clothing

You don’t have to wear white! As long as you’re wearing the colours you adore, you’ll shine no matter what! You can imagine yourself looking back on your albums in 18 years, when your kid is moving out for college, to see what your fashion sense was like in the mid-2020s.

Thrift stores put multiple racks of items out, multiple times per day - it depends on the population of your city, and the popularity of the store. The maternity section will probably be full of nice jeans, and while this may or may not work for your vision, check it anyway. Even if it’s not photogenic, you could find a new favourite piece for running errands! In terms of dresses, you might have better luck shopping a few sizes up, and pinning the garment into place on the day of the photoshoot.

The intimate and/or beach sections may also offer good choices. Many women like to be partially clothed in their shoot to show off their growing belly. Lacy or open-weave beach cover-ups can suit this purpose very nicely, without breaking the bank on an expensive gown.

If you’re alright being partially clothed, you may also consider draping yourself in a sheet of lace or silk from the from the fabric store or thrift store. If you point a fan at yourself, the edges of your fabric will flap delicately, bringing a sense of movement and energy to your photos. If you can’t get a fan, have a friend stand off camera and flap the edges of the sheet as though they’re gently shaking out a blanket (be sure to test your shot, so your friend’s shadow isn’t in view).

Bonus tip: If you have a minute while you’re thrifting, take a walk through the home décor section. With the popularity of fake plants, thrift stores tend to have a small section exclusively for that. You may get lucky and find a flower crown!

Props

You’re absolutely going to need a comfortable folding chair, or pillow, to sit on when needed. Consider the poses you’re planning on using, and if it’s more effective to bring a simple chair, or a stack of pillows. You’ll be sitting in one place, striking poses, for up to an hour. It’s important to keep yourself comfortable, especially with regards to your joints, your back, your belly – anywhere that’s been complaining for the last 8 months, really. If you find your thrifted chair is especially comfortable, consider passing it on to other pregnant friends once you’ve given birth – a good pregnancy chair is a rare find.

Thrift stores are also a good place to find small props, such as Styrofoam birds, un-opened bottles of bubbles, and fake flowers. Fake flowers can be particularly pricey – if you find them at an affordable price, like a thrift store or on Facebook Marketplace, snatch them up, especially if you’re trying to get everything to match. Flowers and petals are the most difficult things we’ve discussed here to find; if you’re absolutely set on flowers/petals, choose them first, and theme the rest of your props and clothing to your flowers. If your thrift store has no options available for you, a big box store such as Walmart is going to be more affordable than a craft store. Depending on the time of year, the dollar store may have a limited variety in stock.

Fabric drapery are often included in photoshoots (maternity and otherwise) for the dramatic effect they produce when framing the back- or foreground of a shot. These make great props on their own, and with the right fabric choice (satin, silk, other soft fabrics) you can cut your own flower petals. To make sure your petals are the same size, trace out your desired petal size on a piece of cardboard. Cut out that petal, and then trace it, or use it as a stencil when cutting your fabric. After this, feel free to change each petal slightly, with small cuts, if you want them all to be unique.

And as always, get creative! You can turn a bowl upside-down and paint it red with large white spots. Use a candle stick holder or a vase as the stem, and voila! You’ve got a simple, homemade, giant mushroom, ideal for the fairy princess you are.

Holding/including items such as baby shoes, baby clothes, a teddy bear or other baby items is quite common; you could also spell out the baby’s name with balloons, garlands, or children’s blocks.

Little signs are popular props for maternity photoshoots. These often display how many weeks along mama is, or a quirky phrase, such as ‘we can’t wait to meet you’, as well as the baby’s name and expectancy date. You could even pin up your ultrasound photo. Some moms choose to hold their ultrasound video in front of their midsection, like an x-ray.

Poses

Because shoots can be incredibly exhausting, it’s helpful to do all your shooting on a single day so you aren’t sapping yourself over multiple sessions. It also makes sure there’s fewer differences in your make up, and keeps your outfit in good condition.

Many women choose to stand side-on to the camera, showing off their baby bump. If this isn’t for you, you can also stand facing the camera, cradling your bump, or with your hands folded over your bump (you can even make a heart shape with them, if you choose). Pinterest is your friend here, if you want more involved options.

If you’ve decided to use loose fabric and fans, try getting your photographer to take shots while you’re moving from pose to pose, for a more natural look. Don’t forget to chat with your photographer, and joke around, so your laughter and smiles come out as genuine in the photos!

You’re welcome to include other people in your photos, too! Many moms include their partner, and some include friends who are pregnant at the same time as them.

YOUR Photos

At the end of the day, you are the subject of these photos, so you get the final say in how they look. While you’re looking for budget friendly options, don’t forget to indulge yourself where you can. If you have a set budget, consider lower cost options in some areas, to treat yourself in others. If you can borrow a dress from a friend or relative, you can spend more on your photographer, and vice versa.

These will be a memory for you, and for your family, but mostly for you. It’s important to love how your photos turn out! We hope we’ve given you enough advice to get you started, and we wish you good luck and good weather!