MATERNITY PICTURES POOL WITH FLOATING FLOWERS
The entire time I was planning these maternity pictures, I was worried I had bit off more than I could chew. I knew I wanted to do something dramatic and captivating. When I found this Mama for my model call I knew she was the perfect fit. She had 3 kiddos already, and this was likely to be her last baby. I wanted to do something for her that would be a fitting tribute to the end of this chapter in her life, and the beginning of the next. I wanted something divine and ethereal for this stunning woman. I fretted, I worried, I second guessed myself more times than I can count.
It was worth every minute! These turned out so AMAZING!
We started out with a gorgeous dress from Sew Trendy (it’s the Audrey gown, if you’re curious), which I’ve now added to my client closet.
After that we moved to my favorite sets of these maternity picutres, and used gold silk chiffon from The Silk Fairies. The first few we did with a seamless backdrop, saving the pool images for last. We obviously didn’t want to ruin her hair and makeup till the very end! She looks so ethereal. My favorite from this set is her looking up and to the right, she just looks so full of hope at all the wonderful possibilities in front of her.
Then we moved to final setup! The nerve-wracking, gut wrenching, will this work or am I a crazy person setup. We used a kiddie pool for the final maternity pictures. I needed to be almost straight above her, and to accomplish this, that meant that I would need to utilize my two story foyer. I placed the pool right below the railing on the upstairs landing so that I could shoot down below. On the bottom of the kiddie pool I laid dark gold velvet, and then we filled it with about 2 inches of water, just enough to float some flowers and create that beautiful wet hair floating circling her face.
My poor husband about had a heart attack when he first saw me dragging a kiddie pool and inflating it in the middle of our foyer. Lucky for me he’s gotten used to his crazy artist wife, and has learned to go with the flow.
This session scared me more than I can possibly say. I was worried that I wasn’t skilled enough to pull it off, that I wasn’t going to be able to create the right lighting, that what I saw in my head wasn’t going to translate to the camera. That I wouldn’t be able to do a fitting tribute to the end of this wonderful end of an era for this beautiful mother.
I am going to take one of the pool maternity pictures and put it up on my studio wall, and it’s going up BIG! This will forever be a reminder to me to push myself to try new things, to push myself out of my comfort zone and to become a better artist. I hope each and every one of you continues to reach and to stretch yourself, and to find passion in the things you do.
Jessica Ryles specializes in newborn photography in the Northern Virginia area. She works in Aldie, Alexandria, Arlington, Centreville, Chantilly, Gainesville, Fairfax, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Manassas, Reston, Sterling, and Tyson’s Corner. To inquire about your own session, please fill out the form on the contact page, and she will be in touch to design and customize a portrait session for you and your family.
