Anaïs contacted me a bit last minute to see if I was available to do her maternity and newborn sessions. She took a chance by contacting me four weeks before the maternity session and that's great! It must be said that it was for December, this month being relatively quiet every year. I have a lot more availability in winter, let's say, than when it's the peak wedding season (from May to October).
So we made an appointment so that I could photograph them at their home and a little outside. With Colin and Juliette, they live in the Plateau Mont-Royal, so there is no shortage of beautiful spots around their condo. In fact, I call it a maternity session but we did more of a family session, extending the whole thing by 30 minutes. With a child, it is often longer and we sometimes lack cooperation. So, to avoid stressing and to have plenty of time, we decided in advance that the session would be an hour and a half.
I started the session right away by taking pictures of the three members of the lovely family they form. Because children get tired more quickly being in front of the lens, I took advantage of it while Juliette was in a super good mood when I arrived. A "babysitter" was planned for the photos of the couple alone so we did the other half of the session, without worrying about what Juliette was doing. So we went out onto the street where the lovers live. I had seen some beautiful little spots before ringing their doorbell.
Newborn session at home
Initially, we had talked about doing the newborn session when Maxine was only a few days old. But she had some minor skin issues after her birth, so we waited a bit. So I met her when she was four weeks old. As Anaïs told me in an email before the session: Maxine was born a week later than expected “like a cannonball at home in 40 minutes. No time to get to the hospital, not at all planned, out of the blue she burst into our lives! Luckily the midwife arrived literally 3 minutes before she was born!”
Making kids (and parents) laugh
Maxine seems to have slept a little during the session. But don't be fooled! She only did "power naps" haha! I'm still surprised not to have heard her cry, she did it like a professional! And I had brought my famous Penguin puppet to make her big sister laugh. I must say that she is quite ticklish too! So you often need to have a few little tricks to make children smile/laugh and for it to be natural! Or you have to discover what makes them laugh. Sometimes it's a particular word, other times animal noises lol, songs, crooked eyes etc.
Did you like Anaïs's family's maternity and newborn sessions? Take a look at my maternity/newborn portfolio justici
Anaïs also left me a little review on Google after the sessions. Here is what she wrote about her experience with me (it was their first professional photo sessions): “Catherine is an excellent photographer who has incredible talent! We chose her for a maternity + birth combo and we have wonderful memories of it! She knew how to put us at ease, knew how to find the perfect words and spots for an optimal result. She also showed ingenuity and a lot of patience with our girls during the sessions 🙂 The photos are superb and we will recommend her to everyone! Thank you a thousand times Catherine! Looking forward to seeing you again for a next session”. Really looking forward to seeing them again when the girls will have grown up more! It's me who thanks them, in fact!
Catherine contacted me in June 2022 wanting to book my photo services for a maternity/baby combo. She and Calin are an adorable couple, whom she met in February 2020, just before the pandemic! Catherine wanted to do the maternity session in a place with lots of trees (or a forest) and Calin wanted to do the session on the waterfront. I suggested Parc de la Promenade-Bellerive, which is a little east in Montreal. The best of both worlds for the session! Nature, mature trees, the St. Lawrence River and beautiful late afternoon light! So the three of us met up around mid-August in the early evening, when the pregnancy was going well and the mother-to-be was at 3 weeks.
A baby session at home
For the baby session, the couple wanted memories of their little boy when he would already be a few months old. That was good, because with all the weddings I had in 2022, I ran out of time last summer and fall to do newborn baby sessions! I suggested they wait until Édouard would be 7-8 months old. So I saw them again at their home in April of this year. Why do I suggest waiting until 7-8 months to take baby photos? Because babies smile, they stand up straighter, they respond to their name or to songs sung by their parents haha! They also cry a lot less and don't walk all over the house. Not yet at least! If we have the opportunity to wait until that age, it's perfect. Otherwise, of course babies can be photographed every month of their life lol. But the sessions usually go so well when they are several months old, it's much more enjoyable for the parents. It's less stressful for them too and more fun.
The session lasts an hour and a half, which gives plenty of time to plan a break to feed the baby. And why not immortalize this unforgettable passage in the life of a baby and a mother?
Anyway, I was super happy to see the family again recently! Little Edward is way too cute! And he's just as photogenic as his parents!
Did you like Catherine, Calin and Édouard's photoshoots? Check out my maternity and baby portfolio right here ici
It often happens that I am asked if I have any advice to give to succeed in your maternity photos, when I am booked to do a session. I thought that making a blog post couldn't hurt. In fact, these are often the same questions that come up haha so here I am, launching into my advice!
1- When to have a maternity session?
Over time, I realized that doing the photoshoot when you are hile 34 semaines et 36 is pretty much optimal. The belly is nice and round, very visible. It hasn't gone down yet, so you're still in good shape to take maternity photos. Of course, if you've just decided right now and you're at 38 weeks (for example), it's not too late. I've already photographed a mother-to-be who was exactly 40 weeks along... and then she gave birth 2 days later!
But to be sure to be able to book my services, it is advisable to contact me in advance. When it is the wedding season (between May and October), my availability is limited. So as soon as you've decided, contact me and we'll check our availability. And if you've already had a first pregnancy with complications and you think doing the session before 34 weeks would be better, that's okay too. I'm able to adapt haha. The important thing is to feel good and have a nice belly that's visible. Here are several photos taken between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
2- What to wear for maternity photos?
I often advise having 2 looks. Question to have a nice variety of photos and to make it a little different. Clothes that you feel good in and that are a little tight. If you want 3 looks, that's ok too, or just one if you don't want to have to change (sometimes in your car, wrapped in a blanket or in a toilet) if we are outside. It can be for example, a more chic look and another more "casual".
I noticed that when there is a bit of contrast between the clothes of the future parents, it makes the belly stand out more. Green with orange, yellow and purple, blue and red. Gray goes with pretty much everything. And blue comes out very well in photos. Personally, I really like it when there is a touch of color, a bright color. If it is summer, I always find it beautiful to be in a dress. A dress that is not too short, that goes to the knees if possible, in case you have to sit down. For shoes, wear something that is comfortable, we might walk a little. For men, I recommend less clothing brands where you can see the names of the companies, caps and white t-shirts.
I don't recommend wearing black for the mother.. or even white.. Black makes it so that when you are looked at from the front, in a photo, you hardly look pregnant. Or else, pairing a black dress with a belt, a jacket or a colored vest can be a good idea. The belly is more visible that way. And for white, I find that the belly reflects a lot of light on top and it often lacks details. On the other hand, white with a print or lines is perfect. If you are not sure, you can always send me pictures of your outfit before the session! I'll be happy to tell you if it works well or less well. And if the session is at home, prepare your sets in advance, to save time.
For winter sessions, you can plan several accessories, hats, scarves, different mittens. You can dress "in layers" in the sense that you can put on several sweaters and take one off halfway through the session to make it different.
Here, I find that the contrast is beautiful between the green of nature and the mother's dress!
3- Where do we do the photoshoot? Indoors or outdoors?
When the weather is nice, I really like taking maternity photos outside.. It can be in a park (I am very close to Parc Maisonneuve, the possibilities are numerous), in Old Montreal (there are fewer tourists during the week or when it is not summer), in the streets of your neighborhood, by the water on the south shore of Montreal, etc. If it is winter and it is not too cold, the snow really gives a beautiful effect when taking maternity photos. I highly recommend it, it is worth freezing a little haha! If you have no idea for the place, I can advise you. I never run out of ideas!
Taking maternity photos at home? Why not! If the baby's room is already ready, we can take pictures in that room. I really like the fact that it represents anticipation, projection, waiting and that the parents are looking forward to the baby's arrival. We can do another part of the session in other rooms of your home if it is ready. Or simply go outside, nearby.
Here, we took advantage of the end of winter to take photos in the deserted streets of Old Montreal!
4- What to do if the weather is bad or it is winter?
I always plan two dates for each photoshoot.. Like this, at the first appointment if the weather is not with us to do the session outside, we look for the second date (plan B). I am very flexible during the week, so we can even change the time if it is better before or after the set time. If the session is inside, you have to make sure that the natural light will be good even if it is cloudy outside. I never take photos with the lights on the ceiling. If you have big windows, there is a chance that it will work. For outdoor photos, the light is best at the end of the day (whether it is around 19pm in summer or 16-17pm in fall) or otherwise in the morning around 9-10am.
What to do if it is winter and very cold? You can do half the session inside and the other half outside. If the baby's room is not ready, you can do the photos in the brightest rooms in your house/apartment. Otherwise, there is the World Trade Center in Old Montreal where I like to go to get out of the weather. It's beautiful, bright and there are plenty of places inside to take a variety of photos.. On the other hand, if it's warmer than -10 degrees, taking photos outside is very possible. The day after a snowstorm, it's downright magical!
The photos above were all taken at the World Trade Center. The ones in the snow are outside the WTC! To avoid freezing too much on those days, we alternated between the inside of the Center and the outside which was all snowy!For this session (above), we did half the session inside and the other half outside at Fort Chambly when it was -25 degrees Celsius!!!
5- A pregnancy shoot with a little brother or sister?
Do you already have a child who is going to be a big brother or sister? If the eldest is rather young, I often recommend doing a session of one and a half hours. Which amounts to making a family session rather than planning only an hour. We can also see during the photo shoot if we extend by 30 minutes. Children 4 years old and under are not always the most cooperative and do not necessarily want to have their portrait taken haha. They prefer to play, run, jump. If you come with someone, it can be a good idea to have someone (let's say a grandmother) take care of your child while I take your couple photos. Or this person can also make faces to make him/her laugh. And hop we take the opportunity to take a photo with grandma, while we're at it!
This photo was also taken at the World Trade Center
6- What accessories to take?
During the photoshoot, you can have all the accessories that seem important to you. Whether it's a small pair of shoes, a book of your choice, an ultrasound, one of your childhood stuffed animals that you are going to give to your child, linen, a gift from a family member, etc. Do you have a pet? Why not have it participate in the session with us?
To have a little souvenir of the moment you saw your child on the ultrasound!Little baby accessories, so cute!The parents each made the sweater the other would wear!
I was really looking forward to posting here the maternity/baby photoshoots I did with this beautiful family! The first session with them was in the summer of 2021. Even though I was seeing them for the very first time, it was just a lot of fun and lots of laughter. I have rarely seen such complicity in a couple. Amanda and Marie-Christine met and got married in the United States before coming to settle down for good in Montreal. It was in a duplex renovated from head to toe by themselves that I had the pleasure of photographing them. But what renovations! I even offered to go feed their plants when they went on vacation! I think their house is so beautiful! And that's to say that a certain chemistry developed very quickly between us!
When to take maternity/baby photos?
It was with great joy that I found the little family again in March of this year. I often advise taking baby photos either in the first days/weeks, after giving birth. Newborns sleep a lot in the first few days. They also smile sometimes during their sleep. Otherwise I advise waiting until around 6-7-8 months. Because babies behave a little better. They "look" a little more like themselves (like what they will be later lol) and they give their parents beautiful smiles! So it was at six months that the beautiful Lilianne had her portrait taken! And for maternity photos? I advise around 34-36 weeks, when the mother is not yet too tired and her belly is nice and round!
It was in the middle of the session that Marie-Christine (the one who wasn't pregnant during our session last summer) announced to me "straight away" that she was pregnant! What a surprise I had!!! hahaha, I think I was left with my mouth open a little thinking it was a joke! After 4 years of trying, she told herself that it was the last time she would visit her doctor... so that the insemination would finally work! This time was the right one! MC should give birth around Lilianne's first birthday! I really hope to see them again this summer for a third session!
Did you like Marie-Christine and Amanda's maternity/baby photoshoots? Click here to see other maternity and baby/newborn photos: Maternity/baby combo
