Photography is all about light. The most basic concept is to understand that you need light to create a photograph, but as you improve with the craft you learn how to use light to create shape, depth, mood, and interest.
At Jills Maternity Session, which took place in her gorgeous home, we got to play around with light a lot! This was awesome because it gave her a wide variety of images, and the best part was that we were able to create them in the same location with the same outfits! {Look at the mood difference in images below – all taken minutes apart!}
A bright, well exposed, and gorgeous image of mommy-to-be. A perfect portrait of an expectant mother, and one that family members would love to have displayed in their home! <3
With just a change of camera settings, and taken minutes after the first photo, we were able to create a gorgeous silhouette that shows off the baby-bump, and her beautiful form. We experimented with a few different poses and wound up with this one as a favorite!
I love the partial silhouette on her smiling face, and how the outdoors is illuminated to show off the forest views in the baby’s nursery.
Jill requested a silhouette specifically, so I made sure to create a few for her. This one is nice because it includes more of the environment of the nursery. It was actually a composite of two images – one which was the same settings as the above silhouette, and an additional brighter one which I overlaid so you could see more of the details on the shelves her father built for the nursery.
My personal favorite from the session is the below image, created in her bedroom window…
…and here’s a similar version in color:
How stunning are these?!
For these photographs I used a mix of window light and Yongnuo Speedlites. We made three different versions. The above, more dramatic version, and the below versions which introduce more and more light.
Choosing a photographer with a strong knowledge of camera & lighting is so important… you’ll end up with interesting photographs and a wide variety of them! But, lets be real: The real reason these photographs were able to “come alive” was because Jill and her husband were invested in working together with me to create works of art. Neither of us had a time limit and we joked around while playing with light and posing! It was such a great day! For this, I am thankful.