nude maternity photoshoots

So you are a photographer that wants to dip your toes into the world of nude maternity photography, but you are understandably concerned that you may approach the situation incorrectly and open yourself up to some serious awkwardness. How do you get around this?

When I am doing nude maternity photoshoots, I will do them as part of a normal maternity photoshoot. Generally, I do mine on request of the client, but I will sometimes suggest them if I feel that the client would be receptive to it.

nude maternity pose

The key is for the results to be tasteful nudes rather than anything shocking or explicit or showing anything that is just not necessary. What I am always after is simply beautiful portraits.

There are a few things to keep in mind when doing these, and I’m going to share my main tips with you in the rest of the article.

How Do You Prepare For Nude Maternity Photoshoots?

The preparation is an absolutely critical part of the process. If it is not done right, your client will likely not be happy with the photos. Remember that your clients will not be as used to this as you may become, so you will need to share the following tips with them before their arrival.

Tight clothing should be avoided in the lead-up to the photoshoot. Jeans and bras can leave marks on the skin, and this can detract from the portraits considerably.

nude maternity pose

It is also best if the clients shave their legs beforehand. Their hairs may be short enough to be imperceptible to the naked eye, but the camera picks up on a whole lot more.

The clients should also drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and further moisturize before they come in for the photoshoot. Dry skin can show quite prominently in photos, and while editing is an option, this can be laborious and is an imperfect process anyway.

Nude Maternity Photoshoot session tips

Keep the studio stocked up with plenty of bottled water. Snacks are not a bad idea either. You want to minimize any discomfort for the client, who may be feeling it already from the implied vulnerability of a naked photoshoot.

And speaking of being naked, clothes do more than just cover one’s modesty. If you do not have a thermostat in your studio, make sure you have a fast way to control the temperature so that you can set it to just as warm or cool as the client prefers. Be sure to ask. Do not wait for them to start shivering.

nude maternity pose

If your studio is in your home, have it closed off from the rest of it. Being naked in a stranger’s home is quite a few steps more awkward than being naked in a professional studio, so you will want to do your best to place a solid divide between them. Along the same lines, have a separate area for the clients to get undressed in.

Do not start photoshoots with the nude shots. The best time to transition to them is during the latter half of the session. This will allow the client to ease into it by already feeling comfortable with you and the session by the time it begins.

Your verbal communication during the photoshoot is also a lot more important than you may think. Speak with confidence and do not let awkward silences fill the time during posing. People get nervous enough with them when they are not naked. Talk through these moments.

nude maternity pose

You should also keep a blanket handy. In between poses, the client can cover up with it. This will protect her modesty and keep her from feeling uncomfortable at being naked during moments when it is not needed.

If you are planning on using a wide angle lens, banish the thought immediately. Wide angle lenses are incredibly unflattering for portraits. A longer focal length will give you better photos with less distortion. I prefer to work with between 70 mm and 200 mm for a really long focal lens, but if your studio is smaller, 85 mm or even 50 mm will still give satisfactory results.

nude maternity pose

After you have got all your photos and the client has left, you could consider converting them to black and white. I have found this aesthetic works very well with nude photography, and as you explore your own work throughout the editing process, you will find your own perfect workflow.

Final Thoughts

Nude photography is wonderful because it allows the subject of the photoshoot to be showcased in her full form during this transitional but very important period of her life. As you gain more experience with it, you will go through all sorts of different poses and lighting, and along the way, discover so many ways to photograph a tasteful nude maternity session