Christmas Fireplace39 Stunning Pregnancy Photo Poses to Capture Maternity Magic
Pregnancy photoshoots are the shoots you could never escape from if you’re a photographer, because women and families love to ask for them.
This is because maternity is such a special event in a woman’s life - her body is ever-changing during 9 months of growth in an almost magical way, creating a new life, adapting, nourishing, and being a life-giver. It is truly one of the most incredible life events a woman could live, and, through her, her family and partner too.
So it is key that as a photographer you get the essence of this special occurrence and the perfect frame to capture a beautiful baby bump and a new family taking life! Keep reading to get our 39 tips to shoot the best maternity poses during your pregnancy photoshoot!
Baby bump poses for a woman’s maternity photoshoot
First, let’s talk about the star of the shoot: the baby bump and its carrier - the mom. Some professional, cute, and original shots of the beautiful belly taking form and of the woman turning into a mom and life-giver are a must! Here are a few tips and pose ideas to capture the baby bump and its carrier naturally and unforgettably.
1. The beach bump
A pregnant pose must-do involves holding the belly with one or both hands! This shot will look great, especially at the beach, but it could also be taken in a forest, at home, or in a studio.
Image from Pexels
2. The flower shade
A creative maternity shot idea involves the addition of flowers, and especially, a flower shade on the bump! This will allow your shot to look natural, and wild but with a touch of creativity and an extra element to embellish the belly.
3. The yogini
To make your maternity shots original and different from the “regular” ones, you could suggest to your model mama to do some yoga or meditation (which will benefit her as it is great for both her and her baby) and shoot her while doing it. This will allow your maternity content to share a feeling of peace and well-being that she will love to look back to!
Image from Pexels
4. The side curve
The baby bump is enhanced on the side, as it is way more possible to see its size and growth (especially if you plan to take more than one maternity photoshoot during the 9 months of pregnancy to capture the maternity’s evolution). So a great tip is to make your model stand or sit on the side so that her bump is highlighted! This shot will look especially great if her belly is naked. You could take this in the comfort of her home, in front of a beautiful backdrop, or the wildness of nature.
Image from Pexels
5. The crib
Another great tip includes using the addition of baby elements in your photoshoot. Your model mama will be filled with little clothes, teddy bears, toys, cribs, etc. Using those, together with the mom and her baby bump, will turn into a memorable and sentimental photo.
Image from Pexels
6. The ocean mama
Every picture taken at the beach turns out to be beautiful. However, especially for maternity photoshoots, pictures at sea take an even deeper meaning. The ocean is feminine, its tides are dictated by the moon and it is a life force, just like women. A mama in the ocean is an extra powerful being. This picture will turn out to be so charming, whether you choose to have her stand, lay, or sit by the shore.
Image from Pexels
7. The backlit curve
Another variant of a beach picture could be taken during sunset and with the silhouette of the mom and her mama’s curves. It will enhance the baby bump and give an extra magical look to the shot.
Image from Pexels
8. The Queen
Allow your model to truly feel like the queen she is, and who she is becoming through her pregnancy! Make her sit or lay in a garden, or at the beach, surrounded by flowers or shells while she feels herself in all her power.
Image from Pexels
Studio maternity poses
If you, or your model, don’t want to take pictures outdoors but prefer to take them in a studio, you’ll find great advice in the following words.
Studio shootings are great as they allow you to truly choose every single element that appears in the picture, without any distraction or having anything external that is out of your control. In photo studios you are totally in control - you can decide to have a white or black background, use creative backdrops to enhance creativity, or give a touch of color and personality to your shots! Backdrops are key if you aim to give a natural look to your pictures without the need to go outdoors, rather stay in the comfort of your studio but with the wild and original beauty of a curated scenery.
So let’s dive deeper into studio maternity poses.
9. The close-up bump
A baby bump close-up will look amazing shot on the side and in front of a white, black background, or a plain backdrop! This shot will truly enhance the bump and all its beauty! It’s a great pose idea that could be taken each month, to make a final collage of the bump’s growth!
Image from Pexels
10. Showcase those curves babe
The same variant could be taken in front of a dark background and with hardly any light, to showcase only the belly’s curve line. This maternity picture will look extra great with very less clothes on. A nude shot would be ideal, or lingerie will work too - so that every curve will have the space to enhance.
Image from Pinterest
11. The ethereal goddess mom
Pregnant women are truly in their most divine era while expectant - so it’s your responsibility to capture this divinity! Making her feel like an absolute goddess will definitely feel easier in front of an ethereal backdrop and with some elegant additions, such as an armchair, a swing, a piece of furniture, etc.
Image from Pexels
12. The princess mama
If you aim for less goddessly/divine vibes, but more of a sweet, elegant, princess feeling, then you can suggest your mama model to dress up with her most elegant ladyish dress and feel as pretty as possible. Especially if she’s expecting a little girl, this will be a great shot to look back to! It will look singularly good-looking in front of a royal-style backdrop.
Image from Pexels
13. The poser
A classic, must-do pregnancy shot includes one where your model gets to sit down in a mermaid-style pose with one hand on the baby bump and the other on the floor while smiling facing the camera, or looking at her belly. This could be a very simple shot, but one that showcases all the maternity features.
Image from Pexels
14. The cute little shoes
A creative maternity shoot idea includes a close-up of the baby bump with a pair of newborn shoes or socks gently placed on the belly. This will look extra good when captured in front of a plain backdrop to keep the attention to the shoes element and the bump.
Image from Pexels
Sexy pregnancy poses
Women are in one of their sexiest stages when pregnant. Many women aim to feel, and showcase their sensuality through their maternity photoshoot! So here are some sexy pregnant pose ideas for you to look into!
15. Mother Nature
There’s a reason why nature is often referred to as the mother. Nature and moms have in common their creatress’ essence, as they’re both life-givers. A nude picture of your mama model in nature - on a beach, lying on a palm tree, behind a plant, etc. - can turn into the sexiest shot ever.
16. The sleepy beauty
Another variant can be done with your model lying on the side, with one arm stretched and one leg folded. This nude position will enhance her curves and highlight her sensuality. This shot will look great taken in nature, in a studio, or at the beach - an extra tip is to try to get the mirror of her pose reflected on the ground in a studio or a body of water.
Image from Pinterest
17. Divine mom
Let your mama model feel divine and sexy by suggesting she puts a veil on to slightly cover her body in an “I see you - I don’t see you” outfit. It will give a provoking, yet divine feeling to the shoot.
Image from Pinterest
18. Sexy mama
Time to show all the sensuality a woman can hold in this picture! Suggest your model look straight at the camera while covering her breasts with one arm and holding on to her baby bump with the other! She could choose to be nude or wear a nice robe that would leave her belly and chest uncovered.
Image from Pexels
19. Women’s shape
A woman’s shape is already her most sensual feature, but when pregnant she gets a bonus curve too! A creative idea for your sexy maternity pose includes a close-up of her legs and baby bump to show off a mother’s sensuality.
Image from Pexels
Maternity couple poses
What’s a mom without her partner? Of course, the star of the shoot is the powerful mother, but maternity poses are beautiful when they include the dad too!
Their future son or daughter will love to see and feel how much their parents loved each other while expecting her/him. So make sure to capture their tenderness and love during the special moment of growing their family.
Keep on reading to get some good inspiration for your maternity couple poses.
20. The belly kiss
A good old classic involves the belly kiss. This is such a must-do as it represents both the love between the parents-to-be and the dad’s love towards his baby. A great tip is to take this shot during sunset in backlight, to enhance the curves and give the picture an extra touch of magic and romance.
Image from Pinterest
21. A touchy love
Another way to showcase the dad’s love through the picture is to capture his hands on the mother’s belly, as a sign of fatherly protection and affection. This pose can be shot in so many different and creative ways: a close-up of the hands, the full bodies, the parents sitting or lying, etc.
Image from Pexels
22. Mom & Dad are Cute
When you take your maternity couple pictures, you need to keep in mind that you’re capturing some parents-to-be who are about to create (or expand) a family and who will love to look back at these pictures with their child as a memory endlessly captured in time. To shoot this essence you can capture the love, the tenderness, and the affection - through a hug, a gentle caress, an embrace.
23. The complicity shot
Another variant of the same romantic feeling can be taken with the parents looking at one another while touching each other’s foreheads as a sign of complicity, as if the picture subconsciously whispered “We’re creating a new life!
24. The provoking couple
Here’s more of a sexy, provoking pose that your couple models would definitely want to look back to with a cheeky smile! Get the mother to lay down nude or in lingerie with the baby bump facing up, while the dad’s facing down and leaning towards her to kiss her. It will turn into a hot couple shot!
Image from Pinterest
25. Belly dance
Why not make the baby dance through this photoshoot? Get Mom and Dad to romantically dance and shoot them while doing it! Their kid will love to look back at mom and dad dancing with her/him through this picture.
26. The sensual embrace
An intimate maternity couple shoot includes a nude pose where the mom gets to stand or sit facing the camera and holding her baby bump, while her partner is standing behind her and holding (plus covering) her breasts. The arm game will make this picture turn into a very artistic one, while also adding a touch of intimacy, complicity, and romance.
Image from Pinterest
Maternity poses with toddlers and kids
If your mama model is not a first-time mother but happens to have another child or more than one, it is a beautiful opportunity to capture her with her kids and the siblings of the newborn!
Keep on reading to get some ideas for your maternity photoshoot with the siblings!
27. The picnic
A sweet, cute moment that mom and sons can share for it to be endlessly captured is a pic-nic. Picnics resemble the beauty of nature as well as the symbolism of a mother’s nourishment. So get your model to have a picnic with her kid(s) while showcasing her bump with pride. It will be such a memorable picture to look back to with all the family.
Image from Pexels
28. The sibling’s kiss
Here’s an unmissable picture that needs to be taken if the family involves other kids: the sibling’s kiss. This pose will turn out exceptional if taken as a baby bump close up and with the focus on the kids kissing the belly. It will work really well with two or more kids!
Image from Pinterest
29. The funny shot
If you aim to be less serious but more fun and memorable through your maternity photoshoots, you’ll love this pose idea! Get your mom model to sit in a crossed-leg position in between her kids or next to her one child. Get her to raise her t-shirt to show her belly and hold on to her baby bump, then have the kid(s) do the same so that the shot will look as if the child is whispering “Hey, there’s nothing in here!”, ending up being a really funny shot that will get them to laugh and smile over time.
30. Into the wild
Having mom and daughter, or mom and son captured in their quality time before another member of the family is born, can be truly meaningful! So have them walk in nature, in a flower field, across plants, on the beach, or in a forest, and capture them in their simple, genuine moments of affection and bond.
Image from Pexels
31. The Artistic little sister
A special mom-daughter or mom-son picture can be taken in the backlight, either on a beach during sunset or in front of a window, while the little sibling gives a kiss to her/his yet-to-be-born baby sibling. It will turn into an artistic and memorable shot.
32. Mama’s loves
Another must-do maternity pose involves your model carrying in her arms her child and hugging her/him tightly with one hand while holding the baby bump with the other.
Maternity poses with the family
If the maternity shooting includes a large family, you should incorporate all of them in these pregnancy photos, so that they will all have beautiful captures to look back to!
Here are some ideas.
33. The bond
A cute image involves getting the sibling(s) to stand in the foreground (if there is more than one, they could hold hands, or hug each other. If it’s only one he/she could simply stand and smile), while the parents pose in the background lovingly while holding onto the baby bump.
34. Who’s in there?
This shot can turn into a very artistic yet meaningful one. Get a close-up picture of the baby bump facing the camera, while the whole family holds on to it! The mom from the side, the father from the back, and the kid(s) from the front. It will end up looking like a cute family collage.
35. The cozy fam
Yes, scenic outdoor images can look great for your maternity photoshoot, but capturing a family in their comfort zone - their home - can be so meaningful and precious, and it can take away the stress too. Get them to lay in their bed, and act spontaneously and naturally while you take several shots of their authentic moments that they will love to look back to!
36. The family’s getting bigger
The same authentic feeling can be shot outdoors for a more in-nature result. Whether you choose to have the growing family sitting in a field, on the beach, or in a desert.. it will turn into a memorable maternity family picture!
Pregnancy announcement poses
Ok, these were great ideas… but what about pregnancy announcement poses? - You might be wondering! But we’ve got you covered! Announcing a pregnancy is just as meaningful as having it captured when the baby bump is already growing, so check these poses ideas out.
37. Baby’s on the way!
Here’s a really fun and creative idea that works best, especially for a big family announcement! Get the fam to stand one next to another, in a crescent order, and either have them write the gender of the yet-to-be-born - Boy/Girl- or if they want to keep it a secret, they could simply write ‘Baby’ with one letter on each of their bellies.
38. The ultrasound
Here’s a good old classic! A picture with the first ultrasound is such a memorable image and also an emotional way to announce a pregnancy! Either get a close-up of the parents holding on to it or a full-body shot with the ultrasound in the foreground.
Image from Pexels
39. One more to come
Last, but not least, you could take the announcement picture from the top, highlighting the still little but growing baby bump that can be surrounded by little details that suggest the pregnancy such as a little ultrasound picture, a bodysuit, toys, a note (For example “One more to come”), etc.
We hope you enjoyed reading these maternity pose ideas and that you got inspired for your next pregnancy photoshoot!
Keep in mind that capturing the essence of a woman’s powerful nature and the love she shares with her family is key! That’s what maternity shoots are all about.
