Maternity shoots are meant to capture a special time in a woman and her young family's life. Bringing a new baby into the world is a remarkable experience to which almost nothing can compare. Some of these remarkable maternity photoshoots are tear-jerking, others outrageous, and some just downright inspirational. Grab your tissues.
The Rainbow After The Storm
The term 201crainbow baby201d refers to a baby on the way after losing an infant or pregnancy. It2019s meant to symbolize the rainbow after the storm and this photo beautifully captures the happiness and beauty of the rainbow. Pregnancy and infant loss is more common than many realize or speak of, as women often quietly grieve their loss. One thing is for sure, that after such a loss, these women will forever love their lost child and they will never be forgotten. This photographer brought together a group of moms who have lost a baby and are now pregnant again or recently gave birth to their rainbow child 2013 the rainbow after the storm.
From The Other Side
Nicole Bennet's world was completely turned upside down when her husband died while she was pregnant with their second child. Sadly, Nicole2019s husband passed away before they had a chance to shoot any maternity photos. However, Nicole contacted photographer Sidney Conley and the two were able to come up with something very special in remembrance of her beloved husband.
Sidney had the idea to photoshop in a previous image into the photos to give the appearance that he was there with them during the photo shoot. Nicole told ABC News, "I wanted to do something special because he's been there for my son since day one. It's memories for my son of his father and for my daughter who will never meet her father, it's memories for her as well.201d It was also an emotional process for the photographer who said, 201cIt brings me to tears, looking at the photos myself," Conley said of the photos. "Just how I edited [the photos] with him looking down on them, it's showing that he's making sure they're OK." What an amazing image to look back on in the years to come, especially for the young girl who will never get the chance to know her father in real life.
Around The World
This is a bit different than your average maternity shoot, but it2019s still an amazing shoot to mark the beginning of a new family coming together. Not every couple has the same route to take when in search of a family, for many infertility issues are a hard cross to bear. One such couple is Ray and Megan Simmons. After their own battle with infertility Megan said that after praying the couple felt compelled to adopt. These photos were taken as they began their adoption journey and to mark the occasion of finding their child.
The photographer Logan Kilgore said, "[The Simmons] want to adopt within the U.S. so we had her hands making a heart over North America. Also, a playoff a maternity belly using the globe.201d The story definitely resonated with many around the world and it immediately went viral although the couple never intended to publicly share their story. Megan added, 201cWe have prayed two years solid for this baby."
Favorite Store Ever + PhotoShoot = Love
May whoever among us that does not like Target cast the first stone. No, really. Pretty much everyone loves Target but perhaps Page Miller takes the cake. Page took her daughter Avery along for the ride to mark her second pregnancy. She sat on the floor eating cheeseballs, pushed the cart through the aisles, visited the Starbucks and lounged on the furniture. This shoot is definitely fun and most certainly pays homage to the shopping haven that is Target. According to the photographer, Target employees went along with the idea and said: 201cSurprisingly nobody thought we were too weird except Brad, Page's husband who would not be seen with us on this day.201d
Fusee The Leader Of The Pack
This maternity shoot is definitely out of the ordinary but it2019s also just for fun. Elsa Veria-Means decided to give her dog Fusee a maternity shoot after it was found that she was expecting eight puppies. Elsa teamed up with photographers from Meet-Clayton in order to give this dog mama a perfect beginning to motherhood, she later gave birth to eight healthy puppies only days later. While multiple people have begun taking maternity photos for their beloved pets, perhaps Fusee is the most stylish of them all, especially with her on-trend flower crown. After Elsa posted the shots on Twitter, Fusee went viral and was retweeted over 57,000 astonishing times.
Pregnant Disney Princesses
Every pregnant woman wants to feel like a princess throughout the special time, however, the reality is a little bit different. With a swelling body and squished organs, it can be hard to feel beautiful. What better way than to dress up as a literal princess for your maternity shoot? Well, a Disney princess that is. Husband and wife photog team Victor and Marie Luna decided to get together five women to put on a Disney themed shoot in Texas. The photographers found their models through previous clients who just happened to resemble a matching Princess. The result was absolutely stunning and even took place at an actual castle!
The Most Precious Moments
A standard classic found in maternity shoots the world over is the inclusions of siblings. Often mothers fear after having a first child how they could ever love another child the same way and yet they always do. Siblings are always our first friends and the bond between siblings is often unbreakable. This photo is also a great way to include a child with a new baby in order to prevent resentment and the feeling of being left out. We also happen to think this is one of the sweetest photos on the list. For some, it might just give you a dose of baby fever!
Bee-autiful Maternal Moments
One mom had the most unique and possibly dangerous maternity photos ever 2013 posing with a swarm of bees. Emily Mueller is a mom of three, beekeeper and owner of Mueller Honey Bee and Rescue. Obviously, due to her occupation, Emily decided to have quite the unorthodox maternity shoot. She posed with over 20,000 bees on her baby belly. Emily hoped that the shoot would also be informative for people about the true nature of bees.
Along with photographer Kendrah Damis and her local Parks and Recreation department, Emily was able to acquire a swarm of bees and judged whether or not they were aggressive, luckily they were not. She then took them home and before the shoot fed them sugar water which apparently prevents them from being able to sting. Emily said, 201cPeople feel like I2019m endangering my child, but it2019s due to a lack of education on honeybees 2014 they don2019t understand how gentle they really are.201d
A Beautiful Queen
When Andrea Grant was nine years old, she survived a horrific explosion which resulted in third-degree burns on 85 percent or her body. Her burns extend on her abdomen and doctors told her that she would not be able to carry a child past four months because of her scarring. However, just like when Andrea was a child she beat the odds. This photo was taken at thirty-eight weeks pregnant. Andrea is also a great role model for having confidence in the skin that you2019re in 2013 and look how beautiful she looks!
Andrea is a motivational speaker and also founded the organization called Beyond Scars. She teamed up with photographer Terrence Armand to create the stunning images. One of the photos captured over 20,000 likes which she captioned, 201cI learned to love myself unconditionally because I am a queen, #BurnSurvivor.201d Andrea also shares advice for others that might struggle with their appearance. She says, 201cIf you are feeling low about the way you look, look in the mirror find that one thing that you love about yourself.201d
Joined Across The Globe
This photoshoot is definitely a tearjerker! Veronica Phillips decided to have her maternity photos taken with photog Jennifer McMahon in Miami. Unfortunately, Jennifer2019s husband Brandon was unable to participate in the photo shoot because he was deployed with the Air Force. Instead, Veronica planned to wear his jacket in some of the photos. Veronica also asked the photog, Jennifer, if there was a way to include Brandon in the photographs. Jennifer had a great idea to incorporate the two and the results were absolutely amazing! Of course, people were touched by the moving photograph around the world and even Veronica was stunned by the images. Jennifer said, 201cVeronica cried when she saw how I was able to place Brandon's hand on her stomach."
Pregnancy Proposal
Louis Bruno and Lorenza Pardo met in a college class five years ago. When they became pregnant with their first child they decided to partake in the custom maternity shoot. However, Lorenza had no idea of the amazing surprise that awaited her during the shoot. A family friend who happens to be a professional photographer was on hand for the special moment. In the middle of the photoshoot, the couple posed back to back and when Lorenza turned back around Louis was on bended knee.
Lorenza said, "Then when I saw it [the ring], I just broke down. I2019m an emotional person as is, and especially so with pregnancy hormones. I really don2019t even know what he said. I was just crying and shaking." While the couple planned to get married eventually they are also quite busy as they are both in graduate school working on their Master degrees, not to mention the new baby coming. However, they couldn2019t be happier to be engaged!'
One Excited Fur-sibling
Many people consider their dogs, 201cfurbabies201d, in fact, many regard them as their first children. Whitney and Jeremy Bowie were certainly no different. While staging their maternity shoot, they included their rat terrier, Lucy. Whitney said that Lucy made it clear that she wanted to join in on the fun, she "kept hopping on our legs and trying to get in our pictures". Although Whitney2019s brother attempted to prevent the beloved pooch from getting in the shot, he couldn2019t hold back the excited Lucy.
The result was definitely one hilarious maternity photo, with Lucy2019s little paw on Whitney2019s stomach. Not long after the Bowie2019s welcomed son Raylan Gregg Bowie. After Whitney2019s sister posted the photo on Twitter, several verified accounts retweeted making the image go viral. Whitney said of the attention, "We really enjoyed reading all of the comments, and watching the picture reach thousands of people all over the world."
Milk Bath Beauty
Milk bath maternity shoots have been around for a while, but expectant mom Keturah Antongiorgi definitely took it to the next level. The 26-year-old Keturah is a U.S. Army officer who is currently stationed in Texas. After her cousin shared some of her maternity photos on Twitter they quickly went viral with people across the Internet calling her absolutely stunning. We think she looks like the living embodiment of the flower Snaphchat filter. The photo has garnered thousands of retweets and we can definitely see why!
Keturah had the photos taken one month before the arrival of her firstborn, a son. She said, "Nine months seems like a long time, but it goes by so fast. Cherish the moment and do little things that are valuable to you 2014 something you can look back on and cherish and say, you know what? I2019m glad I was able to seize this opportunity and appreciate this moment."
Taking Turns
Couple Melanie and Vanessa Iris Roy pretty much won the maternity photo game with their matching photos. However, they were not taken at the same time. The first photo taken by the sea shows Vanessa Iris pregnant with their son Jax, while the second shows Melanie pregnant with their next child. After the duo posted the side by side photos online several websites later picked them up boosting the popularity. Melanie told the Huffington Post they both wanted to go through the experience of pregnancy and said, "It's crazy to see that people were referring to my family as an inspiration. We are still in complete shock.201d
The Ode To Starbucks
For expectant moms, too much caffeine is generally discouraged so coffee often has to be put off for a time. However, that doesn2019t mean the love of coffee goes away, and it is definitely something you will need during that first year of your child2019s life. Mom-to-be Kate Engelmaier definitely had a fun idea of how to incorporate her favorite coffee 2013 Starbucks.
She painted the mermaid from the Starbucks logo on her belly for her maternity shoot. She told Buzzfeed, "I have always been told I was the definition of a 'basic sorority girl' and I never saw that as a bad thing. I am a typical girly girl who loves glitter, monograms, and Starbucks 2014 [and] that's what makes me happy.201d Her friend gave her a book about belly painting which is what inspired her to choose the Starbucks image. She also poked fun at the idea her little one might enjoy coffee just as much as she did saying, 201cIf he wants to be a little barista, then why not? His dad's a chef, and I wouldn't mind if he can make me a little coffee."
The Goddess Photoshoot
Preeya Malik is a beauty blogger who also works in the investment industry based in Toronto. The 32-year-old decided on a one of a kind maternity shoot that would also push boundaries within her own culture. She collaborated with the photography studio Banga Photography and The New Delhi Company. She decided to portray herself as three Hindu goddesses for the shoot: Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Durga. She chose the three because she said they hold "values that every mother would want to instill in her children". In this photo, she appears as Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth in the Hindu religion. Preeya decided to push the boundaries because she feels that Indian women face a stigma because of pregnancy with many women attempting to hide their bumps entirely. Instead, Preeya decided to put her bump on full glorious display. We think she definitely fits the bill as a goddess!
Under The Sea Shoot
Engaged couple, Jasmine and Marcus decided to really bring the glam for their maternity shoot. The Texas-based couple wanted something unique for her first ever maternity shoot, and the duo definitely did not disappoint. The two ended up choosing an underwater photoshoot. Jasmine was dressed in a beautiful blue flowing gown which almost perfectly mimicked the flow of the water and Marcus even got in on the fun and was photographed alongside her. Jasmine2019s niece later tweeted the photo and it went viral extremely fast. Jasmine said of the experience, "There was an outpouring of love and appreciation for the photo and of course there was negativity, but overall, the photo received a great deal of love.201d
Landscape Of Love
This photographer also happened to be the daddy-to-be and he had some very interesting concepts about his wife2019s baby bump. As your bump grows and grows every woman knows that she starts to feel like she takes up her own zip code, no matter how big you are in reality. Needless to say, it seems as though photographer Simon Schaffrath tapped into that ideal while staging the shoot for his wife Saskia Repp for their coming baby boy Theodor. Simon used Saskia2019s belly to create an actual landscape and the results are quite amazing. Simon spoke to Mashable saying, "We wanted to create some new and really creative pregnancy pictures. Something our family and friends haven't seen yet." We think the couple was definitely successful.
Over The Moon
In 2017, the United States was treated to quite the environmental spectacle when a solar eclipse took place. People everywhere attempted to catch a glimpse of the amazing sight, with many buying or making their own special glasses. At least one woman took the extremely rare occurrence and turned into the opportunity of a lifetime. Nichole Carver was 33 weeks pregnant at the time with a baby boy and decided to attempt her maternity shoot during the eclipse. Luckily for her, her mother-in-law just happens to be a wedding photographer. Needless to say, the images came out absolutely stunning and one of a kind. Nichole said, 201cThis is our last planned pregnancy as we have experienced the joys of birthing two healthy children and the sadness of loss after delivering my second child, a little girl named Emma, stillborn back in 2014. Our little boy is nothing short of a miracle to us and what better way to celebrate him than capturing this once in a life moment in time.201d
Flipping The Script
After Justin Sylvester2019s wife didn2019t want to take maternity photos, he took the matter into his own hands2026er, belly. The Austin based resident went viral after posting his very own version of a maternity shoot on Reddit. Justin managed to have all of the typical maternity poses down, complete with hand-on-belly photos. Justin even said the experience helped him have more empathy for what women go through while pregnant. He told People, 201cI had to stick my belly out for 30 minutes. It2019s like flexing your abs, but in a different direction. I was sore all day, and my lower back hurt from the shifting weight. I actually had a small glimpse into the pains that my wife and other women experience for nine full months! It2019s truly an amazing sacrifice.201d