Winter Maternity Sessions, let’s talk about it.

When you think of maternity sessions you probably think of sun glows and flowing dresses. You may think of summer and warm weather. For those that live in the south this may be an option almost year round, but for us in the PNW its not for more than half the year.

So what are you going to do? You are having a winter baby. How are you going to get beautiful photos in the winter? Let’s talk about it.

First off what you wear is important.

Layering up is key. You can still wear that flow dress but you may want to wear a sweater over the top. We can always take those layers off for a few quick photos and put them back on quickly! I think that winter fashion can be so beautiful as well for pregnancy. You can get any look you want as long as you plan ahead to keep yourself warm in between shots.

Picking your location

Picking a winter location is important. In the PNW we are not going to get the same effect in summer as in winter at the locations that we love. Big open fields full of tall grass are now short or dead grass. The beach is no longer swimmable so dipping your toes is not really an option.

I like to embrace the winter look. We can start thinking forest because here we have evergreen trees or the mountains because we have a fair amount of snow. While those locations I mentioned above are still possible you may not get the most out of them in the winter. So think about the location and if you need help ask your photographer for help.

Best time of day to have your session

As we know here in the PNW we have short winters. This can greatly change the time of day that you would be having your session versus in the Summer time. Having a sunset session in January means shooting around 3:30-4:00 PM rather that 8:30 in June. So when is the best time? Usually to get the most gorgeous light on a sunny day without overcast we are looking at 30-45 minutes before the sun goes down or alternatively 30-45 mintutes after the sun comes up. This provides really soft light which is what you want! But let’s face it. If we waited for a nice day that actually worked into our schedule we would already have had our babies! Am I right? So finding a day that it doesn’t rain is more doable and if that means an overcast sky then hey lets take it. Overcast skies provide just as soft light and if you are a true blue PNW lover, you love a calm overcast day just as much.

I hope that helps you winter mamas here in the PNW get more clarity on what to expect and what to think about when planning your winter maternity sessions! Leave a comment if you were or are a winter mama with winter babies!