![]() ‘My aim is to shoot as much as possible at around the 70mm focal length, but you don’t always have a big space. Kristina uses a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV fitted with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for the majority of her maternity work. Recommended kit list for maternity photography Some of the pictures are presented in black & white if I think they look better.’Īs one of the UK’s leading newborn and baby photographers, a maternity shoot is hopefully just the beginning of an ongoing relationship with a new family. ‘I tend to have a vision of how I want them to look when I’m taking them, so I edit them myself so that they are perfect. ‘Most clients start to lose their energy and enthusiasm after an hour and a half,’ she observes.Īfter the shoot, Kristina does the editing and post-production work herself. She works in manual exposure mode with an aperture generally around f/4 to f/5.6, and tries to keep the session to around 90 minutes. Kristina shoots on a 24-70mm lens fitted to her Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and tries to shoot everything at 50mm or longer unless she has to go wider for space reasons. This bump profile was rim-lit by two long softboxes placed behind the subject on either side That special touch ‘I use two lights just behind the model and at the same level – one on the left, and one on the right – each fitted with a long, narrow softbox.’ The rim lighting accentuates the curves of the subject, and of course the contours of the bump, to great effect. One of her favourite pictures to shoot is the black & white rim-lit nude torso, against the black background. ‘As it is one piece of fabric that I just clamp into place at the back, I don’t need multiple sizes of dresses, but most people think that it’s a dress when they see it.’ Some ladies bring their partner or an older child to the shoot with them and in these instances, Kristina includes some with them too.įor the final part of the session Kristina changes to the black background and at this point may do some nude shots. She has some stretchy grey fabric that the models wrap themselves in. Once she is finished with the white background Kristina moves on to the grey one. This is one of Kristina’s go-to poses: sitting on the floor by the window, which creates a lovely high-key image I actually have them look at the floor just beyond the breast nearest the camera, as this gives a better angle – you see more of the face and avoid the double chin.’ I do a mix of shots looking into the camera and down at the belly. ‘We do a few clothing changes, then move into something more bare, like underwear and a man’s shirt. ‘That’s where we can be a bit more dressy and glamorous with the outfits,’ she says. This is placed high above the model to create fashion-type images. She then introduces her Bowens studio flash, fitted with an Octobox – a giant 1.5m diameter softbox that produces beautifully soft light. They feel more glamorous, their expression changes, and they get more into their role as a model.’ With the billowy fabrics that often appear in her images, even the fan isn’t enough to create that effect – Kristina has an assistant to throw the trailing fabric into the air at the right moment. I also find that as soon as I turn them on it immediately affects the subject’s entire demeanour. ‘These are big fans that I bought from Screwfix,’ she says. Kristina uses a lot of fans on her shoots for blowing the hair and fabrics. The stretch fabric looks like a dress here Kristina takes some couples shots if the partner is present. My own make-up artist knows to make it a little brighter for the camera because in the pictures it will then look just right.’ ![]() I tell my clients that unless they’re very good at it always get it done professionally because it does make a big difference. Some clients have their own preferred stylists and will come to me already prepared. ‘I have a hair and make-up artist who comes in before the shoot. ‘I find that it empowers the women and gives them a confidence boost,’ she continues. Then we will go through everything they have brought and choose which ones to use.’ I ask my clients to bring white and black underwear and anything they want from their wardrobe that shows off the bump and makes them feel glamorous. I also have a selection of plain white men’s shirts and simple stretchy dresses. ‘Really light silk-like fabrics that I can throw, stretchy ones that I can wrap around and create a dress. ‘I have some fabrics in my studio,’ she says. Some women are drawn to light and airy portraits others like dark and moody nudes. ![]() ![]() Long before the day of the shoot Kristina talks to the client to get to know their tastes and expectations. The billowing fabric in this backlit pose was achieved using a combination of powerful fans and an assistant tossing the fabric into the air How do you prepare for a maternity photography shoot?
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