Your maternity photoshoot is all about you and your baby bump, so take the opportunity to dress up in a stunning maternity gown from my collection to show off your body doing The Most Amazing Thing it will ever do!
The size of each gown is listed below. However, the stretchy fabric means that smaller sizing is VERY flexible, and the larger dresses can be pegged out-of-sight behind you to ensure a form-fitting shape if needed.
1. Full-length, opaque white maternity gown
This figure-hugging full-length white dress shows off your bump while keeping everything covered. It has a timeless, pure white design and high neckline. It’s a perfect choice if you’d prefer to keep visible skin to a minimum, and/or if you like clean lines and minimalist design. This dress looks best when worn with flesh-coloured underwear. Size: small.
2. Sleeveless, semi-transparent black maternity gown with revealed bump
This black maternity gown has a stretchy, opaque band around the bust-line. Below this it switches into a sheer transparent fabric with a slit at the front to show off your bump. The drape of the fabric can be adjusted to hide or reveal more of your stomach. This dress looks best worn with black underwear. Size: large.
3. Semi-opaque off-shoulder pink maternity gown with train
This soft pink dress has dropped off-the-shoulder sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and an opaque, figure-hugging body from chest to thigh. From thigh to floor the fabric is transparent with two long train sections which are ideal for bringing drama and movement into your images, as with beautiful Tamisha’s portrait above. Size: one-size-fits all.
4. Full-length, part-transparent white maternity gown with lace sleeves
This floor-length dress has a shorter, opaque layer with a sweetheart neckline beneath a lace/sheer outer layer. Layers and textures photograph beautifully, so this dress ticks both boxes! It’s a great choice if you’d prefer to keep your arms hidden, and has a tie back waist to help emphasise your new curves. This dress looks best when worn with flesh-coloured underwear. Size: medium-large.
5. Full-length, opaque silver maternity gown with trail
This floor-length dress has a sweetheart neckline and opaque fabric throughout except for the sheer trail. It’s a great dress for a dramatic portrait with lots of curves and movement. This dress works best when worn with flesh-coloured underwear. Size: medium.
6. Off-shoulder, semi-transparent full-length lace maternity gown in lavender
This floor-length dress has an all-over lace layer, beneath which an opaque section provides full cover across your mid-body. The semi-transparent lace sleeves and lower half of the skirt show off the texture of the lace, while the plunging sweetheart neckline and figure-hugging fabric show off your pregnancy curves. Size: 8.
7. Off-shoulder, transparent lace white maternity gown with revealed bump
This dress has off-the-shoulder sleeves with an opaque lace sweetheart neckline. Below this it switches into a sheer transparent fabric with a slit at the front to show off your bump. The drape of the fabric can be adjusted to hide or reveal more of your stomach. This dress works best when worn with flesh-coloured underwear. Size: medium-large.
8. Sleeveless, transparent white maternity gown with revealed bump
This dress is one of my favourites. It’s sleeveless, with an extra layer of fabric across the straight-across bust-line for modesty, while the rest of the dress is sheer lace. It looks especially beautiful with soft, dreamy lighting and has a slit down the front of the skirt to show off your bump. This dress works best when worn with flesh-coloured underwear. Size: small.
9. Cold-shoulder mermaid/fishtail chiffon maternity gown with ruffle sleeves
This floor-length white dress has a gently scooped neckline and ‘cold-shoulder’ sleeves ending with subtle transparent ruffles which continue across the neckline. The opaque body ends at mid-thigh level, with more transparent ruffles spilling onto the floor to give a mermaid/fishtail effect. Best worn with flesh-coloured underwear if you have it. Size: large.
I also have a full-length transparent gown in white lace (size: large), an opaque peach lace gown (size: small) with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a black maternity polo neck jumper (looks fab worn with black knickers or dark jeans). I’m always adding to my collection, so check back again soon!
What else can I bring to wear for my maternity photoshoot?
Here are some outfit ideas that you might like to consider, in addition to wearing one or more of the maternity gowns above.
Casual clothes
What might you wear to a casual lunch with friends? This outfit type is a great way to remember everyday life during your pregnancy. Textures or layers work particularly well. Avoid outfits with bright patterns, logos or graphics as these can distract from your face.
Sports, hobby or special interest outfits/uniforms
For Agni and Leonardo, Capoeira is such a central part of their lives together that it was important for them to include this in their maternity photoshoot with me, leading to some incredibly unique and personal images. For other couples, it might be a cosplay duo, a particular music band T-shirt
A collared shirt
This could be your shirt or your partner’s shirt, worn unbuttoned to show off your bump. If you or your partner wear a work uniform that includes a shirt, wearing this during your maternity photoshoot creates a really powerful image that captures one of your other roles in life, as well as mum and dad-to-be.
Implied nude
Sometimes the best outfit is… nothing at all. Show off the incredible miracle of your pregnancy in beautifully lit, atmospheric, fine art images with no distractions at all.
I totally understand that this isn’t for everybody, but if you’re undecided, I encourage you to be brave and give it a go. All the images are done very tastefully, with your modesty fully protected. If you don’t love them, you don’t have to keep them, but if we don’t capture them, you don’t get the choice later. It’s VERY relaxed at my studio, so I’ll put you at ease and guide you through everything.
Traditional dress
If you are welcoming your baby into a culture with a traditional style of dress, why not start now and include it as part of your maternity photoshoot? You could wear a complete full-length outfit, or you can simply introduce elements of traditional dress into a modern outfit as Ana did, above.
Continuation theme
Here’s your opportunity to get really creative. Is there a hobby or interest in your life that could also show the passing of time (e.g. like the larger knitted blanket in the second picture above)? Or perhaps you’d simply like to capture you and your baby in a way that mirrors how you held your bump when you were anticipating their arrival? Just let me know and I can plan to capture the sequence in a way that will work most effectively.
Stuck for ideas? Let me know that you’re interested in continuing a theme between your maternity and newborn photoshoots with me. During our pre-shoot consultation phone call, I’ll ask questions to find out a little more about you, and then suggest ideas for you to choose from.
How to book
If you’d like to get booked in, or if you have any questions about maternity photography with me, please get in contact.
Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and maternity photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire). You can her awards and qualifications here and her client reviews here.
