This is the second time this summer that I have been commissioned by another well-known family portrait photographer to take their family photos! As a professional photographer herself, Gemma has tons of gorgeous photographs of her kids, Romy and Lawrence, and plenty of photos of the children with dad, but barely any family photos with herself in them. I know this is not just a problem for photographers; so many of my clients tell me the same thing: that one parent is always the one behind the camera! Anyway, with a third child now on the way it was a perfect reason for Gemma to commission some beautiful pregnancy photos, as well as a variety of family photos - and we made sure that she was the main focus of all the images.

Pregnancy photography

Whilst slightly daunting, it’s such a pleasure to work with another creative in planning their maternity photo shoot, down to the location, lighting and what to wear. Gemma loved my warm, sun-kissed style of pregnancy photos, so that is the look we were going for, with everything else built around that. The most important, albeit unpredictable, part of this is needing a gorgeous sunny day - and having the kids stay up late into the evening for golden hour (the hour right before sunset)! Fortunately we were amazingly lucky with the weather and the children loved scampering around outdoors. Dad was on hand too for some child-wrangllng where necessary! We decided on Richmond Park, which I know really well. It's the perfect spot to catch the late evening sunshine, with the long grasses catching the light beautifully.

What to wear for maternity photo shoots

Long flowy dresses are perfect for pregnancy photos and ASOS is a great place to look for options. Gemma knows herself how well pale nudes and pinks photograph, especially in fields of golden grass - and the delicate beading on her dress adds interest. She dressed little Romy in a similar pale pink dress (but not too matchy-matchy), and Lawrence in soft blues. And how cool is dad’s suede jacket?! This is a great look that has character but doesn’t detract the eye from Gemma’s outfit. Having your hair and make up done professionally can make a big difference to how polished the final images look too.

London maternity photographers

I was absolutely honoured that Gemma and her family came all the way from Hampshire for their session with me in London - and I hope these lovely photos go a little way towards making up for her family portrait deficit! For any other expectant mums-to-be, or parents who always find themselves behind the camera, I would be thrilled to help you too.