Couples Maternity Photos: How to Get Your Partner On Board
Here is the message I get more than almost any other: “I want maternity photos, but I don’t think I can get my husband to do it.”
I have good news for you. The partner who grumbles in the car on the way over is usually the one going quiet and a little misty by the end. I have watched it happen more times than I can count. Dads have teared up in my studio on more than one occasion, and it is the highest compliment this work gets.
So if you want your partner in these photos and you are already bracing for a fight, let me take that worry off your plate.
Couples maternity photos don’t have to be painful.
The real reason he is dragging his feet
Most of the time it is not that he does not care. It is that he has no idea what he is supposed to do. Where do the hands go. Is he looking at the camera or at you. Is he going to feel ridiculous. A guy who has never been photographed as anything but a face in a group shot is suddenly being asked to be tender and deliberate, and nobody ever showed him how.
That part is on me. You two show up, and I direct every second of it. Hand here. Chin down. Now tell her something that will make her laugh. He never has to guess, so he never gets the chance to feel awkward.
What couples maternity poses actually look like:
Forget the stiff, staring-at-the-camera prom pose. The frames couples keep are the close ones. His hands wrapping the bump from behind. Her back against his chest. The two of you cracking up at something dumb I said to get you there. Motion reads warmer than a held pose, so I keep you moving, walking, leaning in, whispering, and I catch the in-between.
My favorite couples frame, every single time, is the one where you both forget I am standing there.
One of my favorite maternity couples poses.
Studio or outside, for two
In the studio, it is controlled and close. Dramatic light, no distractions, just the two of you and a black backdrop. Outdoors, Colorado does the set dressing: golden aspens, the foothills, an alpine lake at the right hour, and room to actually walk together.
Couples who want cozy and sculpted lean studio. Couples who want the landscape in the story lean outdoor. A fair number book a little of both, and there is no wrong answer here.
What to wear so you read as a pair
Coordinate, do not match. Him in tones that sit next to your gown instead of fighting it. A henley and dark denim will beat a suit he tugs at all night, and one texture that ties your two looks together does more than a matched color ever will. My guide to what to wear walks through it for both of you.
And you still get plenty of just you
Here is the part worth saying out loud. A couples session is not all couple.
Every session I shoot includes frames of just you and the bump, even the family ones. This is your body doing something miraculous. He gets to be in it. He does not get to crowd it out.
A quick word on timing
The comfortable sweet spot is 30 to 34 weeks, bump unmistakable, you still moving easily. Popular weeks fill first, especially in the fall, so if you have talked your person into it, get on the calendar while the window is open.
Couples maternity photos: quick answers
What if my husband or partner doesn’t want to do a maternity shoot? Very common, and usually temporary. The reluctance is almost always “I won’t know what to do,” not “I don’t care.” I direct the whole thing, so he never has to figure it out on the fly.
Does my partner have to be in all the photos? No. Every session includes frames of just you and the bump, no matter who else is there.
What should my partner wear? Coordinate rather than match. Tones that sit beside your gown, comfortable enough that he forgets he is dressed up.
Can we do couples maternity photos outdoors? Absolutely. Outdoor sessions give you room to move together, which tends to loosen a nervous partner up faster than a studio does.
Do you photograph same-sex couples and all kinds of families? Yes, every one. My job is to make the two of you feel like yourselves, whoever the two of you are.
If you want your partner in this with you, I will make it easy on both of you. Tell me your due date and we will find your window.