Denver Maternity Photographer
The only maternity photography studio in Denver dedicated to pregnancy portraits. Eight years. Hundreds of mamas. One purpose-built space in the heart of the Art District.
Pregnancy Is Temporary. Photos Are Forever.
If you're looking for a maternity photographer in Denver, you've already found a dozen of us on Google. Most are generalists. They shoot weddings, families, seniors, newborns, and squeeze maternity sessions in between. Maternity is one product on a long menu.
I'm not that.
I shoot maternity. That's the entire business. Eight years of doing one thing. Hundreds of mamas. A studio in Denver's Art District built specifically for this work, with lighting, wardrobe, and equipment designed around the pregnant body. Nothing else happens here.
If you want a generalist who can do an okay job at maternity between weddings, you have plenty of options. If you want someone who's spent eight years getting this right, that's me.
This page covers what makes my Denver studio different from the rest, what to expect from a session, and how to start if you're ready to book.
Why a Dedicated Maternity Studio Matters
Most maternity photographers in Denver shoot from one of three places: their home, a rented co-op studio shared with five other photographers, or wherever they can find space that week.
The result is inconsistent. Lighting changes from session to session. The wardrobe lives in their car. The experience feels improvised because it is. I built a different model.
The studio at 910 Santa Fe Drive is a single-purpose space. It's not shared. It's not a converted living room. It's not a co-op. Every piece of equipment, every backdrop, every wardrobe item exists because it serves maternity work specifically.
What that means in practice:
Lighting that's dialed in. I don't reset for every session. The lighting setups I use most often are pre-positioned. Test shots are unnecessary. We start shooting within minutes of your arrival.
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A wardrobe that lives here. Over twenty pieces curated for how they photograph, hanging on a custom rack. You walk in, try on multiple looks, and we adjust styling in real time. No online ordering, no return shipping, no guessing about fit.
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Equipment built for editorial work. Professional grade strobes, modifiers, and backdrop systems that most portrait photographers don't invest in because they don't shoot enough volume to justify them. I do.
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Live tethered capture on three displays. Every shot lands on a 42-inch monitor and two secondary displays positioned throughout the space. You see your photos at scale, in real time. Not on the back of a camera at three inches.
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That last one is worth pausing on. Most photographers, including most maternity photographers in Denver, review images on the back of their camera during sessions. It's a 3-inch screen. You squint at it. You can't really see what you got. The photographer says "looks great" and you trust them.
I built my workflow around the opposite. You see every frame at scale, immediately. If something isn't working, we adjust. If something is working, we lean in. No surprises at delivery.
Specialization
I don't shoot weddings. I don't shoot families. I don't shoot seniors. I shoot maternity. That's it. When you book with me you get Denver’s only maternity expert. I’ve taught entire workshops on how to light a bump.
Specialization sounds like a marketing claim until you sit in the studio and see what it actually means. It means I know exactly how a 32-week bump moves differently than a 28-week bump. I know which poses work for plus-size mamas and which ones don't. I know what falls flat on darker skin tones with the wrong lighting and how to fix it. I know which fabrics photograph beautifully and which ones cling to bra lines.
Eight years of doing only this means the technical questions are solved. We can focus on the part that actually matters, which is how you feel during the session and how the images turn out.
What Makes My Approach Different
The Pregnant Athletes series
There's nothing else like this work in the country.
The Pregnant Athletes series captures pro and amateur athletes mid-stride during pregnancy. Runners running. Climbers climbing. Boxers throwing punches. Skiers in motion on snow. The series was published in Outside Magazine and built around a single thesis: pregnancy is not the end of strength, identity, or motion. It's a new chapter of all three.
No other maternity photographer in the country is doing this work at this depth. It's raw, it's empowering, it shows pregnancy in a way most people have never seen, and it draws a specific kind of Denver client Colorado Maternity: women who refuse to let their pregnancy define them as fragile, breakable, or done.
If you're an athlete, an instructor, a coach, a competitor, or just someone who runs and lifts and climbs and refuses to stop because of pregnancy, this is the work that exists for you. Indoor or outdoor. In motion or in stillness. It’s my favorite work.
Editorial lighting standards
Most portrait photographers work with one or two lights and modifiers they've owned for years. I work with editorial-grade lighting setups, the kind used by commercial fashion photographers, and I update equipment regularly.
Why it matters: editorial lighting gives you sculpted, dramatic, high-end looking images. The kind that look like they belong in a magazine. The kind your friends look at and say "where did you get those done."
The technical investment translates directly to how the final images look. It's not a coincidence that my Signature Collection portraits have the look they do.
What Mothers Have Said About the Work
Reviews tell the story of a Denver maternity studio better than I can. The pattern across 200+ five-star reviews is consistent: clients arrive uncertain, walk out transformed. The work is the shift, not the photo.
“It’s been awhile where I’ve looked at a photo of myself and felt truly beautiful, but Ethan gave that to me with these photos”
“I had THE most amazing experience with Ethan! I wasn’t planning on doing maternity photos – pregnancy has been a wild journey and I felt very disconnected from myself, so the last thing that interested me was getting photos done. But Ethan’s skills and style completely reversed that for me. The shoot was like coming into myself again and was SO much fun – I’m so grateful for Ethan and his talent.”
“I cannot even say enough good things about Ethan. He made me feel so comfortable and so empowered at the same time. I didn’t even really want maternity photos and just felt like I should ‘check the box’ to document it. It ended up being surprisingly therapeutic and one of the highlights of my pregnancy.”
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The studio sits at 910 Santa Fe Drive, in the heart of Denver's original Art District. Walking distance to dozens of galleries, working artist studios, and the kind of urban texture that exists almost nowhere else in Denver.
Five backdrops.
White, black, gray, deep textured tones, a range of solids and movement. We change backdrops in seconds, not minutes.
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The Studio on Santa Fe
A hair and makeup.
Professional ring lighting, full-length mirror, dedicated MUA on retainer for Goddess sessions. Hair and makeup happen here before the shoot starts.
The space itself:
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A curated client closet.
Over twenty pieces, including belly cutout dresses, sheer gowns, sculptural bodysuits, crop tops, and fabric drapes. Sizes range. Styles range from romantic to editorial to intimate.
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Live tethered capture.
Three displays positioned across the space. The 42-inch monitor handles full review. Smaller displays let your support people see what we're getting in real time.
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A private bathroom.
Sounds minor. It's not, especially in the third trimester.
Denver Maternity Studio Tour
See the studio for yourself ↓
What to Expect From a Denver Maternity Session
Before the session
After you inquire and book, we plan together. I send you the Maternity Style Guide and the Colorado Location Guide. We finalize wardrobe, decide on studio versus outdoor, lock in hair and makeup if your package includes it, and answer any questions about posing, partner involvement, or comfort level.
If you're using the client closet, we coordinate that. If you're shopping, I give you specific recommendations. If you have a specific pose or image idea, you send it and we plan around it.
I respond to texts and emails fast. Most of my clients say my responsiveness during planning is one of the things that surprised them most.
Session Day
You arrive at the studio. If your package includes hair and makeup, that happens first, usually 60 to 90 minutes before we start shooting. The MUA knows the pregnant body and works with you on a look that translates well to camera.
We start with whatever feels easiest. For most clients, that's a fitted dress or a bodysuit, fully clothed, simple lighting. The first ten minutes of any session are about getting comfortable. You see your first images on the monitor, the doubt starts to dissolve, and we move from there.
Session length depends on your package. Glow Sessions are 45 minutes with one outfit change. Signature Collection sessions are 60 minutes with two outfit changes. Goddess Experience sessions are 75 minutes with three outfit changes plus hair and makeup. Live image review happens throughout, so you're never wondering what we got.
After the session
Your full gallery goes live within 24 to 72 hours. You select your retouch images directly from the gallery interface.
Hand-retouched delivery follows within two to three weeks. Every image is hand-retouched, not run through a preset. Skin tones, fabric details, lighting consistency, all done frame by frame.
Final delivery includes high-resolution digital files for personal use. Print credit is included with Signature ($100) and Goddess (an 8x10 heirloom album).
Ready to plan a session?
Inquire with your due date. I'll respond within a few hours with availability, package recommendations, and any questions specific to your timing or location preferences.
Denver Locations Beyond the Studio
Denver Botanic Gardens.
Beautiful in spring and fall, requires a permit which I handle. Best for clients who want lush, natural backdrops without driving out of the city.
Cheesman Park and Washington Park.
Open green space, mature trees, the kind of relaxed urban-park feel that works for clients who want something between studio and full mountain. Late afternoon light through the trees is some of the best in the city.
The Art District itself.
Brick walls, weathered murals, urban texture. Good for clients who want their session to feel like Denver, not just like generic outdoor maternity. RiNo offers a similar industrial register if you want more edge.
I don't split a single session between locations. The logistics break down and the work suffers. What I do offer is a double session bundle: the Glow Session at $749, booked twice, with 10% off the second session. You get one studio shoot and one outdoor shoot for less than the cost of a single Signature Collection. Often times, mamas will choose a personal session for one and a couples session for the other!
For clients who want to combine studio work with outdoor,
Who I Photograph in Denver
First-time mothers
Most of my clients are first-timers. They've never done a maternity session, they're nervous about how they'll look, and they're not sure if it's worth the investment.
The first-time-mother conversion rate is one of the things I'm proudest of. Clients walk in convinced they'll feel awkward, and within five minutes of the first image landing on the monitor, the entire dynamic shifts. They become collaborators in their own session.
“There are not enough positive adjectives to describe the overall experience, comfort and excitement around the work Ethan does to provide the best client experience. When you enter, it is immediately about you, your comfort levels, and what makes you feel most beautiful and authentically yourself.”
Second and third-time mothers
A significant portion of my Denver clients are mothers on their second or third pregnancy who didn't book a maternity session the first time around and regret it. The most common phrase I hear from them: "I didn't know what I was missing."
One in three of my clients books me again for a second pregnancy. The strongest endorsement isn't the five-star review. It's the return inquiry.
“I had maternity photos done earlier in my pregnancy with another photographer and was disappointed. Taking photos during this time is so vulnerable and the way they turn out can really make or break already fragile confidence. Thankfully, I was able to get in for a redo just in time at 39 weeks with Colorado Maternity and I’m so glad I did.”
Pregnant athletes
Runners. Climbers. Boxers. Lifters. Yoga instructors. Snowboarders. Skaters.
The Pregnant Athletes series I shot for Outside Magazine attracted a specific kind of Denver client: women who don't want their pregnancy to define their identity, and who want maternity portraits that show who they were before pregnancy alongside who they are during it.
If athletic identity is part of how you see yourself, my studio is set up to capture that.
“Ethan did a great job capturing some on ice maternity photos that highlight my past as a figure skater and coach while transitioning into this next stage of life. He made sure I felt comfortable while working with me to get some interesting poses that we both liked beyond the average maternity shoot. I would highly recommend him, especially for active moms to be that want to capture both parts of their life.”
Mothers traveling to Denver
A meaningful portion of my work comes from clients flying in from out of state. They come because of portfolio research, because of the Outside Magazine feature, or because they're already booking a Colorado babymoon and want a session while they're here.
For traveling clients, the studio's all-inclusive setup matters more than usual. You don't have time to shop for a gown. The client closet covers it.
“Ethan is the best!!! I came out from California to do my maternity shoot with him at 32 weeks and I am so happy that I did. I absolutely love my pictures and he was so good at knowing how to tell me to pose. I also felt so comfortable with him. I highly recommend booking with him!!”
Plus-size mothers
Body diversity matters to me, and the studio is set up for it. Posing for plus-size mothers is different from straight-size posing, and most photographers haven't done enough of it to know the difference. I have. The client closet includes pieces in extended sizes. The lighting flatters across body types.
“Ethan did an INCREDIBLE job capturing my pregnancy with my rainbow baby. I was a little nervous given I am a plus size pregnant woman but he made me feel so comfortable, beautiful, and confident.””
Mothers of every skin tone
Photographing a wide range of skin tones takes intentional craft. Most maternity photographers default to lighting that works for fair skin and produces flat, washed-out results on darker skin tones.
I light each session for the specific person in front of the camera.
“I was quite hesitant about doing this because I wasn’t sure if I could find anyone who knew how to work with dark skinned women. Ethan was definitely the guy. The nude photos ended up being my favorites. They were so powerful”
Pricing
Glow Session | $749
Forty-five minute shoot. Fifteen edited photos. One outfit change. Studio or outdoor. Add-ons available for client closet ($75), premium retouching ($100), and hair and makeup ($175).
Signature Collection | $1299
Sixty minute shoot. Twenty-five edited photos. Two outfit changes. Client closet access included. Premium retouching included. $100 print credit. Studio or outdoor.
Goddess Experience | $1999
Seventy-five minute shoot. Fifty edited photos. Three outfit changes. Client closet access included. Premium retouching included. Professional hair and makeup included. Priority scheduling. 8x10 heirloom album included.
Two-session bundles available. Glow Session booked twice with 10% off the second runs $1,348 total. Best for Studio and Outdoor.
Flat deposits hold your date: $49 for Glow, $99 for Signature, $199 for Goddess.
