The Art of Pregnancy Photography

Copyright © 2008 by Jennifer George.
All rights reserved.

All photos by Jennifer George unless otherwise indicated.

Published by:
Amherst Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 586
Buffalo, N.Y. 14226
Fax: 716-874-4508
www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse
Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins
Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt
Editorial Assistant: John S. Loder

ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-218-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007926870
Printed in Korea.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1. PREPARING FOR THE SESSION

Location

Scheduling the Session

Clothing and Makeup

2. CONNECTING WITH YOUR CLIENTS

Building the Relationship

Share Your Vision

Be Encouraging

Photographing Nude Subjects

Connecting with Children

3. PROPS, FABRICS, AND BACKGROUNDS

Props

Fabrics

Backgrounds

4. POSING

The History of Posing

Conceptualizing the Pose

The Basic Pose

Perspective

Corrective Techniques

Posing Couples

Posing with the Children

Posing Groups

Gaining Expertise

5. COMPOSING THE PORTRAIT

Balance

Relative Size

Rhythm

Rule of Thirds

Leading Lines

Color Harmony

Subject’s Relationship to the Light

Angle of View

Troubleshooting

6. LIGHTING IN THE HOME

Hard vs. Soft Light

Finding the Best Light

7. STUDIO LIGHTING

The Toolbox

Light Ratios

Broad and Short Lighting

Basic Light Patterns

Simulating Window Light

8. RETOUCHING AND CREATIVE EFFECTS

Basic Retouching of Skin

Digital Slimming

Nik Software’s Midnight Filter

Basic Retouching and Enhancement

Nik’s Monday Morning Filter

Border Effects

Fantasy Images

9. MARKETING AND SALES

Marketing Is Essential to Success

Your Image

Brochures and Flyers

Postcards

Newspaper and Magazine Ads

Your Website

Television Ads

Word of Mouth

Keep Them Coming Back for More

Portrait Displays

Public Relations

Generating Your Own Buzz

Sales

10. PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Kevin Kubota

Terri Lee

Tim Meyer

Gail Patrice

Kim Treffinger

Carl Caylor

Gigi Clark

Kathleen and Jeff Hawkins

Judy Host

Index

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“At last, we have someone who creates breathtaking new images.”—Tony Corbell

Jennifer George owns and operates Jennifer George Photography in San Diego, CA. She received her Masters degree from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in only three years’ time and received her Photographic Craftsman degree the next year. After winning the California Photographer of the Year Award in 2001 from Professional Photographers of California she was able to travel across the state, sharing her award-winning portrait style and inspiring others to tap into their creativity. Jennifer received the Grand Premiere and First Place Awards at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) print competition in 2003, then won the gold-level Photographer of the Year Award from PPA in 2005. She taught at the PPA Women in Photography convention in 2004 and spoke and taught at the annual WPPI convention on three separate occasions. Six of her works have been selected for National Loan Exhibition by PPA. Additionally, two of her prints were selected for the PPA display in Seoul, Korea, in 2005.

Jennifer has quickly gained a reputation for her innovative, heartfelt style and is passionate about reaching out to other photographers. She is a frequent guest lecturer at colleges, universities, photography affiliate organizations, and workshops in the United States and abroad.

The Art of Pregnancy Photography
is Jennifer’s second publication. She joined with other photographers to produce
A Mother’s Touch
(Zondervan Publishing House [a division of HarperCollins Publishers] 1998), a book of photos and quotes from women on motherhood. Her photos and statements have appeared in
Professional Photographer
magazine,
The Portrait Photographer’s Guide to Posing
(Bill Hurter; Amherst Media, 2004),
The Portrait Photographer’s Handbook
(Bill Hurter; Amherst Media, 2005), and
Digital Photography for Children’s and Family Portraiture
(2nd ed., Kathleen Hawkins; Amherst Media, 2008).

In an interview in
The Portrait Photographer’s Guide to Posing,
Jennifer said, “I push myself creatively in order to create things my clients have never seen before.” Jennifer also explains that her signature style includes the use of body makeup and skin tone changes because she is enthralled with the idea that who we are is much more than skin deep, and it doesn’t matter what color you are on the outside. She says, “It is the soul underneath that is so beautiful.”

Jennifer teaches other photographers to cultivate the technical skills they need to enhance their images. However, she strongly feels that photography has moved away from a technical skill and into the realm of accepted creative art. She says, “Albert Einstein said that creativity is more important than knowledge. All the knowledge in the world will never allow you to touch others with emotions and to touch their soul—that’s the role of creativity.”

INTRODUCTION

A
re you looking for a new genre that will allow you to increase your studio’s revenue? Would you like to secure the job of producing a family’s portrait work for the next eighteen to twenty-five years? Do you want to take advantage of an emerging market trend in portrait photography? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider adding maternity photography to your studio’s repertoire.

Images of pregnant women were once taboo in our culture, but in 1991 when Demi Moore posed for the cover of
Vanity Fair
magazine while seven months pregnant, a shift occurred in how our culture views pregnant women. That single photograph opened the doors for society to acknowledge and celebrate the beauty of the pregnant body.

The demand for images of women who are pregnant has never been greater. Magazines are filled with photos of celebrities proudly showing off their pregnant figures, and women everywhere want to document their beauty during pregnancy. This is a relatively new and highly profitable market for portrait photographers. Portraits of pregnant women have become elegant, sensual, and intimate. The relationship you build with your clients during the maternity session can also lead to future portrait sessions with the women and their families—and that’s good news for the professional wedding and portrait photographer.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

“Words cannot fully describe the beauty of
these photos. They are amazing. Both Kent
and Keira look like heavenly angels. I
really feel like you captured my feelings
about my pregnancy too.”
—Christine R.

Historically, a wedding photographer would book a couple’s engagement/wedding photo session; a portrait photographer would take newborn, early childhood, and family portraits; then another photographer would take the children’s school and senior portraits. Even if you were a wedding and portrait photographer and recorded all of those events in a client’s life, there was little more you could do. However, by adding maternity photography to your studio’s repertoire, you have another opportunity to strengthen your relationship with your clients, document an important milestone in their lives, and add value to your services. Imagine taking a new client from engagement to wedding photos, to maternity photos, to newborn photos, to children’s photos, to family portraits, to senior portraits, and then to engagement photos—the full circle. The market is such that if you can produce a beautiful image of a pregnant woman, you will have that family’s portrait work for the next fifteen years—at a minimum. More and more photographers are seeing maternity photography as a natural evolution for wedding photographers who want to continue the relationship they have already established with their clients.

There are times when all the elements come together in a split second and you have the opportunity to capture an amazing moment. This beautiful family was close and tender with each other; only slight refinements to the pose were required to compose the story. This image was created in the studio using window light. A black panel was used at camera left to deepen the shadows. The portrait was captured with a Fuji FinePix S2 Pro camera at
¹
/60 second at f/4.0 with an ISO of 400. After the image was retouched in Photoshop, it was enhanced with the Nik Color Efex Pro 2.0 Midnight filter.