Often when preparing to book a maternity photo session, lots of questions arise.

• How close to the due date should we book the session?

• How many outfits should we plan for?

• What kinds of locations are available?

• What time of day is best?

• How does a maternity session work with my other child/children?

• If I have a special item, may I bring it to the photo session?

…. and many more! 

In my last blog post I discussed location options for your maternity session. Because we are in the Indianapolis area, the variety of options feels almost endless! You have so much to choose from so that your session is the perfect fit for YOU! Be sure to click to the last post to read all about your options!

Now on to planning the next step . . . TIME OF DAY!

The most ideal time to plan for your maternity photo session is at the beginning or the end of the day. I like to refer to morning and evening light as “yummy” light because of its warmth and beauty. It provides a naturally beautiful glow to skin tones and hair and eye color. This is particularly important for sessions that are held at locations with wide open sky or nature settings.

Because of work schedules, sunset sessions are often the most popular, but if I get to pick each time, my favorite time of day is sunrise! There is something just a bit more magical about that first morning light. It is quiet and we don’t have to worry about other people out and about. At sunrise, we will have most locations to ourselves first thing in the morning!

If we schedule your session for the end of the day, we usually check the sunset time and start about one to one and half hours prior to that time. If your photo session is scheduled for sunrise, we will check the time for sunrise and plan to start within 15 minutes of that time.

Sometimes because there is a big brother or big sister present at the photo session, sunrise or sunset does not work well because of bed time and other factors of a little one’s schedule. In these events, we will discuss at length what will work best for your family.

Sometimes this means starting a session earlier in the day or later in the morning and working with spots that provide some shade to avoid harsh sunlight. Rest assured that even if you have a little one that doesn’t fit into the “ideal time of day” for a maternity photo session, there are ways to work around it to ensure everyone is happy throughout the session and that it is a very enjoyable experience resulting in breathtaking photos for you to enjoy forever!

If your preference of location is more of an urban nature and we will be shooting in alleyways or with buildings around us, we will have more flexibility to schedule later in the morning or earlier in the evening. This is also true with locations that have a lot of tree cover that provides extra shade.

There are lots more questions that can arise as you prepare for your maternity session so be sure to check out my other blog posts for frequently asked questions!