Maternity photo shoot in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey
This maternity photo shoot was the result of a personal recommendation. My services were recommended to Rathees and Priya, by Tripti Kaur. Tripti did Priya’s hair and make up for her wedding.
It is always nice to be recommended!
Tripti must have done a good job of recommending me as a photographer. Rathees and Priya live in the Midlands, yet they were willing to drive to my studio in Kingston upon Thames for their maternity photo shoot. This is quite a serious committment for a pregnant mum, and I made sure we discussed what Priya would do if her baby arrived early while she was down here. Fortunately everything went smoothly.
To tell the truth, I suspect they also drove the distance because they knew and trusted Tripti as a make up artist.
Make up by Tripti Kaur
I have worked with Tripti a number of times, and she works mostly with Asian brides. My photos may not do full justice to Tripti’s hair styling, because in order to complete the shoot before darkness fell, we went out on location before doing the studio part of the photo shoot. That means the wind got at Priya’s hair before I took the serious studio shots. Aaargh! Never mind… Still looks good though.
Can I do a maternity photo shoot on location and in the studio?
Yes, of course I can. I can do your maternity photo shoot entirely in the studio, or on location, or both. I am a bespoke photographer, and I custom design my photo shoots for my clients. For more information check out my website for the types of photo shoots I offer.
As soon as Tripti had finished working her make up magic, we headed out to our first locationfor. I wanted to take some natural looking shots. But with the sun low in the sky I decided to add some more dramatic photos, with the sun in the frame.
After taking photos at our first location, we headed back to the studio for a change of dress. Then we headed out to our second location. The sun was setting as we arrived, but I took advantage of the night sky to provide a nice background for some atmospheric photos.
After the sun had set, we drove back to my studio for the studio shots, plus one more change of outfit.
Love and attention
This particular maternity photo shoot will be memorable for me because Priya and Rathees are such nice people, and together they make a very, very charming couple. I was touched by the love, the care, and the consideration that is evident as Rathees looks after his wife. At times like this I feel very privileged to be admitted into such a close circle so I can make a photographic record of these special times, and these special relationships. It is a real honour, and it is lovely to be trusted to this job.
After the photo shoot
I had to wait quite a few weeks before Priya and Rathees could drive down to KIngston upon Thames, for their viewing in my studio. I was delighted to meet little Janvi, who is an exceptionally beautiful baby girl. Priya also brought me some cake from the “Baby Shower” for me! Although Rathees and Priya are clients, and I have a professional relationship with them, I feel I have made some new friends in the Midlands.
I pride myself on finding out what my clients want, and then helping them get that. This is why all my photo shoots, maternity or otherwise, are designed for each client. Rathees and Priya asked me if I could include a small number of their own photos in the album I designed. These photos were taken by family friends at the “baby shower” they had in their home before Janvi was born. At times like this I am willing to include a few photos like this, as long as there are just a few of them. In my eyes the album is more important than my vanity as a photographer, and I understand why it is nice for new parents to want a single record of such a special time.
Would you like to hire me for a maternity, baby or family photo shoot?
Do you like the photographs on my website? Would you like me to capture special images of your family and loved ones? Click here if you are thinking of booking me for a maternity photo shoot or any other kind of family photo shoot.
Technical photography stuff
When I shoot on location, I always ask myself; “where is the light coming from?” “what is the nature of the light”, “how am I going to use the light that is available?”, and “am I going to complement it with my own lighting?”
Shooting with the sun in frame, a photographer needs to reduce the apparent brightness of the sun. As always, the options for controlling the exposure are the ISO, the shutter speed, and the aperture. However, depending on the flash system you are using it may not be possible to use a shutter speed faster than perhaps in the region of 1/250 of a second or so.
The shot with the sun in the background was taken using the flash on full power. The ISO was 100, the shutter speed was 1/200s, and the aperture was F20. In addition the lens had a 3 stop neutral density (ND) filter that cuts the amount of light entering the camera by 7/8th (Ie it only lets 1/8th of the light through).
