Over this past winter, I’ve been busily putting together my ideas to begin offering studio maternity photos. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, my photography business has gone through many different iterations in terms of what I offer.
When I started, I photographed EVERYTHING. In my past life as a postpartum and newborn nurse, I worked with new moms and babies so, once my business was off the ground, I shifted toward a concentration in this area. As time has passed and my kiddos have gotten older, I’ve started to feel pulled in too many different directions so, this past September, I decided that I didn’t have the bandwidth for afternoon/evening sessions which meant that I’d be giving up maternity clients (*sob*).
This didn’t feel great to me so I spent the late fall and early winter thinking about how I could still offer the sessions that I loved but do it in a way that was sustainable to me and my family life. I initially considered sticking with maternity sessions in a local studio and a local greenhouse but, for various reasons, these places weren’t going to work out long term.
So I started thinking about ways I could transition my existing studio to be able to offer studio maternity photos. And, dangit, you guys, it has really come together!
I read a quote somewhere that really resonated with me and this gist of it is this: If I only take photographs that other people like, my work will feel unexciting and I’ll always just produce the same old thing. *BUT* if I start prioritizing creating the kind of images that I love to look at, the kind that I’m really passionate about and that I’m excited to edit and share, then and only then will I really begin to attract my dream clients.
Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t worked with my fair share of dream clients. I *absolutely* have. But here’s a prime example of what I mean: One of the services I provide for my newborn clients is a comprehensive questionnaire that enables them to select exactly what they want to see in terms of posing, colors, props, etc. This is great for the client, in the sense that if they want, for example, blue and gold fabrics to coordinate with their baby’s nursery, they can make that request and I can try to deliver (within my ability and resources).
HOWEVER, if I want to display an Instagram feed that is all neutral and earth tones, I’m going to have a hard time selecting images to display in my feed that fit that theme if all my clients choose greens and oranges and purples (and few do… this is just an example). I can still provide a valuable service to my clients by providing neutral-colored fabrics which will coordinate with bolder colors and it’s a win-win situation. It’s actually a win-win-win situation. They get gorgeous heirloom-quality images that coordinate well with their homes, I get a beautifully aesthetic IG feed, and my future clients get to see exactly what I produce so they can make a well-informed decision about hiring me.
So. Back to studio maternity photos. I’m really excited about the simple, tasteful additions I’ve made to the studio. Some new flooring, sheer floor-to-ceiling-curtains, a neutral bench, and a black framed mirror later, and I was at the point where I put all the elements together to see how everything looked. This past week I did a model call so I could get some sample images out into the world and OHMYSTARS it was everything I dreamed and more.
Poor Nicola had to listen to me rhapsodize her entire session – I honestly was even annoying myself by the end – but she and her husband Philip were pros. They were open to all of my ideas, and together we created the imagery that has been dying to get out of my head and into the world. These studio maternity photos are *everything* I was hoping they’d be and MORE. Now, when prospective clients reach out about a studio maternity session, I’ll be ready with a full gallery for them to view and a heart bursting with enthusiasm for this new venture of mine.
So, yes, it’s true, my outdoor photo session days are behind me. But the door to creating classic, timeless, *breathtaking* imagery for my maternity clients has been kicked wide open and has taken a new direction that I couldn’t be more excited about! Tell me in the comments: what do you think of the new studio maternity photos I’m offering? I’m calling them Pure Maternity Sessions 🤍🤍🤍
Liz Viernes Photography is based near Fulton, MD, and specializes in maternity, fresh 48, posed and lifestyle newborns and first year milestone portraits.
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