Intimate Maternity and Postpartum | Oahu belly to baby
First pregnancies are full of so much unknown. Sometimes it all happens so fast, sometimes it feels like eternity. Very often I get families who didn’t photographer their first but later came to wish they had. So when I get the opportunity to do a belly to baby (maternity and newborn session) for these two, I was thrilled. Icing on the cake? This mom wanted raw, authentic, powerful and intimate motherhood images. Its hard sometimes going through the shifts our bodies make, it doesn’t always make us feel glamorous so when I get the opportunity to celebrate these changes my heart skips a beat. So we romped in some tall grass, she tossed on one of the open front wrap gowns in my client closet and we dove right in!
It was also important for this momma to have a natural, vintage look so she opted for a classic white button up collared shirt and some torn blue jeans. I am all about glamming it up with my client closet because sometimes having access to outfits you don’t have to buy especially while your body is changing, can be a huge stress relief for some families. But I equally love keeping it simple and this whole section felt like a romantic stroll, being able to have that quality time together and celebrate new life.
The cool thing about locations like this and casual outfits is they transition really well into the water! This mom mentioned wanting to get in the water and we were able to hide from the elements in a little cove which was such a beautiful contrast in her absolute femininity in motherhood. This worked out perfectly as we adventured on the North Shore of Hawaii where the winter swell season was slowly starting to fade, so the privacy of the cove did us double benefit when taming down the waters…although there was still enough waves to cause us a bit of chaos. Did I mentioned that my jaw hit the floor when the both of them stepped out of the vehicles and I realized they were covered in tattoos!?!?! Total soft spot for me and I’m so glad we were able to showcase that art even more along with her growing belly when we got into this section!!!!
I was lucky enough to be able to end the session with this gorgeous momma trying one of my newest Reclamation Design gowns, which she absolutely rocked and made me fall in love with the dress even more than I had before. Little did we know less than a week from this night, she’d be holding the most darling little man!!!
And then we get to the baby part…intimate in-home postpartum session
One of the things I love most about in-home sessions is how relaxed they can be. How they take the pressure off of getting everything together, keep you in the healing space of your home and allow you to cement these memories in the spaces where you figure it all out together. I like to think of my in-home sessions like your regular 35mm family photos you have in your own album…just elevated a bit. We moved around a lot of kids, and my kids more around a lot now due to being a military family. I love sitting down and talking about the places we’ve lived, showing them photos of themselves when they were smaller and in those spaces they’ve long forgotten. It keeps our history alive and tangible in a way. I love how we can get portraits together that feel like you, that give your baby a glimpse at what life was like in this newness. That hopefully when you look back on they feel nostalgic and true.
There’s always something a bit magical in the ordinary for me. I think these little moments are were big things can happen. This unassuming life where we go about routine tasks and witness moments sometimes without thinking where we start to see ourselves and our partners morph into something more. We take a step back and see how much we’ve grow together, learn together, cry and struggle together. Sometimes we get a chance to pause in the small moments and marvel at how big they really are. I love seeing motherhood and these dynamics unfold and the only thing more spectacular is being able to witness someone else see motherhood unfold too. This shared appreciation for this life.
So thankful to have had the opportunity to witness this journey unfold. As a military spouse, its not always in our starts to see families grow and be there for the journey so when these moment arise they’re extra special to me. I absolutely love these intimate portraits and creating magic in your home. I feel like sometimes in-home newborn photography gets a bad wrap with folks feeling like they need to have an immaculate home that’s completely curated. Yes, that’s always going to be a benefit but there’s so much more to it than that. If you’re on Oahu and thinking of doing an in-home session, I’d love the opportunity to chat with you about it!!!
