DIY Maternity Photo Shoot Ideas

Pregnancy is a temporary but special state in life, so we want to document this exciting phase as much as possible like many others. One of the most popular ways to record this journey is a maternity photo session towards the end of the pregnancy to fully showcase the bump, and we chose to do the very same at 35 weeks.

What’s slightly different for us though, is that we opted not to hire a photographer for this photo shoot, but to do it ourselves! With the help of a tripod and modern technologies, we were able to make this happen and honestly we were quite happy with how the photos turned out!

We browsed online for maternity photo ideas and determined a few different themes/locations that worked for us, then we prepared and tested our equipment to make sure everything works as intended before the formal shoot:

A camera that supports Wi-Fi connection to a smartphone - though a remote or setting up a timer also works, we find that controlling the camera from a smartphone app is the most efficient way of self portraits as you will be able to adjust camera settings from afar. We used Nikon Z6 for our photos.
A lens of your choice - determining which lens to use in advance is critical as it will ultimately impact the distance between the camera and focus point. We used Nikon 85mm F1.8 lens.
A good and steady tripod that supports different heights and angles.

Favorite Local Park

The first photo location of our choice is a favorite local park near home, it’s easy to travel to and can provide us with the perfect natural theme that we love.

We took our photos at Yorba Linda Regional Park, it’s a park we’ve been to many times before, so we were able to quickly find the spots that were ideal for our purpose. Once we got there, we started setting up the gears and went into action.

We tried a few different backdrops in the park. It’s simply joyful to take a walk and check out different views on any day even if you’re not here for a photo shoot.

(Looking up the photography rules of a location prior to any photo shoot session is highly recommended.)

Favorite Corners At Home

What’s more cozy than snapping some photos at the most comfortable place on earth, at home! Plus, if you’re expecting your very first child like us, we heard this might be the last time for a while that your home is clean and tidy, so why not take the chance!

The Classic White Curtain Backdrop

Probably one of the most classic yet simple portrait ideas is to take photos with white (or other light color) curtains in the back, it’s relatively easy to find a spot like this and requires minimum set-up.

The natural lighting through the sheer fabric is superb and ideal for photos, adding that soft and gentle touch to this already loving theme.

A Pampering Milk Bath

Two birds with one stone - why not pamper yourself with a milk bath while taking some memorable photos at the same time!

We have to admit, this is not one of those settings that we could take our couple photos like all other places, but moms-to-be deserve some special treatments in this journey more than anyone else, so let’s put those future dads in work here!

Your Favorite/Iconic Corner At Home

Whether this is your couch, kitchen, bedroom, nursery, or backyard, you probably have a corner that you love the most at home or that has special meanings to you. So capture some moments here!

After all, photos are just one of the many ways to document this extra special time, so just have fun with it regardless of how and where you choose to shoot at.

And last but not least, best wishes to all parents to be out there! We know we certainly need it ourselves :)