Maternity photo shoot Surrey

Maternity photo shoot Surrey

A maternity photoshoot in Surrey is a lovely idea at any time of year in any of our beautiful Surrey Hills locations. However, with Spring’s arrival, getting outside in the fresh air and increased daylight hours is appealing to us all. It can be the ultimate way to boost our sense of well-being.

Can a maternity photo shoot outdoors enhance my well-being?

With Spring’s arrival, getting outside in the fresh air and increased daylight hours is appealing to us all. It can be the ultimate way to boost our sense of well-being.

If you are reading this and you are entering your final trimester of pregnancy then now is the perfect time for an outdoor maternity photo shoot.  I recommend having a maternity photo shoot when you are between 27 and 36 weeks pregnant. Any later and you may feel too uncomfortable. If you are expecting twins or this is your second or third baby then you might consider an earlier date for your shoot. You can read more about my maternity sessions here.

Mum’s who have come to me for a maternity shoot in the past have all described their shoot as being relaxed and a very enjoyable experience to have prior to giving birth. I have shared some of their testimonials at the end of this blog post so you can hear about their experiences first hand. Creating some time for yourself, to enjoy a maternity shoot outdoors in the spring or summer is a proper treat and it has the power to enhance your well-being and then of course your babies well-being too!

I am now offering a reduced session fee when you book your maternity and newborn sessions at the same time. If you are pregnant and wish to have a maternity photo shoot in Farnham or in any of the surrounding areas of Surrey, Hampshire or London, then please get in touch with me using the contact page here on my website.

How might an outdoor maternity photo shoot enhance your well-being?

The colours of nature, particularly those delicate and fresh green’s of spring-time, are well known to enhance our mood and overall sense of well-being. Out of the grey days and earthy tones of winter, greenery dramatically unfolds as the predominating colour of spring and all things associated with new life and positivity. Being outside, enjoying the transformation from winter to spring heightens our senses, bringing us back in touch with nature and ourselves.

The Pantone Colour Institute knows all about the power of this wonderful spring colour. So much so they have chosen it as their colour of the year for 2017.

A session amidst greenery for a mother-to-be can be particularly energizing.  Nicky’s beautiful maternity photo-shoot, pictured here, sees her perfectly immersed in the fresh greenery of Spring.  It seems to almost embrace her as she steps forth into this new stage of life as a mother.

I love to truly immerse my clients in their outdoor setting, as after all, they tend to share my love of the outdoors and outdoor on location photography sessions.

I am always excited about finding beautiful natural settings for sessions and often these can be in the most unsurprising locations. This session was taken along a small residential pathway very similar to those near the West Street Allotments in the center of Farnham, Surrey. For most of the year these types of pathways look very regular, until, in the spring when they burst into a show of fresh greenery, only to fade back to a more ordinary shade of green and subsequent earthy tones in the winter.

Whether you are becoming a mother for the first time or preparing for a new addition to your family, pregnancy, for most of us, is never a plain-sailing experience. I remember it like it was yesterday and I also remember how quickly it flew by, especially with my second pregnancy. For many of us there will have been some morning sickness, adjusting to a changing body, a few aches and some uncomfortable nights sleep along the way. There is a great deal of excitement and often a little bit of nervousness too. Recent studies have shown us that an increase in the stress hormone Cortisol can have an impact on babies’ development prior to birth (NCT Journal, Issue 28 September 2015). For all of these reasons and more pregnancy can call on us for a renewed focus on well-being and taking time out to do things that make us feel relaxed and joyful.

Having a maternity photo shoot in Surrey, outside amidst the beautiful green shades of spring (or even summer) is a perfect opportunity to celebrate your curves of pregnancy and to have some much needed time for yourself. In the days leading up to your session you will have the perfect extra excuse to take yourself away and get your hair and nails done and perhaps even go out shopping for a new dress for your session. All of these activities make your shoot more of an event and have you feeling at your best prior the day of the shoot.

During your photo shoot we will walk, chat, relax and explore our outdoor location. You will get to enjoy this time and space outside, to connect with nature, rejuvenate and revitalize. I will make suggestions about beautiful shot opportunities along the way, guiding you to the best light and most flattering poses. I never rush a session. It is something I am known for so there will be plenty of time to stop and observe our location and reflect on the adventures ahead of you. I like to think that my maternity clients return home after their session feeling refreshed and happy.

I also anticipate those happy feelings staying with you long after the day of your session. Being able to look back at your maternity shoot photographs after you have given birth and then much later on in your journey through motherhood also has the positive power to enhance your well-being. Happy moments from our past give us those warm fuzzy feelings when we think back to them. Holding on to those feelings is great for our sense of self and well-being. Having photographs of happy moments helps to concrete those memories and feelings.

Gretchen Rubin, writer of ‘The Happiness Project’, reminds us that ‘…the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good.’ We all wish for the happiest of times when we arrive home with our newborn baby but occasionally those fluctuating hormones can get the better of us. I personally remember a particularly teary moment after coming home with my firstborn. Try looking back at your maternity photographs. Not to mourn a time prior to your baby but to return to those happy feelings you experienced out in the greenery.

You can also look back at your maternity photo shoot to simply enjoy looking at yourself amidst the greenery! Research has also proven that even simply looking at photographs of green scenery can make us happier and provide us with that feel good factor. …..all the more reason for us to print our photographs and have them displayed in our homes.

I hope this article has inspired you to enjoy a maternity session (or in fact any type of session) outdoors this spring! It’s a beautiful sunny spring morning outside today as I finish writing this article so I am off to find my wellies and my camera because I am off to meet another lucky lady who has booked in for a maternity session this afternoon and we are heading outside to a beautiful location here in Surrey! Enjoy this beautiful time of year outside!

Here’s what clients have said about their maternity session:

“I can’t thank you enough for my maternity session today! It was such a relaxing and stress-free experience. I almost forgot you had your camera and it was just like a lovely morning outdoors enjoying our time chatting and taking in the views at our beautiful countryside location. Thank you Sarah Angel. It was the loveliest experience!”

Caitlin

“Thank you so much for finding such a pretty location and making me look half decent in these photos! They are fantastic!!! Thank you so, so much. I can’t believe how flattering they are but I also cannot believe how huge I was!  You have taken some great pictures and now I have such happy memories and a memento of this time.”

Charlotte

Also thinking about booking a Newborn shoot?

Take a look at my newborn info page here.

You can read more about these topics by viewing my references here:

Pantone Institute: https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2017

Gretchen Rubin, author of the best-selling book The Happiness Project here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gretchen-rubin/photographs-can-boost-your-happiness_b_3210947.html

The Picture of Health? by Gretchen Reynolds: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/the-picture-of-health/?_r=0

‘The Impact of Stress in pregnancy’ Vivette Glover and Jane Barlow.Issue 28 September 2015 NCT Journal : https://www.nct.org.uk/