Family Maternity Portraits
This session is very special to me.
Prathika and her entire family is from India, as am I! She and her husband booked my Exclusive Maternity package, and actually ended up adding on quite a few extra images to their original package. The package originally included 15 images, but they ended up picking about 35 during our ordering session because they just loved so many of them.
Prathika and her husband, Prithviraj brought their older son, Kriansh, with them to the session. We began with her first three outfits (including a few gowns from my client closet!) before moving on to the traditional attire. It was really sweet to see their family together and to photograph them. It was a commemoration of their family of three and this special time together before they become a family of four.
Saree Maternity Portraits
When we were planning the session, Prathika came to me with a special request. She wanted one of her wardrobe options to be an Indian traditional saree.
I was honestly thrilled to hear this. I have always wanted to photograph a traditional look like this one.
Traditionally, a saree is draped differently depending on the region you are from. Prathika and her husband are from two different regions in India and she opted for accessories and draping her saree in the Maharashtrian style to represent the region that her husband is from.
Raja Ravi Varma Inspired Portraits
Prathika was really inspired by Raja Ravi Varma's paintings, so our goal was to recreate one.
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter who often painted portraits of Hindu icons in human forms. He used a lot of red, so we went with a red backdrop. We took a lot of posing inspiration from his works, as well as inspiration for the composition of the photos themselves.
We did a lot of planning ahead of time to accomplish the images we created. She, her husband and I sat down at their consultation and went over colors, outfits, and all the little details. Ultimately, it helped us to create the kind of gallery that was exactly what they dreamed of and that honored the paintings we were inspired by.
The Outstanding Maternity Award
We actually ended up winning an award for one of our images (seen directly above). It was particularly special to win an award with a photo that honors the culture of my own home country as well.
The Outstanding Maternity Award is an international award given to recognize exceptional photographs worldwide. It is an honor to have this image featured among other amazing photographers' work.
I had submitted the image for review by a panel of judges made up of wildly talented photographers. One of the judges, Marta, I especially admire. When I submitted the image, I had no idea who the judges would be that would be selecting the images. It meant a lot that she and the other judges selected this one of mine!
It is always touching to win an award, and I am so grateful for this one!
Maternity Portraits
Whether your goal is to honor your culture, your family, or even just your new journey, maternity portraits are such a special way to commemorate and savor these moments.
Your story is important. Book the photoshoot. You can never get the time back. Read more about my maternity portrait sessions and let's start planning yours!
