Some people are very personal about their make up, whether that’s because they like it to be exactly how they do it or as often is the case, they don’t wear much of it and don’t want to not be themselves in the portraits that are taken.

I completely understand that, and having a make up artist at your photoshoot is something I offer as a complimentary service.

You are never obligated to have to use one of my make up artists. So if you strongly feel that a make up artist wouldn’t be a great fit for you just let me know. As always every photoshoot is customised to your needs.

However, there are many benefits to having a make up artist on the day of your photoshoot, so if you are a little unsure here are 3 great reasons why you should use a professional make up artist for your portrait session:

1. Professional make up artists are highly trained and skilled when it comes to applying make up for photography. They are able to use high end products to help remove unflattering sharpness caused by the high spec quality of modern cameras. While there’s benefits to having sharp images we don’t necessarily want to see every facial detail in HD!

2. Normal everyday make up isn’t actually defined enough to be picked up on camera. So having your make up professionally applied can sometimes feel and look a bit heavy, but a make up artist isn’t preparing you for your everyday casual make up look, she’s preparing you for the strength of the lights and the way in which colour disappears quickly on camera. Even if it is a everyday causal look you’re going for you’ll need just a bit more definition then you’re used to to give the result you truly want.

3. Make up artists are specialists in what they do and can alter looks throughout a session meaning we can go from casual to glam easily. Hair up or hair down? With a make up artist present we can go for a variety of different styles. Having someone on hand to pamper you is also a great way to enjoy the full process.

When you book a portrait with me you will immediately be offered a make up artist at your session. This will enable you to truly relax on the morning of your portrait session and fully embrace the process.

My current in house make up artists are:

Emma from Emma Ford Make Up

Holly from Carter Hair and Make Up

Sarah from Sarah Catherall Make Up

Pregnancy is one of those occasions that needs to be celebrated because in reality it’s such a short period of time in our lives and such an incredible transformation happens. Whether this is your first child or your tenth you need to celebrate the incredible strength, resilience and superhuman powers you have for bringing new life into the world.

One of the biggest questions I get though is “what do I wear?“ -don’t worry I’ve got you covered!

A bodysuit

A simple black bodysuit will emphasise and show off your bump but keep you covered. There are bodysuits to compliment everybody and bring the right amount of va va voom depending on the look you want. You can get bodysuits with sleeves, sequins, no sleeve, deep v necks, high polo, lace, thong styles, full brief styles…

Fitted dress

A fitted dress brings elegance and style. It gives a very luxurious feel to an image. This can be something you already own (it doesn’t matter if zips don’t do up at the back, we can still work with it as long as it fits around the front) or something you might want to purchase.

Black underwear

This is a very simple look but it looks amazing. And of course most of us already have suitable underwear at home.

Fabric

The reality is you don’t really need to bring any clothes if nothing works, covering yourself with fabric might just be the look you’re after instead! Fabric can look so beautiful and sophisticated on a maternity photoshoot.

Jeans and a bra

This look is much more casual but still very eye catching and glam. And no doubt you have jeans at home! It doesn’t matter if you can’t do the buttons up, that just makes the belly pop even more and accentuate your beautiful bump.

Of course you also have access to my in studio wardrobe where we can pick and choose outfits that might compliment you and keep to the style you’re looking for. It’s time to have fun and capture stunning maternity portraits for you to treasure.

Pregnancy is one of the most special and unique moments in a woman’s life. Having a maternity photoshoot helps to celebrate the miraculous life inside of you and the excitement and joy that your future is about to embark upon- whether it’s your first child or your fourth… each pregnancy and each child is unique and that should be celebrated!

Although pregnancy certainly feels like it lasts a lifetime, it’s such a small amount of time in a woman’s life that it’s important to set aside time for a maternity session if you want to have pictures to look back on and share with your child as he or she grows. There’s something quite magical about being able to show your child that moment from before they were born.

I would suggest a maternity photoshoot happens between 28-34 weeks as you’ll be at your most comfortable but also with a lovely round tummy to proudly show off. That doesn’t mean we can’t work around that time frame, in fact the pictures from the beautiful maternity session I’m sharing today were taken at 40 weeks where the beautiful mum-to-be was simply waiting for her little girl to arrive. Luckily we managed to squeeze in the shoot because a few days later Emma and Ali had their gorgeous daughter.

For me these are heirloom images that can be treasured. Beautiful pieces of art that can be hung on the walls and gold framed.

If you’d like to experience a luxurious day wearing our in house maternity gowns and having your hair and make up professionally done just contact me and we can discuss your vision to celebrate this momentous occasion.