Modern Maternity Photography NYC
In the last 10 years, one of the things that consistently do, or rather try to do, is a plan for the session. We hammer out the details, we discuss the outfits, and we discuss expectations. The aim is to always have a successful photography event. However, it isn’t always the case… though luck/prayer really helps.
At the beginning of April, this gorgeous mommy-to-be reached out to us and wanted to get more info about our maternity sessions. She’s already visited the information on the site and after a few additional details, we got the date and time set to go. The only downfall was that we were about 3 months away from the session and had no idea what to expect from mother nature. Like with all of our outdoor sessions, if plausible we move it into the studio or reschedule for a different day. As we got closer to the day and started looking at the weather, it seemed that rescheduling would be a better plan as it was supposed to be raining the day of; in fact, the night before our scheduled session, it was POURING and the next morning, looking at the accumulation of clouds and about-to-rain weather… To say that I was upset would be an understatement. To make the situation even more interesting, there’s absolutely NO WAY POSSIBLE to postpone the session as my couple are natives of Springtown, TX, and are expected to fly out the following morning. The session has to take place as scheduled.
In my mind, I have many places that I enjoy photographing. Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass is one of my most and least favorite places to go to. I hate going there on a nice/summerish day, because (1) pedestrian traffic in the area, feels like a black-Friday sale (2) getting the “good location” shot, might require some waiting since there are many weddings/engagements and other portrait sessions going on (3) did I mention the massive amount of people in the area?. However, despite my dislike, I truly enjoy the area b/c it is SO DARN beautiful. I could probably spend 5-6hrs of photographing all within 6 block radius and end up with a ridiculous amount of images from different scenes. We settled on DUMBO, settled on time…
As I left the studio, from my morning sessions, all while driving towards DUMBO, a hidden miracle occurred – the change in weather from cloudy gloomy about-to-rain evening towards gorgeous clouds, gorgeous sky, and when I finally met them – a gorgeous couple.
I always start out my sessions simple, with simple poses and simple lighting. All to get the couple comfortable, and relaxed and get them comfortable in front of the camera.
Once we got several images here with mommy to be alone and the couple, we moved on towards the bridge walkway. I loved how the sun was shining through and creating beautiful geometric patterns.
On the other side of the stairs, kids were playing and peeking at us š
As we moved around and navigated through pedestrian traffic, got a few more shots here and there, we entered the street view of Brooklyn Bridge. I remember, back in the day… before DUMBO was what it is today (shops, parks, restaurants), photographing here was simpler. But today, with hundreds of people around us… it was a challenge that we undertook and I think we’re successful. I posed with the couple on the sidewalk and explained what I’d like as we get into position. Setup my light, to a quick test… got the couple in, took the shot, and moved them out because, besides pedestrian traffic, we also have vehicular traffic to account for. After several attempts of running in and out, we got several of the images at this location.
We then went into the park, towards the water again. While moving around, it was another hidden miracle and I’m glad that I got to see it first and had the inspiration to use this set for the next set of images.
Truthfully, I wasn’t planning to use this area, but that G O R G E O U S sky spoke to me and said “USE ME” LOL. I utilized broken-leading lines composition and was able to fire off several images at this location. As we moved on, we went towards the famous Manhattan Bridge view from the Streets. Did I mention yet that pedestrian and vehicular traffic is tough to navigate through… š
We finished the session going back to the water by the Manhattan Bridge. Sun was setting, the sky was “talking” and my couple were excited and wanted to be in these pictures.
This day went from cloudy, and gloomy, to sunny, gorgeous sky for an amazing couple.
