This underwater maternity session, with the help of husband, resulted in dramatic imagery reminiscent of some Renaissance paintings.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”Leonard Cohen” link=”” color=”#8C76AF” class=”” size=”16″]My mirror twin, my next of kin,
I’d know you in my sleep.
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep?[/perfectpullquote]
This year has been fruitful for underwater projects, from a Sweet 16 client’s mesmerizing poetry, to a trash-the-dress session in the Caribbean, to a quick underwater add-on to a maternity session in the ruins. And, I am yet to publish two of my personal art projects shot for beautiful ladies in Mexico and Greece… There will never be enough of them, though, so I was thrilled to hear from this young lady looking for an underwater maternity session to include her husband.
What would a maternity session involving a husband be without depicting their love and unity? There swim hugs and kisses, reminding me of L. Cohen’s lyrics. On top of that, I went for some more dramatic and attention-grabbing poses and moods, including post-production enhancement.
Speaking of production… The expecting young lady was only 21 weeks pregnant in September but she was so into the theme before New York swimming season closes that we went early. Generally speaking, I always encourage my maternity clients not to wait too long for their maternity sessions due to possible excessive baby fat, skin changes, wardrobe options, and difficulties with flexibility and holding the poses. Many wait for their 8th/9th month but I recommend 6th/7th, especially with a consecutive pregnancy. Their usual concern is that the belly won’t be very visible but it is easier for a skilled retoucher like me to give an extra bump in Photoshop than for an expecting mom to work through a creative approach which, if something really striking is desired, may require endurance. As a proof, look at this graceful mom-to-be’s belly… Only her 5th month, plus my skills.
This is a good example of a half-day underwater maternity session which, after factoring in the setup and breakdown time, comes to about a couple of hours of low-efficiency shooting (such is underwater photography nature), as opposed to a full-day, untimed approach allowing for a greater variety of themes, wardrobes, and ideas.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, or in the related post on Facebook page! Peace!
Click images for full size. Kindly refrain from re-uploading images to social media during the first week of feature. Share instead!
We also had another participant, a brown labrador, who took part in some shots before the pool, and during the main shoot. Take a look at these behind-the-scenes, also illustrating the difference between raw underwater and fully finished images, each taking hours to process.
