Rhode Island Maternity Photographer | Suspended Maternity Photoshoot

Maternity photography has become increasingly popular in recent years, and photographers have been getting creative in order to capture the beauty and innocence of the mom-to-be. One of the most sought-after shots is the suspended maternity photo, where the pregnant woman appears to be delicately hanging from white fabric. If you're a photographer looking to achieve this iconic shot, but don't want to spend a fortune on rigging up equipment, this blog post is for you! Read on to learn how you can create this effect for under $200.

I knew there had to be a way to capture these beautiful photos without having to suspend mamas from the ceiling or having to do a ton of editing. I spent a while trying to come up with some creative ideas when I finally figured out what would work. I purchased a hammock chair stand and white aeriel silk (both on Amazon) for under $200. If you're located in Rhode Island and want to get creative with your maternity photography, this is the perfect way to go about it! This setup allows for beautiful hanging maternity photos that are sure to turn heads.

As any good photographer/ mom would do, I used my kids as test subjects first. They were more than happy to hop in the little cocoon made from the silks. This particular stand is rated at 330 lbs and the silks are rated at 400 lbs so moms can feel more than secure in this setup. When setting up, it's best to place the stand in an area where there is plenty of space to move around the stand. Make sure that you have good lighting that will be able to reach all sides of the suspended fabric. You may also want to invest in a good reflector or two to bounce light onto your model if needed.

Once the fabric is secure, you can begin to position your pregnant model inside the suspended fabric. It is important to note that your model should be positioned carefully for safety purposes, as she will be suspended in the air.

Once your model is safely in place, you are ready to take some amazing hanging maternity photos!

For this particular setup I used three lights. One pointed at the white seamless backdrop, one pointed at the back of the model and a large light pointing down in front of the model. You can see basically how I had it set up here. You’ll see in the video below I have the front light overhead and the light on the right I move halfway through.

Because the white fabric is fairly opaque, I may in the future setup a light directly behind the mom and shoot through sheer curtains to better illuminate the silhouette of her belly but this technique worked well enough.

Suspended maternity photoshoot

To edit this image, you just need basic photoshop skills including content aware fill, masking, liquify and patching to get the desired look. Below is a before and after of the shot straight out of camera and the final image.

I hope this was somewhat helpful for anyone looking to recreate these beautiful photos! Sometimes we convince ourselves that we need the biggest and the best studio/ equipment/ etc. to achieve the best photos when in reality it takes skill, perseverance and a bit of creativity and thinking outside the box!

Are you looking for a similar maternity photoshoot in Rhode Island? I’d love to discuss your vision! Reach out to me here!