Welcome!

I’m over the moon that you’ve chosen me as your photographer for your maternity session.

Allowing someone into this intimate space is not a decision that’s made lightly and I’m honored to document your love.

Get ready for an easy, carefree session and artistic, loving photos that remind you what it feels like to love deeply.

Included: Session Fee holds your spot on my calendar and is not applied to packages or a la carte items. You’ll receive an online preview gallery within two weeks of your session from which you can purchase your package and/or a la carte items. Preview gallery includes minimum of 40 images, fully hand-edited in both color and black and white. Sessions includes immediate family members, one outfit (no changing).

Mood

We’re creating an intimate moment with you, your little one on the way, and any family members included. Much like the feeling of waking up in the morning with your hands pressed against the baby in your belly, and excited anticipation in your heart. Tousled hair, simple clothing, and bare skin and feet all lend to the emotional connection of these Fine Art Photographs.

Styling

Clothing

I have three easy guidelines to remember for every session:

Don’t put everyone in matching clothes :) It’s better that your clothes compliment each other instead of being too matchy-matchy.
Avoid logos, graphics, and words on clothing. The eye will be distracted by that instead of focusing on your love and connection.
Wear something that you love and makes you feel good about yourself. Many of my families use clothes they already have.

*For the parent that’s physically carrying their baby, it’s especially important that you wear something that feels good on your body. You’re working hard to grow a baby and your body deserves to be comfortable.

Bonus tips:

Dress your family based on your own unique culture. All styles are beautiful so embrace your casual or fancy family personality, and anything in between. From jeans to formal dresses, it all photographs beautifully and it’s importance dims in comparison to your love.
If you’d like to display your photos in your home, keep in mind accent colors that you may want to compliment. Consider the colors and style in the space where the photos will live and base your styling around that. This is completely optional of course!

In home session suggestions

Casual, comfortable clothes that make you think of hanging out around the house on a Sunday morning. Barefoot is best.

Feminine- flowy dresses, tunics and sweaters over leggings, and robes all work well.

Masculne- t-shirts and shorts or jeans in muted colors or soft prints.

Kids- keep it simple and use the same guidelines. Feel free to let your child be creative if they like. Costumes, tutus, capes, or anything your kiddo loves, looks great and adds your family’s personality to the photos. Babies and toddlers look adorable shirtless or only in their diaper/underwear.

For nude portraits, bring black and nude color underwear to wear under draping material.

Outdoor session suggestions

Flowy clothes that move with wind and movement. Shoes that are appropriate for walking outdoors on uneven ground.

Feminine- long, flowy dresses or skirts, sweaters or tunics over leggings, in solid or muted print colors.

Masculine- textured shirts/pants with a solid or muted print shirt.

Make-up

Keep it light and soft, and whatever is comfortable for you.

Hair

Again, whatever is natural and comfortable for you! The less styling and product, the better.

Important

Check your child’s face for “crusties” :) Every kiddo tends to have something around their eyes, nose, or mouth at some point. A quick wash in the sink or with a baby wipe will do the trick.

Examples

Click HERE to see my maternity gallery. Please note that styling is very simple which enhances focus on the connection between family members.

Feel free to email clothing pics or questions to vanessa@vanessabrack.com.

Session

During the session

I’ll have a flexible shooting plan, but feel free to let me know if any specific shots you’d like at any time. Please know that I do not use professional models in any of my work. I photograph everyday, beautiful people. I will direct you all throughout the session. It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous or uncomfortable in front of the camera. I’ll talk to you, make jokes, have you take deep breaths or shake the stiffness out of your pose. My families end up having a pretty good time during the session!

Please don't stress over the behavior of your children. I'm a mom of three and have been photographing families for years so there's not a behavior that I haven't seen expressed. Be sure that they're well rested and have a full tummy. With younger kids it's nice to have a treat on hand (we're not above bribing) and with older kids a treat after the session is a nice way to encourage cooperation. Of course, we're happy to let babies eat whenever the need arises and we often capture beautiful photos during that time.

Most sessions last an hour or less, but please allow two hours for the session in case anyone needs a break.

In home session: I use natural window light to help achieve the gorgeous look you see in my photos. Based on the available light, I will photograph mainly in the primary bedroom, the baby’s room for newborn sessions, and possibly the living/kitchen area. I’ll assess the lighting when I arrive and let you know which rooms are best. Please let me know if you have room preferences. I may shift things around a bit or remove items to work with the light and keep distractions out of the photo. Don’t worry about having a super clean house, dust will not show up on camera. Removing clutter and straightening up is enough. Often, I will ask to stand on furniture or beds, and I may even lay on the floor at some point :)

Outdoor session: I’ll work with the natural surroundings to create a variety of images and will use several different areas of a location. I generally shoot in most weather conditions. A sunny day is great, but clouds and wind add wonderful interest to photos.

Your images

A gallery of at least 40 unique hand-edited digital images, in both color and black and white, will be emailed to you within 10 days of your session. It will include a mixture of posed and documentary-style photos. From this online gallery you’ll choose your package and a la carte selections. Packages include high-resolution digital images because it’s important to me that you have the archival quality images to keep forever, and print from whenever you’d like. For your convenience and to ensure the quality of your prints and products, you may also purchase a la carte prints, canvases, albums, and more from your gallery. Digital photos will be emailed to you for download with print release. Printed products will be shipped directly to you. Galleries will be open for seven days with a fee of $50 to re-open. Sales tax will be added to all prices at checkout.

Terms as agreed to upon purchase

Deposit/Session Fee is non-refundable. In the event of illness, emergency, or severe weather, we will reschedule within a limited timeframe.

Session Fee secures your spot on my calendar and is not applied to packages or a la carte items.

You’ll receive an online preview gallery within two weeks of your session from which you can purchase your package and/or a la carte items. Preview gallery includes minimum of 40 images, fully hand-edited in both color and black and white.

Session includes immediate family members only.

There are no guarantees to the poses or shots we capture. Reshoots will not be given for client wardrobe, hair, makeup and appearance, and child/children temperament.

I have an emotional, artistic style. I want your photos to look like art pieces. However, I don't do "photoshopping" to make someone appear thinner or change features. I will remove blemishes and sometimes will soften lines and wrinkles. Your photos will look like you and your family, just as beautiful as you already are.

I cull and edit at my discretion. While many images are captured during a session, only the best 40+ images are selected and prepared for presentation in the online preview gallery. Please note that additional images from the session will not be available for preview or purchase, and are removed permanently from the archives after the selection is made.

Upon download, the client accepts all responsibility for archiving and protecting digital photographs. VBP does not permanently archive purchased or unpurchased image files. VBP is not responsible for the lifespan of any digital media provided or for any future changes in digital technology or media readers that might result in an inability to read the files or file types provided. It is the client's responsibility to make sure that digital files are backed up and copied to new media as required.