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Based in vivid New Orleans, I am a wedding and couples photographer capturing the honest, intimate, and unforgettable moments. I hope you enjoy some of my most recent adventures and stories worth sharing!

I’m Olivia.

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Artistic Maternity Session at Home

January 6, 2023

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A maternity session celebrates a time of anticipation and tenderness. For Cara and Alex’s session at home, I wanted to create images that reflect their lives as they are in this moment. Cara is my stepsister, and I always feel so comfortable working with her. That feeling made it easier to push myself creatively. I experimented with lighting, shadows, films, and blur. The result is maternity photos that feel like this sweet time in the family’s life.  

Cara holds Silas' hand as he jumps on the bed.

An In-home Maternity Session

Having a maternity session at home gives a chance for the whole family to be involved. With young kids, this can be easier because they can do everyday activities that are familiar to them. There’s something special about documenting those moments, too. Because they fill our everyday lives, it’s easy to forget to photograph them. 

Lemons sit beside a bottle of simple syrup and a glass pitcher.
A mother and father stand behind their child and help him make lemonade during an in-home family photo session.
A child stirs a pitcher of lemonade in his family's kitchen.

We started off this maternity session with Cara and her older child Silas making lemonade for the family. Everyone was immediately at ease while Silas squeezed lemons into the glass pitcher. I took the chance to use a film for one photo of the whole family in the kitchen. It captures that dreamy feeling you get when you’re spending a weekend afternoon with your favorite people. 

Cara works at her kitchen counter in the afternoon sun.
A family crowds around a kitchen counter during a maternity session.
Cara and Silas make lemonade in Polaroid maternity photos.

Making lemonade translated really well to Polaroid too. The image of Cara and Silas measuring out ingredients has such a vintage feeling. It looks like it could have been taken in 1972 instead of 2022. 35mm film and Polaroid portray a natural warmth in maternity sessions. (You can see more film maternity photos here.)

Cara and Alex sit at a small table drinking lemonade with their child.
Cara and Alex cuddle their child during the at-home family session.

Creative Maternity Photos

When I do a parenthood or maternity session, I really want to encompass what it feels like to be in this stage of your family. Whether you’re expecting your first child or have one on the way with another attached to your leg, it’s important to document your family in its most genuine form.

Silas leans against Cara's belly in a maternity photo.
Cara throws back her head and laughs with Silas and Alex on the bed.
Cara and Alex touch foreheads in a creative maternity photo.

That might be why my favorite maternity photos from this session are from the cuddle session in Alex and Cara’s room. This is what we all hope parenthood will feel like – warm, joyful, inviting. Plenty of laughter is ideal, too.

Silas jumps on the bed beside his mother.
Silas holds onto Cara's leg as she walks through the house.
The family cuddles in close during the maternity session.

Even though I like to document everyday moments creatively, I also photograph a few portraits where everyone is looking at the camera. Most people want at least one image that would be beautifully framed or on a holiday card. Still the bulk of this maternity session focused on the tangible moments that evoke so much emotion.

Polaroid photos show the family laughing and jumping on the bed.
A woman's son rolls on the floor beneath her as she pulls her shirt away from her pregnant belly.
Alex kisses Cara in a direct flash maternity photo.

For this session, that looked like slightly blurry images of Silas playing by his mom’s legs and jumping on the bed. The moments of him snuggling into Cara’s belly are so specific to this time for their family and so loving. I’m so glad that Cara and Alex wanted to preserve these gestures with photos.

Silas jumps in front of the camera as Alex and Cara pose during the maternity session.
Cara puts her hands on her stomach.

Preserving This Moment 

After the at-home portion of the maternity session, we headed down the road to a local farm. Alex and Cara live in Saline, Michigan. This town features a historic downtown and is only twenty minutes from Ann Arbor. Beautiful land and small farms surround the area. Cara happens to love horses, so I was so excited to learn that we would be visiting a horse farm for part of this session. 

The family cuddles on top of a blanket.
A young boy pretends to drive a car.
Cara pets a horse's neck.

In the pasture, Cara and Alex posed with Silas for some more formal photos. Then they enjoyed being with the horses. The light really was exceptional this evening. So close to sunset, gold illuminated the horses and even transformed the dust around Cara’s boots into a dreamy haze. I love that we were able to do a mix of indoor and outdoor photos for this session. It gave a fuller sense of the family’s life as it is now.

Cara leans against Alex in a field at sunset.
Dust billows around Cara's boots in the afternoon sun.
Cara holds Silas up to pet a horse.

Once we finished petting the horses, we headed back to Cara and Alex’s house. Silas wanted more snuggles. These images are contenders for my favorites in the gallery. I cropped some of the photos in close to draw the focus in on Silas and Cara’s sweet interactions. So much emotion radiates from these images. 

Cara and Alex pet a horse during their maternity session.
Silas runs into a field at sunset.
Cara holds Silas beside a doorway in maternity photos.
Silas lays in cara's lap.

Would you like me to photograph your parenthood or maternity session? Let’s preserve this moment in your family’s life with creative photos that feel true. Reach out to me today!

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