One of the most exciting reasons to book a photographer is for a baby announcement photoshoot. This type of big news is an incredibly special reason to have an announcement session and a fun way to consider creative ways to do it!
In this blog article, we will discuss a variety of ways to do this and give you plenty of simple ideas to think about when it comes to introducing your family’s new arrival to your loved ones.
PINTEREST PIN
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
All the Ways to Shoot a Baby Announcement
USE THE PREGNANCY TEST
At the end of the day, it’s totally okay to do the obvious and shoot your positive pregnancy test as a way to announce you’re pregnant.
Now, I’m not exactly sure I would recommend this given how pregnancy tests are used… I mean, let’s go ahead and state the obvious, the mama is peeing on a stick!
Of course, I’m sure there are ways you can preserve this type of test and keep any germs clear of your photographer’s hands but still, that might be a little bit more of a hassle than it’s worth.
But if you have a photographer that you trust to do this, then by all means, do so!
I have not had the pleasure of such an opportunity just yet but IF I did (shoot me an email at ruth@elainejfilms.com, baha) one of the ways I would do this type of shoot would be to have the mom and dad facing each other with myself, as the photographer, shooting behind mom’s back to capture dad looking at mom.
BUT have the mom holding the positive pregnancy test behind her back with the positive test in focus and the parents blurred in the bokeh aspect of the camera’s settings.
I can even SEE this image in my mind! This would be such a great way to shoot a baby announcement! If you’re a photographer and do this, tag me on social media so I can see!
USE THE ULTRASOUND PHOTO
This is another obvious but fun way to share the good news of an expecting mama!
Plus, there are so many ways to incorporate using the ultrasound photo in a family session for a baby announcement photo.
One sweet way I’ve done this includes fur babies with older children.
For example, one of my sweet clients wanted her dog in her photos. This dog had been with her when she was pregnant with her first baby. To have him in her second pregnancy’s photos was one of her goals for our session. The way I did this baby announcement shot was by having her oldest child, a sweet daughter, simply stand next to their dog, holding her teddy bear and the sonogram photo.
Talk about incredibly sweet! And SO simple!
OLDER SIBLINGS
Another way to convey the sweet message of a pregnancy is to get the older siblings involved. There are many ways to do this. Again, it does not have to be complicated. Just keep it simple.
For example, use a combination of family photography and a maternity session to shoot the message.
I had a sweet family maternity session where a big brother was the sole child there. He was old enough to be up for the challenge of doing something sweet and fun for the session so we had him kiss mama’s belly and had the focus of the shot be on just him and mama’s belly.
Talk about perfection. It was sweet, unique and so easy to capture.
And the family LOVED it.
GENDER REVEAL
Now, a way to have so much fun with birth announcements is to shoot a gender reveal!
There are SO many ways to have a gender reveal so the possibilities are endless by just having a photographer present and letting them shoot to their heart’s content.
One way I did this with some special clients of mine is by shooting their two oldest children digging into a gender reveal cake. This exciting news was kept secret by the mom and dad and kept close to their immediate family so their kids could know first, capture the moment on camera and then use the results to reveal the news to everyone else.
Their third child was a baby boy and so their cake was all white on the outside with a blue center.
The eldest kiddos were sat on some park grounds with a blanket, picnic-style, and given the cake. When they got into it, the blue was revealed and they both got to “taste” and see that the newest member of their family was going to be a boy!
BABY BUMP
A popular baby announcement idea is to just focus on that mama’s pregnant belly.
I absolutely love this because you can do so many simple things like just do a belly shot with mom framing her belly or doing a profile stance with the focus clearly on that baby bump.
One pose that is an absolute must for me is having dad kneeling and kissing mama’s pregnant belly. I actually incorporate this in every maternity photography session which helps it double as an announcement shot as well.
GET THE CLIENT'S INPUT
Finally, this is the most interesting way to get a unique baby announcement photo, and that’s to get your client’s input.
For example, one time I had a couple pull me aside before a family photo shoot and let me know they wanted to surprise their mom/in-law with the news that they were pregnant. They had a baby outfit ready to pull out during the shoot.
So between the three of us, we came up with the idea to have the mom off to the side showing a “shhhhh” sign and holding up the baby outfit while the dad blocked the mother-in-law from view and then on my count, would back up so the mom could see.
It was an entire scheme that surprised the ENTIRE family and ended up being hugely emotional and completely caught on camera!
You can watch the announcement here on my Instagram account.
View this post on Instagram
But needless to say, having your client’s input can produce some of the best photo announcement ideas that will be totally different than anybody else and better than the status quo.
So don’t be afraid to collaborate with your clients!
Best Time to Shoot Pregnancy Announcement Photo Ideas
So, when is the best time to shoot a pregnancy announcement?
Obviously, the earlier the better if you’re wanting to surprise family and friends before your pregnancy journey becomes hugely obvious, but otherwise, I’d suggest shooting sometime in the first trimester when that baby bump starts to show.
Could you do it at any time? Absolutely. You do YOU. Do what’s best for you.
But as you get into your pregnancy, you may start to deal with morning sickness or pain in areas you’re not used to, excessive fatigue and low energy. Especially if this is your first time, there will likely be a lot of sensations and pregnancy symptoms you experience that you’re not used to.
Doing a session early in your pregnancy when you are feeling your best can be the perfect time to enjoy such a special session and create memories from it as opposed to just getting it done.
The Perfect Place to Shoot
You may be thinking, so what location is best to have a pregnancy announcement photoshoot?
I would suggest one of two areas, either an outdoor photo shoot or at home.
Outdoor Photo Shoots
There is just something so striking about being in an outdoor location for a pregnancy announcement shoot.
Especially with green foliage or flowers, the combination of a nature setting and a pregnant mom, compliments each other perfectly. It almost seems expected, to be honest. Possibly because nature is beautiful in its organic state and doesn’t have to be embellished in any way even though maintenance and cultivation can play a part.
But the same could be said about a pregnant mom. They have a glow about them that no artificial enhancement can replicate. And it’s organic. A pregnant mother is simply just… beautiful.
So an outdoors session is always a great session to shoot in.
And as far as the perfect time of day, I would suggest golden hour in the morning or evening, depending on what is best for your client, the weather of the location and season of year of that location.
Just keep in mind to do it when mom is feeling her best, has the most energy and the chances of overheating or dealing with too many bugs is drastically low.
In Home Sessions
The other location I would highly recommend would be a session at your client’s home.
They would automatically feel comfortable at home and simple shots like silhouettes in a window or doorframe or dad hugging mom from behind with his hands on her pregnant belly would be so easy to capture while simultaneously creating a beautiful memory for them to cherish every time they look at that picture later.
Plus, they can pose in their bare feet or bare belly without feeling uncomfortable. And lastly and best of all, the bathroom is right there.
Every pregnant mama would love that!
Photographer Equipment Tips
Now, let me take a station break and just talk to my fellow photographers.
I’m a firm believer that trying new things in photography is essential to becoming a better photographer. If we don’t at least try and we could, then we’re limiting our own potential. So if you’re someone that prefers a certain type of photography but has never tried a pregnancy announcement shoot, I’d suggest just doing one and see what you learn from it.
Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind for the type of lens to use. Portrait is always great, like a 50mm prime lens but try using a 35mm lens, or 16-35mm lens or even 24-70mm lens. I’m a Canon user and so my lens with a 5D Mark IV Canon body that I recently upgraded to an R5 Mirrorless camera, center around the 24-70mm and 50mm when it comes to this type of shoot.
The 50mm prime lens give a great portrait shot for silhouettes or framing mom’s belly but the 24mm is great for that wide angle shot to capture the scenery around mom as well.
I do like that having a prime lens will give you the option of opening up your aperture to give the desired bokeh you prefer for your background.
It can be a hassle with switching out a lens, but either way, you can make it work with one or two lenses. Just be creative.
To Summarize: Capturing a Successful Pregnancy Announcement Photoshoot
In summary, there are so many sweet types of photos you can capture for a pregnancy announcement photoshoot. You can take a look at several other ideas on Happiest Baby’s blog here.
And you can multitask by doing this in so many ways like having a shoot to find out the baby’s gender during a gender reveal, or during a maternity photoshoot combined with a family photography session at the same time.
The possibilities are endless and honestly, by keeping it simple, can be so easy to do at the same time.
So don’t overcomplicate it! Take these ideas and run and if you try any of the above, let me know!