I recently had the pleasure of working with Stephanie, who is expecting her 3rd boy on June 29th. She participated in our maternity model call, and we planned her session to be at Core Creek Park modeling our new blue dress for maternity clients. I had previously done a family maternity session with the pink dress, so was happy to have a different look with the blue dress. The weather was cooler, in the low 70s and a lot more overcast at our session time than it had been throughout the day, and we had a gentle breeze most of the session, with occasional gusts, so it was already a lot different from our first model session with the weather. 

As I walked around the grounds before our session, I happened to walk under an overhanging tree, which had some beautiful light and shadows for a unique moody look (above) so that's where I began. Next I had my assistant for the day, Amanda, start tossing the train of the dress, which resulted in some absolutely gorgeous portraits, especially with the light breeze blowing it. 

I asked Stephanie a few questions about her session, here are her answers. 

What was your favorite part of the experience with us, she said "I love how easy and comfortable I felt during the session! Maura and her assistant make you feel so comfortable and have fun during the shoot!" 

Do you have a favorite moment from your session? "When we joked about the swoosh of the dress! We kept trying and it was SOOO worth it because it turned out AMAZING!!!" 

Do you have any advice for other people planning their portrait session? "Get excited for some Mommy time & to feel like a goddess!"  How did you find out you were pregnant, and how did you announce your pregnancy? "Just took a test one afternoon after work, I can always sense when I am. I took a photo of my two older boys with the ultrasound photo."  You haven't picked baby's name yet, do you have a few you are considering? "Able or Benjamin" She also told me she wanted to wait to see him before making a decision. 

When you found out you were having a third boy how did you feel? Were you surprised? "I felt surprised, I thought it was a girl because the pregnancy was so different from my other two. I'm excited for my boy tribe to grow and my two older boys to have another brother."

What hospital or birthing center are you planning to use, and why did you choose it? "St. Mary Medical Center. I LOVE my doctors, work close, and work in Labor and Delivery there!" 

Finally, would you have regretted not having a maternity session, if so, why? "Yes! We did family photos on the beach while on vacation and they did NOT make me feel the way these did. This has been my largest pregnancy yet and I feel so much better in my skin after this!"

Stephanie was such a delight to work with, and I hope to be able to work with her again in the future when her little boy arrives.