Hi! My name is Lola Melani, and I'm a portrait photographer based in New York City.
Today I would love to give you five tips for photographers who are new to maternity.
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Tip number one is keep things simple.
And by saying this, I mean keep your gear and your lenses to the minimum.
You really don't need a lot for creating beautiful maternity portraits and silhouettes.
I would recommend to have one medium to large softbox or octabank or an umbrella,
and a reflector and a deflector.
Or, just have a V-Flat that is white on one side and black on another
to create a fill or more shadows, depending on what it is that you would like to do.
I truly believe that you can capture maternity portraits with any lens of your choice.
However, I recommend to stay away from really wide angle lenses
because the last thing that you want to do is to make your subject wider and bigger.
So I recommend 50mm, or 85 or, any zoom lens of your choice,
except for a really wide angle lens.
Tip number two: nail down your lighting.
By saying this, I mean figure out and practice two to three lighting setups that you absolutely love,
and you know that you can nail down when anybody shows up at your studio
and you can make any woman look beautiful.
and you will know your settings, the position of your lights.
When I started photographing clients, I used to have a little cheat paper
where I would put my camera settings, the name of the setup,
the light I was using together with the backdrop, the power of the light,
so that I can always look if I will get a little confused.
It gave me confidence, and when you are confident, your clients feel that, and they become confident as well.
Tip number three: work on your skill to coach your subjects.
And, I think it's very important, especially because our clients are not professional models,
and, for most of them, it's the first photoshoot ever.
So, it is important to guide them, and talk to them, and constantly coach them on posing.
So, that's exactly what I do and I talk to my clients all the time,
whenever I'm doing a test photograph, changing the settings of my camera, moving the lights around.
I'm constantly talking to them because
I don't want them to stay there in front of me feel vulnerable and a little weird
because they don't know how they look and they don't know what to do.
So it is important to coach your subjects.
This is something that definitely comes with experience, and this is going to give your clients confidence.
Tip number four: create an efficient workflow.
When you work with pregnant women,
it is important to remember that they don't last too long, and they get tired very easily.
So, you need to complete the photoshoot in an hour and a half or maximum two hours.
So what I do for every client is I create a detailed shot list,
and I write down every single setup and combination of lighting and backdrop and wardrobe.
And I have this list in front of me all the time, and I can always refer to it.
And I know that I'm not going to forget anything.
And it helps me to shoot faster, and just keep my process very efficient,
and help me to get my clients out of the door sooner.
Tip number five: find your own style.
While it is absolutely fine to draw your inspirations from other photographers,
try to stay away from copying and doing exactly what everybody else is doing in your genre.
I have always tried to be different,
and instead of following trends, I've always went against the grain.
And I always try to create my own work and tell my own story through my creations.
I know it can be very scary and risky to voice your own vision and work on your own inspirations.
However, there is a Russian saying [speaks Russian]
Which means "those who don't risk, don't drink champagne."
[giggles]
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So, these are my five tips for those who are starting in maternity photography.
So, if you would love to add anything else, please feel free to comment.
You can find me at lolamelani.com, this is my website.
Or @lolamelani my instagram page.
Thank you very much, and I will see you next time.
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