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Shooting pregnant sister in law


mark_houlder2

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My sister-in-law is currently pregnant, and I have offered to take

some photos of her before she gives birth. Because of our being

relations, nude or semi nude shots aren't going to be an option (I

have suggested she also get some photos done at a professional studio,

partly because everything I've seen and read suggests that partial or

full nudity works very well for maternity shots).

 

That being the case, I've started to think about what clothing and

poses would work well. It will be done in her house, which has a

couple of nice big windows so I was thinking natural light through the

net curtains, but I'm not sure what clothing will work well. I don't

think showing her stomach/shoulders will be a problem, but other than

that what can people suggest? She is from an ethically indian family

so will have some nice indian dresses and maybe saris available, but

i'm not sure how well they'd work; she usually wears western clothes

anyway.

 

I'm not expecting any great works of art to come of this, and her

expectations don't extend much beyond just having some nice photos,

but I'd like to get some shots that she and her husband will like, and

obviously I'd like things to turn out well for my own benefit too. (I

think her husband will be happy to join in too, though i'm not sure

yet). I haven't much experience of posed portraits beyond a 2-sitting

project for college, so i'd like to have things worked out in advance

as much as possible, and keeping things simple is a definite

requirement. any suggestions on poses would also be appreciated.

 

i'll probably be using a mix of colour and B&W film, possibly more on

the B&W side. thanks for any suggestions / hints.

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I think the traditional indian attire would be awesome. You can take 'parts' photos of her bare tummy with her hubby leaning his head on it. There are several shots you can do. Do a search on yahoo or google for photography+maternity. Also, a white nightgown would be good for a nice soft look. You need to push to get hubby involved.
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Mark,<BR><BR>

Is your sister-in-law following any traditional pregnancy rites in Hinduism? If so, talk to her to see if you can incorportate any of the symbols into the photography. (For example: bunches of certain herbs, amulet, also food cravings are traditionally considered important.)<BR><BR>

A saree would also be beautiful, and if wrapped under the belly you could pull aside the part that covers the blouse to show the belly. Note: A saree can be wrapped in a way that is VERY sexy, especially if it is made from sheer material that drapes. She also may have the "required" jewelry such as the various bangles, mongol sutra (sp?) and head ornaments.<BR><BR>

I would love to see the results. Have a great time!<BR>

Kimberly

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Hello Mark,

 

See if these photos give you any ideas, they are pictures of my then-pregnant wife. We are both Indian and believe it or not, I had my mother-in-law help me out! I also tried some shots with a fan to blow her hair from below, didn't work cause it was too small and only served to make ripples in the draped fabric.

She is wearing an "odhni" or "chunari" (ask your SIL what this is) draped over her left shoulder. The background is black acrylic felt from a local hobby store ($7 for 6' X 12'). The light is all natural coming from a side window, film is Ilford XP2, camera is OM-1n with 50/1.4 shot at f2.8/125.

 

Cheers,

 

Rahul<div>00DDMB-25155084.jpg.54b4291dee6f378ed10a18bec8774f7a.jpg</div>

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rahul - thanks for the example; i think i'll also be using window-light and possibly also XP2, as I don't have access to a darkroom at the moment and it will make prints easier for her to get hold of. i was thinking of using scala and getting prints from scans of it (I have a scanner) but I can't get hold of any at the moment... I also have some Fuji NPC i can use if she wants some done in colour.

 

The shot of the two of you together is similar to one I had in mind. I think my main problem, if my sister-I-L is anything like my partner (her sister), is impatience - I recently took some head-shots of my partner for a college project and it was all i could do to get her to sit in a chair for 15 minutes; she tends to think that if i'm any good, i should be able to get brilliant results from snap-shots taking no more than 5 seconds each, with no preparation!

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