jakesvdb Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I'm shooting a wedding in June and two of the three bridesmaids are pregnant. One would be about 8 months and the other about 6 months. Any ideas on posing them? Should I try and hide it by placing them behind other people? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc5066 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Has pregnancy become a disease? Why on earth do people feel they need to hide pregnant people? There pregnant? Whats the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_clark___minnetonka_mi Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Get beautiful shots of the ladies. This is what life is about. Show with your posing and lighting how honored and beautiful they are and the pride they exude bringing new life here on earth. This could be a wonderful opportunity for you as well. Best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_ashley2 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 As an aside, I've shot plenty of pregnant brides......some everyone knew her condition, but more frequently, they didn't. My motto on posing in these situations: do the best you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picturesque Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I agree that there is no reason to hide them unless you are specifically asked to downplay their conditions. On the other hand, you shouldn't emphasize their conditions either, since the emphasis should be on the bride, not the bridesmaids. To this end, avoid shooting anything close to a silhouette or lighting them in a way which shows (by shadows) the tummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ty_mixon Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Have you asked the Bride what she wants? Bridesmaids? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samcarrington Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Treat them like any other bridesmaid. Pregnant bridesmaids truly do often have a "glow" that makes them photograph well. Bonus: If you treat a pregnant bridesmaid well, she may even ask you to shoot her maternity portraits. That is what happened to me at a recent wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo_dinning Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Probably shoot from the front rather than from the side, and always from above for the most flattering view - but certainly don't hide their pregnancy! You can always take a number of shots - both full length and head-&-shoulders to give everyone a bit of choice for B&G / guest prints. This is what I do in this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanda___minnesota Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I was the MOH in my friend's wedding and also 8 months pregnant!!! Being a photographer I am glad that the choices the bride made COMPLIMENTED my outrageous belly and fit in amongst the the other two maids who were size 2's and petite... but regardless... Don't undermine the pregnant woman - tell her she glows and is beautiful... The bride picked them because they are her friends, not because of their 'condition...' and also... keep this in mind... a hormonal pregnant woman probably won't do your word of mouth advertising any good if you don't make her feel wonderful!!! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfidaho Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Howdy! Last year I changed the color of a pregnant bridesmaids dress in Photoshop to match the rest of the bridesmaids. They had all gone together to get dresses several months prior to that, and at the time, she wasn't pregnant. Therefore, her original bridesmaids dress no longer fit on the wedding day. Her maternity dress was teal, whereas all the other dresses were blue. So I made her dress the same shade of blue. One other nice touch: the bride was the last of her friends to get married, and she had been a bridesmaid at all their weddings. The bride knew that all her friends wanted kids, so she took all her bridesmaids dresses, converted them into baby blankets for each of her friends, and gave them out at the rehearsal dinner. There were happy tears all around. Later, Paulsky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlboro_smith Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Include the bridesmaids as you normally would. But make sure that you photograph them in a way which doesn't make them the center of the pictures. The bride always must the the center of the show when she's in the photo. Offer to take some photos of just them accentuating their (beautiful) condition at the reception, when you do the romantics. Presumably their spouses will be there also. Presumably you brought a background and set up a mini-umbrella flash studio in the corner to do portrait pictures of anyone who wants them. This is always a good idea considering how many relatives and friends have come together one one place. Be sure you get the pregnant ones together too. Your sensitivity to their beauty will give you rave reviews, and will give you an "in" for more pregnant photos, as well as baby pictures, and family portraits. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddcwilson Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 2 of 3 bridesmaids - small wedding party. Take advantage of what is available. I can think of at least one pose where the bride and non-pregnant bridesmaid place their hands on the bellies of the pregnant bridesmaids. This is life, and it should be celebrated! Also, great opportunity to shoot waist high and above shots. With a 50 or 85 mm lenses these make great shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellezza Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 It is certainly important to feel out the situation to guage whether to hide or show off those blooming bellies. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, and most wedding parties are happy to have babies-in-waiting among them! (I say this as a whole since often while the prego bridesmaid may be shy about her condition, the rest of the party including the bride are proud to show off her condition....you can go a long way as a photog to play off their enthusiasm and make her feel comfortable in the spotlight.) I was once a duel photographer AND pregnant bridesmaid in the same wedding. While I was all for hiding it, my doting girlfriends and of course the bride loved the fact that I was preggers. Some of the best wedding party shots of the whole event are of the bride & maids surrounding me on gazebo steps with me over-accentuating my pregnant tummy by leaning way back in a side profile. Everyone has fantastic expressions at the overall hilarity of it all. Play up on the humor side when the moment allows......you can "make fun" of the moment by having other bridesmaids hold thier bouquets right in front of the belly while the mom-to-be looks on as if she doesn't notice...or she does....and adds her bouquet to the very front. Everyone has their flaws behind the camera, and certainly a pregnancy is not the worst of them- so reassure the wedding party that they look beautiful and that you will do your best to work according to THIER needs and how they feel about their position. My experience is that a little humor does go a long way to loosen up anyone on the other side of my lens. Overall I think that even if they want to "hide" it....encourange them to be comfortable- because consciously hiding anything from the camera can add an extra stress on a person that will inevitably show in their face, even if the belly is blocked from view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellezza Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Ooh...oh....I just thought of a fabulous "humor" shot......if there are 2 pregnant bridesmaids.....what about the bride inbetween both pregnant women, holding the BM's bouquets (one in each hand)....arms outstretched, acting as if she is trying to cover up the tummies with the flowers! The expressions that belay the humor will probably come naturally. Just a cute shot. You know that the very fact that 2 of 3 bridesmaids were pregnant is a memory no bride will forget, so make it a great memory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard-just-Leonard Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 The first thing I thought of was to pose them with Before, During and After shots : If there are any babies around put them at the end too :) You never know they might appreciate the whimsy behind it all.... Would definately be something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiva Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I immediately thought along the lines of Kateri ... but I was seeing it in silhouette! If you can't hide it then celebrate it ... as long as the bride does not feel overshadowed and that's for the photographer to measure as the day goes along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Make the most of it. I would even get a couple individual shots of them and help make them feel welcomed and included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawn_kelly Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 One of my bride's maids was pregnant and I'm glad the photographer didn't hide it in the pictures. I have shot weddings with pregnant bridal party members also. Like mentioned before, take your normal pictures and ask the bride and the bride's maid if they would like a picture actually centered on the fact they are pregnant. BUT, have a couple of chairs around for them to be able to get off their feet, especially if one will be right at 9 months for the wedding... that is if she is still pregnant by the wedding day and not actually given birth by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakesvdb Posted May 11, 2008 Author Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thanks for all the great advice and critiques. Can anybody show some examples please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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