Adria’s Maternity Portraits

Pregnancy is the most beautiful thing in the world! God has gifted my family with this incredible miracle of a life that is living and growing inside of me. I can feel her move, I am begging to know what foods she likes/dislikes, and I already love her more than I could ever imagine. I know every pregnancy is different for every woman, but mine has been tough. I can say that Eile (pronounced eye-lee) is happy and healthy, so that is obviously most important, but it has taken a toll on my 32 year old body. First, came the indigestion-almost immediately. Then came the nausea. And it was BAD! Colt had to pretty much completely take over the household for the first 3-4 months while I lived in bed. I have some pains on my rib that are not so fun, but I know others have it worse-so I am not wanting to complain here. I should also add that this is not our first child, but our first pregnancy (read more about that here).

In all of this, pregnancy has made me feel so bleh! I have always viewed pregnant women as the most beautiful people on this planet… and then I got pregnant. Now they are all gorgeous except me. Ha!  When it has come to taking photos during this stage of life, I have run from the camera. Most days, you’ll find I haven’t showered in a few days, my hair is up in a messy bun, and my belly is poking out of my size small t-shirt that I wore pre-pregnancy (sexy, huh?). I pretty much wear real clothes only when I have to- for shoots, church, and the dreaded trip to the grocery store. The rest of the time, you will find me in the most comfortable thing I can find that is clean. 

As a photographer, my entire income is based off of telling others that you don’t want to miss these moments in life. You need to hire the best and have your photos taken, and OFTEN. While I truly believe this, I have to admit, I haven’t been the best at following through with it myself. I am working really, really hard to change this. When it came to maternity photos, I needed something to get excited about! I found this gorgeous gown that was hand-made, and I knew just the location I wanted to head to. Then it all came down to timing. Whew guys… this weather has not been cooperative lately, and when you are coordinating with hair/makeup + florals + someone to actually take the photos + weather + the flu, things can get tricky. We set a date, had to reschedule, and by golly this next one was going to happen. 

It rained all morning, but it really didn’t matter. I told Colt that regardless, it was going to happen. If we were out in the rain, so be it. The rain cleared and it was a cold and dreary day, but everything was oh so calm. The water was like glass. Emmy was freezing, so she didn’t last long, which is to be expected for a 2 year old. She lasted so much longer than I would have thought!

Natalia Issa made me feel more beautiful that I have in a REALLY long time with my hair and makeup! Let me tell you guys.. I really needed that. She squeezed me in when her schedule was already full, and I so enjoyed my time with her! We talked and laughed and got to know each other, and found that we share a profound love for our Jesus. 

When my hair was finished, Natalia mentioned that a floral piece would look really nice in my hair, so I made a last minute call to the amazing Domonie with Wild Rose Events. She had something ready for me faster than I could get to her and the pieces are STUNNING!

We met up with Jessica who left her husband and sick kids (with the flu) at home just to be there for me for this shoot.  Brandon with Stewards Productions even came out to get some video footage, which I will add to this post as soon as it is ready. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better team. 

So really, for those of you putting off photos for any reason, JUST DO IT! It was a ton of work, and I slept for a day afterward, but we will never get these moments back. I will forever cherish these photos and all of the hard work and love that went into them! 

PS- I almost had the dress altered to fit, but I decided not to so that I can share it with some of you! I am going to be renting these dresses out , so send me an email here if you are interested in using one or both of them for your own photos.