The Art of Pregnancy Photography (24 page)

“One really big advantage of being a female photographer is that I am comfortable with nude or seminude subjects and have my own wonderful memories of being pregnant.”
—Gail Patrice

She reports that attending photography conventions, staying active in her local PPA affiliate, Professional Photographers of Sacramento Valley, and serving as a past president of that group has helped her to make critical connections and continue her education in the field. She enjoys getting small groups of photographers together for informal workshops, “just to fuel the passion.”

Marketing
. Gail finds that her best marketing for pregnancy portraiture is word of mouth. The majority of her clients are new moms, so they tell friends, sisters, etc., about their happy experience with Gail in posing for a pregnancy photo. Gail says her clients market her!

KIM TREFFINGER

Background
. Kim Treffinger of Treffinger Studio is an award-winning, formally trained fine artist who lives in San Diego, CA. She is widely recognized for her digital painting techniques and has long been known for her success, passion, and enthusiasm across a range of artistic mediums. She was recently featured on Home and Garden TV’s
Crafters Coast to Coast
and has shown her work in Southern California and nationally. Kim is a member of PPA, a member of and secretary for Professional Photographers of San Diego County, and a member of the San Diego Watercolor Society and San Dieguito Art Guild. She holds a bachelor’s degree in design from the University of California—Davis.

Photo by Barbara Steinberg.

Personal Satisfaction
. “I love a client who will put their trust in you to be creative and still have their interest at heart in pushing the limits and trying something new. I love when we are having a great time together and you just know from each successive shot that you are getting something special for the client that they are going to love for the rest of their life,” she says.

Sometimes a client arrives feeling critical about their appearance, and Kim is able to break through and reassure them that they are going to get some great images they will love. It is those clients who seem to appreciate the session—and the portraits Kim creates—the most. She enjoys the creative process of working on an image and artistically taking it to a whole new level.

Kim loves working with soft, natural light. This image was captured on the sofa in her client’s home. Photo by Kim Treffinger.

Kim loves her job more than anything (aside from her children). “I was a traditional painter for many years before discovering that I could combine my painting skill with portrait photography,” Kim says. “There is nothing like the personal connection you get with your client when you know you’ve created something really special that they never expected. Seeing their tears of joy when they see the images for the first time is priceless,” Kim says.

Marketing
. So far Kim has been very lucky with word-of-mouth referrals, but she is beginning to provide other professionals with gift certificates they can offer to their clients as thank-you gifts to build her client base.

Her specialty is digital painting, and in her area there aren’t too many photographers with a fine-art painting background, so it really sets her work apart and has allowed her business to grow relatively quickly.

Kim’s clients really enjoy her coffee-table books produced using fine-art images from a single session or multiple sessions. She finds that once a client sees a book she has created for another mom, they become excited about creating their own book, too.

Technical Tips
. Kim shoots with a Canon 5D and tends to stick to her 24–70mm f/2.8 lens. She prefers to use natural light whenever possible. She has several Larson standalone reflectors in matte silver and shiny silver that are used for fill.

PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION

“There is nothing like the personal connection you get with your client when you know you have created something really special that they never expected.” —Kim Treffinger

Kim produces portraits in a variety of presentations, depending on the subject: she says black & white is a great choice that really pulls the portrait together when there are too many distracting colors or textures in the composition. Combination black & white and color portraits are a popular choice, and her clients also enjoy her color images warmed up with a bit of a sepia tone.

As mentioned, Kim also creates painted portraits. She finds that it’s best to boost the color saturation of images she plans to paint to ensure the most authentic results.

CARL CAYLOR

Background
. Carl Caylor grew up in Wisconsin and currently lives in Upper Michigan. His studio, Photo Images by Carl, is located in Iron Mountain, MN. He has been involved in photography for more than twenty years. He started his career in the darkroom as a custom printer and technician, a fact that has proven to be a great asset to his photographic and teaching career. Carl has earned the designations of Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman from PPA. He has numerous Loan Collection images and has received several Kodak Galley and Fuji Masterpiece Awards. Carl has twice been named Photographer of the Year by the Professional Photographers of Wisconsin. He teaches seminars from coast to coast.

Photo by Teri Shevy.

Personal Satisfaction
. What Carl appreciates about having added pregnancy photography to his repertoire is that it has created repeat business. “It makes me part of a client’s family experiences and allows me to watch the guests’ children grow,” Carl says. He feels that the most rewarding aspect of pregnancy portraiture is the creative challenge of doing something unique and artistic during a tender moment in a young family’s life. “We already have a tender emotion presented to us, but we need to personalize and immortalize it for the couple,” Carl explains.

He shares, however, that some new clients’ husbands feel uncomfortable with the close, sometimes very personal nature of the session and images and feels it would be easier for the men if he were a female photographer. The mothers-to-be love the experience, though, says Carl, so he tries to include Dad as much as possible.

Carl created this exquisitely lit image to show the relationship between the father and his unborn child. Never underestimate the power of emotional undertones. Photo by Carl Caylor.

Technical Tips
. “If beauty were only skin deep, every photograph would reveal the same personality,” says Carl. He feels the goal of creating a portrait should be to produce an artistic expression that goes past the outer layer, beyond the first impression, and defines the subject’s essence. Artistry is a large component in this undertaking; Carl’s philosophy is that photography is art and family history both. He feels that, without an artistic sense, a portrait has no longevity and will not be part of one’s family history.

PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION

“People appear deeper in thought when they are not brightly lit.”
—Carl Caylor

Carl recommends using a longer focal-length lens, as it allows you to give the client a little more personal space. Also, the longer lens allows for less foreshortening of body parts, more realistically capturing the shape and form of the mother.

Carl finds that window light is the most flattering and comfortable lighting option for his subjects. Since a subject’s emotions are generally on the tender or soft side, he portrays the woman with the mask of her face in shadow. “Psychologically, people are deeper in thought when they are not brightly lit. Therefore, we want to make sure that the lighting style matches the emotions we want to portray,” Carl adds.

The final presentation of the image depends on the mood that Carl and the subject want to create. If the client is dark-haired and wearing earth tones, for example, Carl will often create a black & white image; if the colors and the subject’s hair are lighter in tone, the final image may be a watercolor.

Marketing
. Carl says his best marketing tool is word of mouth but that a display of images at local obstetrics and gynecology offices and displaying pregnancy portraits in his gallery also attracts a number of new clients.