I texted Jenn something along the lines of “I have this idea – I want to take a maternity photo, where I’m topless, but being covered with flowers. I don’t think I can manage it as a self portrait. Are you down?” I wasn’t surprised at all when she responded with an enthusiastic “YES”. Jenn and I are photography soul sisters, heck, probably just soul sisters in general, haha. We have very different photography styles, but we are both so passionate about what we do! So, we decided we would do a mini boudoir maternity session!
The night before I was supposed to leave I was planning on braiding my hair so that it would be wavier than usual the next day. I knew I wouldn’t have time to curl my hair with a 6:45am leaving time. But, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted these photos to celebrate my body – for the hell it’s been through, and what it’s about to go through. I decided not to do anything for the photos. I went into it 100% natural, no makeup, no special hairdo, nothing. I literally took my hair out of its still-wet messy bun, put on clothes that I already had in my closet and jumped outside with her.
She asked me what my vision was for the photos, and I told her that I wanted to photograph in a way that lights her on fire. This is the end result of that and I’m SO freaking in love with them. Lily even wanted to join in for a couple 🙂
I’ve had pretty complicated emotions about this pregnancy, and physically it’s been incredibly challenging. Especially while taking care of a wild toddler. I’m not really in the mood to have photos taken of me, but I took these photos for the future me. The Linda who would look back on this pregnancy and be sad I didn’t take any photos just because of the space I was in mentally. Regardless of how I got here, pregnancy is something worth celebrating. Women are fierce and powerful and every person should document these moments for their future selves.
Photos by Mint and Thistle.
Jenn, thank you so much for doing this for me. It healed a small part of my heart, and I’m forever grateful <3
Linda is a Portland-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies from Portland to Boston and across New England. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com.
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