MATERNITY SESSIONS… BY RUBIN

You have a million things to get done before the baby arrives. Having your picture taken is low on the list. But it would be great if you could do it. What kind of photo do you want? If you're okay with a snapshot at 38 weeks, there are ample photographers who will do that—you'll be at your largest and feeling both grumpy and elated; every photo of every woman looks about the same: fancy gown pulled open to reveal your belly, your hand gently cradling or covering. It always felt contrived to me. A costume for a story of fecundity and spring time, of demure modesty, and feminine delicacy. But that doesn't resonate with many women i know. Or at least there's another side of this they want to hold onto. For them, pregnancy is a time of primitive nature, raw emotion, self-reflection, and intense sensuality. These manifest in the rapid changing of your external shape before your eyes. Pregnancy is a chrysalis, you enter in one form, and you exit something different.  

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I'm a fine art photographer. And I don't shoot maternity shots for a living, but was recently asked by a friend to "do that thing i do" where everything i shoot is moody and sensual. We both love the photos. So i'm going to open this up to the public and make myself available.

WHEN 

I'd recommend not waiting until your 38th week to shoot with me. By then you’re mostly ready to have the baby leave you, and are frequently uncomfortable. Because you want to feel sexy and full of life energy, you might want to aim for the second trimester for a shoot. If you want to capture your transformation, i recommend shooting three sessions during the course of your pregnancy, once in each trimester; if you just want to shoot once, the second trimester is nice.

THE SESSION

The shoots are not long. There is nominal costuming, sometimes gauzy fabrics. There's only natural light and your changing body. These shoots are nude, and that's not going to be for everyone. We create modesty through position and light, but that doesn't make you any less naked. Some pictures are postable on Facebook, and some will be NSFW. But they are you, and you might want to have photographs of you that are real. Most shots do not include your face, and let you focus on your transforming shape, but there are also personal portraits; it's custom—we'll produce a range. 

WHERE

The shoots are in a studio in North Beach. There are little in the way of props and there is ample natural light. The best times to shoot are usually early in the morning, although i'm flexible and we can shoot almost any time it's daylight and convenient. The sessions are completely improvisational: there's no formula—it's all about your body and the light. You don't model so much as... hang out with a friend with a camera in a comfortable and safe environment.

WHAT YOU GET

The images are mostly black-and-white, but there are always color shots. Some images just have to be in color. 

Two pricing options.

  1. No upfront fee for shooting. $25/digital JPG file and $250/8x10 fine art archival prints. (Other sizes also available.) It would not be uncommon to get a dozen or so JPGs and a single print.

  2. Three 60-90-minute sessions are $3000, which includes hundreds of digital files at higher resolution, plus ten prints. The price is the same for two or three sessions. 

One more note: there are no spectators in this process and you may not bring a friend. You are welcome, however, to bring your partner to be in photos with you, and this is a fine option at any or all of the sessions. Creating a safe space is central to the process, and trust is required to produce worthy images.

I only take on a few projects per season.

Email to start the process. rubin at neomodern dot com