I’ve done plenty of different photoshoots in the past but never one like this.

I made the trip to Aerial Haven, the local Queens studio where I take lessons, to do a maternity shoot with my incredible friend Carol. Ideally, we would’ve done a shoot like this much sooner but the timing wasn’t on our side. Fortunately for us, Carol was able to continue taking aerial hammock classes throughout her pregnancy (under the supervision of her doctor) and she had the strength to pull off this photoshoot.

Can I get vulnerable with you for a minute?
This photoshoot gave me some imposter syndrome. We pulled inspiration from incredible photos taken by [@sriandjana]. I didn’t know how I’d be able to get the results we wanted with minimal equipment. So many maternity photographers have a permanent studio set-up with better lighting equipment and backdrops. I was working with two speed lights, a sheet, and some cardboard. 😭

As much as I prefer to not rely on Photoshop, it really helped us out in the end to create something visually close to our inspiration photos, with our own spin on things.

I’m always a little nervous about drawing inspiration, I’ve had a bad experience even though I’ve always given credit. While most art is derived from other things, you just never know how it will be perceived. I love and respect when artists are gracious and encouraging to those who are inspired by them.

This made my heart happy:

Since I started with photography in 2020, and started taking it seriously in 2021, all I wanted to do was collaborate. With other photographers, models, my friends, everyone. I was disappointed when a few didn’t take me seriously and didn’t support me, even though I gave myself up for free. That’s the thing: you learn as you go. Just because you support others in their endeavors, doesn’t mean they will or have to reciprocate, and you should never sell yourself short. Keep at it, find the good ones, and give everyone else some major FOMO.

On to the rest of the shots:

Carol nailed this shoot! It was hot. She is VERY preggers and basically, everything is uncomfortable for her right now. I can’t get over how badass she is. Special thank you as always to Laura and Aerial Haven, for creating a supportive and safe environment where women truly support women.

Here’s some more BTS for you:

This is what the images looked like out-of-camera, so you can get an idea of the bare bones I’m working with:

… and post processing:

See what I mean about relying on PS? I lit the backdrop to give that silhouette contrast I needed, and used another light to backlight Carol and the hammock. There are some people who always need to get new gear, and if you’ve ever wondered why photographers charge so much? It’s because this shit is so damn expensive. I’ve made it a game to work with what I have and challenge myself.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I look forward to sharing more recaps with you on future projects. Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel for more content and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. Thanks for reading, and congratulations Carol! 💖