Winter maternity photos can feel like a challenge in the Pacific Northwest, where we so often get weeks of solid rain. While a studio maternity session is a great way around this, so many of my clients really want to get outside for their photos. We have such stunning natural beauty surrounding us in the Portland area. It makes an incredible backdrop if you don’t mind being a little flexible for the perfect winter weather. For this session, we rescheduled a few times and managed to hit the Columbia River Gorge after a snowstorm came through the mountains. Read on for a few of my favorite tips for making outdoor winter maternity photos a success.
Plan for Cozy
Maternity photos in winter call for all things cozy. In your wardrobe, that can look like warm knits and layers. In posing, that means get ready to snuggle up to your favorite person for cozy warmth.
Be Flexible for Maternity Photos in Winter
A flexible schedule is my number one tip for maternity photos in winter. There are always, always gaps in the Portland drizzling rain: those are what we’re looking for! At this session, there had been a snowstorm that made travel to the gorge impossible for a few days. Once we pushed our date out a little, the roads were clear. We made a last-minute adjustment to hit a forecasted hour of dry weather, which made our time outside much more pleasant! This type of flexibility is so important during outdoor winter sessions. I wrote more about how to deal with rainy forecasts during a photo session here.
Bring Warm Coats
Most of our outdoor locations will require a brief walk from the parking lot to where we’ll actually be photographing. Because of that, plan to bring things to keep you warm on the walk and in between photos. Think heavy coats, hand warmers, walking shoes, a warm drink, and an umbrella just in case. If it’s an extremely cold day, you might adjust your wardrobe plans to wear a warm base layer under your clothes.
Enjoy it!
Once you’ve done the work of considering how to keep warm during your session and being flexible with your schedule, there’s really only one thing left to do: enjoy it! While you’re at your session, embrace the adventure and the imperfection of photos in nature. Let the wind blow through your hair (that’s a constant for Columbia River Gorge sessions), embrace any clouds or the stray raindrop, and take in how incredible this place is that we get to live in! These authentic, candid moments we photograph before your baby arrives mark such a unique period in time, you owe it to your future selves to capture it just as it is.
