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Pregnancy and Newborn Photography

Lesson 35 of 37

Lightroom Demo of Pregnancy Shoot


Pregnancy and Newborn Photography

Lesson 35 of 37

Lightroom Demo of Pregnancy Shoot


Lesson Info

Lightroom Demo of Pregnancy Shoot

here's what would happen in my studio I would look at the schedule and I say of client a client l coming and sif will be like depends how much time I have if I'm running late it will be like they will be here in forty five minutes you have forty five minutes to get those images in the ordering room and I see new problem and I would go through and edit the images so this first batch when I say add it well first I called him I took the quantity down and then all I did was cropped thes okay so I'm in la develop mode when I the client comes there in library mode okay I've imported these images into light room j pegs not the raw and I will usually go through an edit so if I jumped back over to develop for a minute you're going to see if I hit reset there is with the image looks like okay so I'm literally once I've taken the quantity down I'm just going in here and I'm cropping as I wish and I'm doing this at lightning speed and then I'm going to say maybe I want that calling maybe in black ...

and white but most of you know that I deal with shoot a lot of monochrome but let's just say I didn't if I did you're going to see the color and black and white in here and it's a no brainer I don't have to do any event so I've gone through and I've developed and I've done nothing but cropped them okay now when I'm in my editing mode and I'm cropping I will then go oh I love that image and so on the ed I'm gonna back up before the sales thing real quick sneak peak happens when I'm editing because I don't really have time for it so I built it into my production schedule to tell myself when it's time to head it a client that's when I sneak peek so when you see me posting on facebook I'm editing at home that's where at the studio that's what I'm doing and how I do that is all going to photo shop through light room pop it in the photo shop clean it up I love imagine amit portraiture you've heard me say that before popping in a photo shop clean it up maybe dodge and burn take a look at her she's kind of flawless all I would probably do on her is run portraiture because it would smoother skin and should be done and then I would post on facebook sneak peek done when you do that and you close in a photo shop it pops it back in the light room this is important in the sales process so we go back here were in the sales room and I tell the client I usually will will when they come in I'll keep a favorite one on on the screen and so sometimes I'll go they'll come in and I'll just pick a middle one and they'll see it big and they'll be like oh my gosh like full isn't that cool I love it michael my gosh we should like put that in the nursery or if that's a book put expecting baby whatever you know or something there like he's so cool I'm like okay let's don't worry about that right now I just have to show that it was my favorite I seek pizza on facebook did you see it tanked you she love it okay so let's get back to business here's what you're going to do I'm going to show you how to look at these images and the first time you do not want you to do it for the fun factor what is the fun factor me means you get comfortable in your chair we're gonna give you a drink we have a big bowl of candy and are in our room and you're going to go through we have a wireless keyboard and you're going to just sit back and you're just gonna look just enjoy them for a minute and you're just going to kind of look at these images they're going to go oh I like that one and that one like that the hair is blowing it was just look and then you're going to go through and now we're going to start flagging face and I say keep in mind that I cleaned up a couple of images did you notice he still here yeah and what what usually works really well is I'll put the cleaned up image right next to the untouched image in my room and I'll say that's what it looks like straight out of camera I didn't do anything but crop it now here's the next one and it will be maybe like save its newborn it's all p lease kaylie john nous and here is how amazing this one looks that's what we do when you order the images done really yeah whatever you order we're going to do that really cool so now all you have to do is let's bring the number down because you don't need to buy all these images so do you know what you're going to do with these images uh I'm not quite sure yeah I think it went digitals and we talked about that I think maybe a book maybe some things for the wall but I'm not sure yet okay let's get it down to your faves and let's do that and then we'll go back and figure that out so this little flag here I'm going to tell them that they're going to flag their face and they could turn it on and they can turn it off so when they turn it on that one is now flat and let's say they flagged that one and that one and that one and then I come back and I say how are you doing and they're like oh I flagged my face good did you go through all of them I did and oh yeah let's throw in a few silhouettes I like that one you're going to see that on the film strip bars some of these aren't crap because I didn't finish him pretend they're on cropped and they're like okay picked my face awesome so now when kids who may screen over here I have to move this because I can't see it um uh let's look at just your face and they'll go there they are almost there okay says so far these air your faiths and I would say that on average let's say there's like anywhere from seventy to eighty images and they're on average they probably called about forty to forty five or their face sometimes I go in and they're like um there on my face oh good that's great wait but we probably have to narrow down a little bit like what do you mean they're all my faves and they're like I love them all are you sure because I want to show you something for the most part I've taken out duplicate poses but if let's look and let me help you or tiffany's going to help you and let's compare some images because there's some that maybe there was a slight enough difference that now one's cropped one's own crops it's probably not a fair fair situation but that's ok let's just say that these air similar they're both in color or whatever maybe one is in color and once back away and I'll say do you really want both of those images and this is where the personal attention comes down and so I'll say you know what you find your faves and uncle what do you think what about your face did I get them all that's usually a big thing you hear that a lot my studio what do you think which one we're your face and I'll skin and I'd be like oh my gosh just the other day I said you picked none of the sibling ones and I even sneak peek to sibling one and you got like fifty people let like that image and you didn't pick one because I don't really like him oh really and they said your husband you pick none because yeah he was wearing a logo on his shirt was really mad at him and go but we can remove that why wouldn't you pick that because oh I didn't think about back we go that's got a ring and I don't know what you're talking about and she got on I go you don't have to but that kind of breaks my heart I mean you've got two other siblings and a dad and they're not included so tell me why if her reasons are so minor and re touchable I'll be like oh but that's that's a that's a whip of the wind and should go you're right when we go back and look at those let's unflagging and let's go back and look at all of them and let's look at him again one more time and then even with this I'll go do do you really want both no you're right I really like I really like this one okay since so then we're not gonna flag we're not going to flag this when we like this one let's flag that one and it it's part of that process were you go back and forth and this process is fifteen minutes we've probably given him fifteen minutes alone and then we've gone and we've just kind of helped him out and while they were alone I downloaded another session I went into a session if tiffany's helping the order find by myself I've got plenty to dio I mean plenty to dio and love to multi task you go ahead I'm good and go clean up the playroom I go do something he's calm when you're ready I want to breathe over you so when they say okay and I'm ready I've got to go over this can we compare can we sit and look at both of these yeah let's look at both of them gosh they're so similar me it was slight change of the head but I like this one better and what happens is you're doing what what are you doing what did they come to you for home for who are you and you're the artistic vision you're the photographer I'm not going and uh which one do you like because you showed me boats he was like a boat like I do like them both but I think that first straight on remember I said you're just going to look cute and pregnant well you look you pregnant and I don't know I'm just drawn to that image but if we're doing a book we contrite transitions in the book and we can show both of them so what are we doing let's talk about what we're doing and so the thought process begins I'm not saying in person ordering isn't work of course it's work selling online is very easy it's very passive you you clean it by your images you spend every waking minute cleaning up all the images you have tio because they're seeing them online they're not seeing them in person so no one's there to tell them about four o'clock in the morning that they take the logo off the shirt even though you probably said that an e mail they were gonna pick apart all of that and so it's very different in person it's work may even be a little bit of sweat may even be a little bit uncomfortable may cause you to sit in your seat a little bit differently but I promise you so it's going to give your client a better understanding of what you do why you do it and you're also showing them that we were worth ther money because you've invested time to sit down with them and that's not lost trust me never kinds of said gosh tiffany sat down with me a really long time that's great sometimes it's an hour I had a client for the pregnancy session six hours were like you went dinner lunch what would you like and it was really funny but they were so into it and they're like we're so sorry we're so sorry we're like don't be sorry this room is yours you you would want to spend the night what do you want to do and then we're like are you hungry we can we've got four different restaurants pick your foot let's go get you some food you want to stretch you need to get out you want the fan we actually put a fan on it are ordering room and he was they were so grateful and when it came time for their newborn honoring appointment you know what I said to tiff book them the last appointment of the day because they're gonna be here a while and they're like yeah we are I'm like lunch will serve you dinner because it's a working process is a little bit different than projection and then we can sometimes they'll say can you show me black and white or can we crop it a little bit differently but that's a very minimal and we worked through this process so so do we get do we get it we have questions yes this might be minor but can you tell us how you're ordering areas set up like are they sitting down at a computer do you have a bigger screen on the left phone my phone's here but you can't see it huh and to take a picture of it okay my my room it's not minor it's big deal remember I'm the one that empties rooms and makes a buy sofas like hd tv in my studio it is not a big room it's the smallest room in our studio um but it makes the most money of all the rooms eh so when you go in I have these things that everybody makes fun of me because nobody likes him but me but I have these like things that hand down they always say it's like when you're going into to get your card reading but they're cool I'm the only women like something they keep falling down but other than that it would be an open door but through these things hanging so they go in there and there is so here's the room this wall is filled with campuses frames I can post a picture on my facebook page of the picture because I took it on my phone and it's filled of samples and the table is here and it's probably the length of this sofa and there is a candy bowl my products guide and twenty seven inch mac monitor with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse and there's chairs here and here because we get a lot of extended family and there's even a chair over here because we get the extended family member that would just rather sit back here and observe and it's all open because sometimes we it's directly across from our studio so if we're not shooting we tell the kids they can go play in the play area and that's a big selling point when they say I can I have to have my kids will say if we're not shooting they can play in the play area and if we are shooting we'll just bring a bag of toys and so that's no problem when my kids were there my clients love it because they'll go in the production room and they put on movies on the max and the production room and my kids are like clients anything any time in my studio looking the production room you'd like who's in there only clients kids my kids they're watching a movie my son loves when kids come his age because my kids are always up the studio after school that's their home and so mike my kids love it because they're they're my client's kids love because they know my kids were there and if my kids are they're tiffany's kids are in there and if we have no other kids will entertain them I'm like you what would you like you want ipad you could have an ipad you want another computer do want books what do you want we tell me you don't need to live the kids kids at home it's even gotten so crazy that if they cannot focus with their kids I'll just putting assistant say you're baby sitting and we're still be like so eat um I we had a when linda cardellini was visiting our studio shed her daughter and I went in and like we're since silver decline over there you have to baby sit for the next hour she's like done she sat in the playroom and played with linda's baby for an hour and I even have to tell you is a celebrity client what it said it was a regular client you just would have said cause we want to treat all of our clients like celebrities I just said we have a client we need a sitter done she sits and plays does bubbles in these animal cookies she's happy as a jaybird and yeah I'm paying for it but that's part of the cost of doing business that's a cost that I'm willing to invest and I baby sit I'd love to baby sit when I hear the baby crying and my comptel mom's getting agin he or at her nervous give me the baby I can't tell you how many times you'll see me sometimes on instagram and I'm holding a baby bomb editing it's my client's baby I love babies I'll take your baby you have a b aren't I let's go I can end it while holding your baby they're like really um like I love babies I love children bring it on let's come let's doing that gives you some time so they've got the table got some chairs candy ball samples this way this way there is a wind ah long window up high that we can see out to the front room so we're in the front room we can kind of peak and see how they're doing but it's it's higher than they sit so they can't see it and a fan to keep him comfortable and it's it's not a big room I'm telling you it's probably here here what is that three four hundred square feet something and it's cozy and no one bugs them there's not a lot of traffic and then they just they're all closing but when we do ordering appointments we sit anywhere we've sat at kitchen tables we sat on decks we've sat on living room floors I've been to starbucks I mean you know it's the same process tiffany brings the laptop I brought bills to a client's home one time I'm like I have a bag of things to do I have my magazine bag with my oprah magazine and everything else my photography magazines that I never get to read I keep a bag in my car and then I keep a bill bag in my car and I told him to do the same I gotta climb time I'm like I got plenty of things to do give me a spare room and I wrote bill's the whole time and I'm like let me know when you're ready and I'll come out

Class Description


  • Confidently work with pregnant moms, babies, and toddlers
  • Calm a newborn for a successful photo session
  • Wrap and pose a newborn
  • Safety work with newborns and props
  • Create, flattering, glowing photos of mom-to-be
  • Select props and wardrobe for maternity and newborn photography
  • Cull and pre-edit images in Lightroom
  • Build a successful newborn and maternity photography business
  • Master in-person sales


Capturing images of pregnancy and newborns is an art -- and a challenge. Learn from newborn and maternity veteran Ana Brandt of Anamaria Brandt Photography and Belly Baby Love in this in-depth class on pregnancy and newborn photography. From getting the shot to getting the sale, learn the art of newborn and maternity photography through live sessions, behind-the-scenes insight, and advice from an industry professional.

Jump right into a live newborn photo shoot, creating a workflow to help keep baby calm. Learn how to soothe, wrap and pose a newborn. Master transitional posing to create variety without waking the baby. Work with natural light from windows and studio lighting. Add in the new parents -- and siblings -- for a family portrait with the newest member of the family.

Learn the art of a successful maternity photo shoot. Develop skills for helping moms feel comfortable inside their changing bodies while showing off that baby bump. Build a wardrobe that flatters, and learn how to use simple fabrics to creating flowing, goddess-like images of pregnant women. Work with posing and lighting to bring your own maternity photo ideas to life.

A passion for maternity and newborn photography is a must -- but what do you need to move from hobby to business? Gain valuable business insight from Ana. Start with getting a business license, then build a portfolio, get your name out there, and increase your sales. Whether you are new or have spent a few years in the industry, learn how to grow your business with marketing and in-person print sales.


  • New photographers passionate about infants and pregnancy
  • Hobbyist photographers ready to turn a passion into a business
  • Self-taught photographers ready to take their business to the next level


Ana Brandt started her newborn and maternity photography business from scratch after moving across the country. She went from working full time and shooting on the side to running a large photography studio and educating other photographers. Ana is well-known for her patience and stunning imagery. Along with teaching and running her studio, Ana also owns TAoPaN (The Art of Pregnancy and Newborn Photography), a resource and online store for newborn and pregnancy photographers. She's also the author of multiple books on newborn photography.


  1. Get the Sellable Shot

    In the first lesson, gain an overview of the class and meet your instructor. Then, begin the first live shoot of the class, where you'll see a full session over the first four lessons. Learn how to get the first guaranteed, sellable shot in the first 15 minutes.

  2. Start to Finsh Newborn Shoot: Mauve Cloth and Basket

    Move from that first sellable shot to the second set-up. Learn what to look for in props, how to keep a new baby calm while switching sets, and how to work in transitions for maximum variety.

  3. Start to Finish Newborn Shoot: Baby Pram Prop

    In the third set-up, watch Ana work with a more complex prop. See how to work with a prop that requires an assistant's support for safety. Gain insight into the newborn and editing workflow from student questions.

  4. Start to Finish Newborn Shoot: Newborn with Parents

    At the end of the live session, learn how to work with the newborn and parents. Gain tips for posing both the baby and mom and dad for a portrait of the new family.

  5. Baby Safety

    Newborn safety is a must for photographers. Learn what to do when you are sick, how to keep everything sanitary, and how to make sure baby is safe at all times. Go through the baby safety checklist to ensure a safe session.

  6. Art of the Wrap: Basic Wrap with Twins

    Newborn wrapping is as much of an art as photography. Learn how to create a basic wrap in the second live shoot of the class, a session with twins. Get a precursor to studio lighting with an overview on the lighting gear used for the live shoot.

  7. Art of the Wrap: Egg Wrap and Side Wrap

    The egg wrap keeps baby cozy while showing details like the toes and that new belly button. Learn the art of the egg wrap, then move into an easy side sleep bum wrap.

  8. Art of the Wrap: Final Shots

    Take those simple baby wraps and learn how to incorporate more variety by mixing those wraps with props and poses. Learn additional simple wraps like the middle twist and essential tips for a successful wrap, like listening to the baby's cues.

  9. Studio Light Shoot: Newborn and Toddler with Moon Prop

    In this lesson, learn how to work with siblings during a newborn shoot. Go behind-the-scenes in multiple sibling poses and gain tips for working with toddlers.

  10. Q&A and The Challenging Toddler

    In this lesson, gain tips on working with challenging toddlers. With student questions and an additional live shoot, learn tricks to working with challenging toddlers for sibling shoots.

  11. Baby Emma Edit

    In this live edit, learn the post-processing workflow for a newborn session. While editing images from the first live session, gain insights into quickly culling images, pre-cropping, and coloring images by working with presets.

  12. Maternity Photography 101

    Maternity pictures go hand-in-hand with newborn photography. In this lesson, learn maternity photo basics, like why maternity shoots are important, how to prep maternity clients, and how to help pregnant women feel beautiful.

  13. Clothing Options and Metering

    Clothing choices can help an expectant mother feel beautiful with that pregnant belly. Learn how to build a wardrobe for maternity photography, what to look for in maternity photography clothing, and clothing pitfalls to look out for. Then, tackle metering to gain a better understanding of exposure.

  14. Shoot: Transitional Posing

    Transitional posing isn't just for newborns. Learn how to work variety into maternity sessions by directing transitional posing for a mom-to-be. Go behind-the-scenes of a live maternity shoot, through multiple outfit changes, and gain insight into posing that's flattering for that baby bump.

  15. Shoot: Studio Lighting

    Continue working with maternity photography by mixing that transitional posing with studio lighting. Start with a simple lighting set-up, then move to more dramatic studio lighting.

  16. Shoot: Couple and Monochrome

    Learn how to incorporate Dad into the maternity session with this live couple's maternity shoot. Gain tips for posing mom and dad together, as well as insight into monochrome photography.

  17. Shoot: Silhouettes and Back Lighting

    A mom-to-be's body shape changes dramatically during pregnancy. A silhouette can be a great way to celebrate the shape of that new life. Learn how to create a silhouette in studio, as well as working with additional types of backlighting. From wardrobe choices to camera settings, master backlighting in this lesson.

  18. General Q&A

    Find the answers to frequently asked questions from maternity photographers like you. In this short lesson, students ask questions from the live maternity shoots.

  19. Shoot: Movement with Fans

    Fans on set help create movement, creating a beautiful, flowing look for that mom-to-be. Learn what kind of fan to use and how to use it during maternity sessions. Gain insight into creating movement in maternity photos.

  20. Shoot: Movement with Fan and Fabrics

    Mix your new-found fan knowledge with fabric to create additional movement and fun wardrobe variety. Learn what kind of fabric to use, from fabric store finds to those same newborn wraps, then watch that fabric incorporated into a live shoot.

  21. Shoot: Pregnancy Session Start to Finish Part 1

    Build on what you've learned from the previous maternity shoots and head behind-the-scenes for a full pregnancy session. Gain insight into posing and the flow of the session with this full live shot.

  22. Shoot: Pregnancy Session Start to Finish Part 2

    In this continuation of the full pregnancy session, work with silhouette shots and backlighting. Learn how to add in the future big sibling -- including tricks to get toddlers to interact with mom's belly. Then, add in dad for a couple's silhouette. Work with the entire family for a family maternity shot.

  23. Pregnancy Session Start to Finish Part 3

    In the final segment of the full live maternity session, work with additional poses, like lying down and side lying. Gain additional insight from the included Q&A session.

  24. Become a Recognized Newborn Photographer

    How do you build a photography business when no one knows who you are? Learn how Ana started from scratch after a cross-country move and built a business while still working a full-time job. Gain insight into how to get your name out there in your community.

  25. Get Motivated to Market

    Get into a marketing mindset not through odd tips, but by finding your own motivation. Learn how to find your own motivation, and how to use that to reach new clients.

  26. Model Calls

    Need to build your portfolio? In this lesson, Ana walks through model calls and tips to reach out to models. Using model calls is a great way to work on your own weaknesses.

  27. Preparing for Future Opportunities

    With some preparation, marketing can help prepare you for future opportunities that you may not even foresee. Learn the marketing essentials, like why printed material is essential.

  28. Getting the Word Out

    Gain insight into getting the word out for your business. Start by understanding your audience. Then, build on essentials like creating a referral program and an email newsletter.

  29. Capturing the Legacy

    Go deeper into your marketing audience with multicultural marketing. Learn why diversity in marketing is important, how to be proactive in marketing, and how to build a legacy for your business.

  30. Marketing Materials

    Learn the marketing materials essentials, like newsletters, printed materials, and a website, then tie them all together. Go behind the scenes for Ana's social media and website workflow for her business.

  31. The Business of Newborn Photography

    What separates a hobbyist from a professional photographer? Learn the business essentials of newborn and maternity photography, including obtaining licenses, hiring an assistant, and getting equipment.

  32. In Person Sales

    Selling in person leaves a lasting impression with clients. Learn why selling in person is important, and tips for a successful in-person sales session.

  33. Selling Your Work

    In this lesson, Ana offers advice for photographers on selling your work. From must-have newborn art to selling while you are shooting, gain insight into increasing sales in this lesson.

  34. Sneak Peak and Sales

    Do you edit all the baby photos before displaying to the clients? In this lesson, Ana explains why she only edits 2-3 images before the in-person sales, educating the client on how the remaining photos would be edited. Learn how to handle sneak peeks.

  35. Lightroom Demo of Pregnancy Shoot

    Work with the images from the live maternity shoot as Ana demonstrates how she uses Lightroom for in-person sales. Pick up tips on helping clients choose the best images for print.

  36. Are You Good Enough?

    Every photographer asks themselves that question. Ana shares how passion and positivity is a must -- and how everything else can be learned.

  37. Battling Insecurities

    Ana finishes up the class with some final advice on managing insecurities as a photographer. Everyone has insecurities, she says, but it's the successful people that get over them and move on.


a Creativelive Student

I enrolled in your course because I was wanting to expand my photography business to something other than weddings. I never knew just how amazing and important pregnancy and newborn photography would be. I am feeling so much joy, love, inspiration and the need to do this now; all because of you and this course. You have captured me and led me to believe I was meant to do this type of photography. Thank you for your amazing course, your talents in what you do are unmeasurable! I look forward to learning more from you in the future while watching your course over and over. I can't wait to start this new journey of imagery. Thank you!

Mindy St Onge


Kate Marsh
