Maternity portraits at thirty-two weeks.

There's a four-week stretch in the third trimester that photographs better than any other. I aim every maternity session for the middle of it.

By around thirty-two weeks the bump has a lovely round shape, you're usually past the worst of the heartburn and swelling, and there's still enough energy in the tank for an hour on your feet. Earlier than twenty-eight, the shape can read ambiguously in photographs. Later than thirty-six, you mostly want to be home with your feet up, which I respect — but the photographs feel it.

Every pregnancy has its own arc, of course. Twins are best photographed closer to twenty-eight weeks, since they tend to arrive a few weeks earlier. Carrying high or low changes things again. When you book in, send me your due date and any notes from your midwife about how you're tracking, and I'll suggest a few session dates that should suit.

When in the day.

Outdoor maternity sessions run in the last hour before sunset. The light by then is warm and forgiving, the air is cooler, and the angle does kind things to a profile. I avoid the middle of the day; harsh overhead light is unflattering on skin and brutal on a tired mum.

For studio work we shoot mid-morning, once the window light has come up and the room is warm. The studio is also the better choice in deep winter, when sunset is at five-thirty and a paddock at six o'clock is no place to be in a chiffon gown.

Where I usually take you.

My favourite outdoor places in the cooler months are the long-grass paddocks off Mount Samson Road in Samford, the open lawns inside John Scott Park, and a small inlet at Bramble Bay an hour before the tide turns. If your family already has a place that means something to you — a back paddock, a stretch of bush, a friend's farm — we can shoot there instead. Familiar places photograph more relaxed almost every time.

In the studio, I keep the backdrops very simple. Cream wool, soft drapes, sometimes a single dried branch in the frame. The bump should be the picture, and clutter pulls the eye away from it.

What to wear.

Soft, flowing fabrics that move with the body. A long jersey dress in sage, terracotta or oat sits beautifully against grass at sunset; a cream linen shift is perfect for the studio. Chiffon wraps work for a more painterly look, and a simple two-piece is lovely if you'd like the bump out. I keep a small wardrobe of maternity gowns at the studio in standard sizes, and most clients end up borrowing at least one.

Avoid stiff fabrics that bunch and crease, busy patterns, and anything with a logo across the chest. Bare feet outdoors are gorgeous if you're happy with it. If not, plain leather sandals are the simplest answer.

Partners and older children.

Plenty of mums bring a partner, older children, or both. I usually photograph the solo bump frames first while make-up is fresh, then bring everyone in for the second half. Children are easier when they have something to do — kissing the bump, telling it a story, holding a small bunch of flowers — and the photographs read warmer for it.

If your partner is camera-shy, don't worry. Most are. I keep the posing simple and the conversation ordinary, and we're usually done before the awkward has time to set in.

Pairing with a newborn session.

Most families I photograph in the third trimester also book a newborn session. The two together tell a quietly beautiful, very short story: the last weeks of carrying, then the first weeks of holding. When you book maternity I hold a window in the calendar near your due date for newborn, and we lock the date in once baby has arrived safely.

If you're looking ahead.

Maternity dates through the cooler months book out early. If you're due in late winter or spring, send me a note now with your due date, and I'll set aside a session window between weeks thirty and thirty-four for you. I take a small number of maternity bookings each season; I'd rather hold you a date now than turn you down later.

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More from the journal: A newborn session at our Cashmere studio →