Last year, my beautiful friend Ana asked if I would take her maternity photos with her partner Zibi. A few years ago, I would have shied away from situations where my skills or experience were lacking; always declining shooting friends birthdays or events when they would ask, worrying I would make too many mistakes and didn’t have much to offer.
Back in 2013-14, I was fortunate enough to work as a photographer in a very fast-paced and creative driven portrait photography studio for 9 months, after working as a preschool photographer for just over 3 years. Although I struggled greatly through those 9 months as a studio photographer, the immediate push for learning new skills right from my first day on the job meant I experienced an enormous amount of growth in quite a short space of time. I burnt myself out pretty quickly, and my camera gear sat stored away for the good part of 3 years while I decided on a career change and went and studied interior design.
During my last year of study, I took up photography as an elective, hoping it would be the kick up the butt I needed to motivate me to get back into photography. Thankfully, that was exactly what happened! My previous photography knowledge (I was both self-taught and then on-the-job taught) meant I could focus my time on pushing myself to create two photo series in the class that were meaningful to me; Lagom and I, Myself, Me).
When Ana asked if I could photograph her maternity in her final stages of her pregnancy, I jumped at the opportunity, feeling honoured that she wanted me to capture and solidify this beautiful moment of her and Zibi’s life together, and excited for something new with the potential of personal growth as a photographer.
Our first planned shoot was postponed (I do not envy anyone who gives up their body for pregnancy!), and with unfavourable outdoor weather conditions for the second planned shoot date, we retreated into the beautiful glasshouses of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, and what a beautiful retreat they provided for these photos.
If you’ve not visited glasshouses before, especially on a wet day, you may not be aware of how humid the conditions are inside. Humidity and cameras = moisture; moisture = a foggy lens; a foggy lens = extremely blurry photos! After a long process of patiently wiping and waiting for my lens to clear, we began the photoshoot. Thankfully, Ana and Zibi are very laidback, and their patience meant I wasn’t so focused on my many years out of practice shooting portrait photography. After some initial fumbling, I found my footing as we moved through the glasshouses, my trusty Pinterest board of images on my iPad guiding me through as we went.
I am really happy with what I captured for Ana and Zibi. I’m quite the perfectionist, and although the rainy weather meant low light shooting conditions and some blurred photos, I am very proud of myself for finally stepping outside of my comfort zone, and thankful for my wonderful friends Ana and Zibi allowing me to capture this precious part of their journey together.
I look forward to more opportunities to expand my knowledge and experience in photography, particularly story telling through imagery.
