Most maternity sessions ask a lot of you. You’re carrying extra weight, your back aches, your feet have opinions, and the plan is usually to walk through a field at golden hour in a flowing dress and look like you’ve never felt better. I’ve watched so many clients describe those photos, and then have a look of dread cross their face at the thought of actually doing it. There is no doubt they wanted to document this chapter, but when you’re in your last trimester, you know your body might not be up to actually enjoying the experience. 

That’s the whole reason I started offering underwater pregnancy photos. Lissie was a great client to work with while we were both learning the ins and outs of this kind of session, I’d already worked with her for a boudoir session before, so we both knew what we felt comfortable with. Knowing her body, Lissie was wanting something in the water, specifically so she could have a session off her feet. So, she showed up, got in a heated pool, and spent the next hour telling me how good she felt. Two things she said stuck with me: she couldn’t believe she didn’t have to do her makeup, and she was amazed at how good her body felt floating.

So if you’ve been on the fence about water maternity pictures, here are the five reasons I think they’re worth it, most of which I learned watching Lissie that day.

1. Your body finally gets a break

Pregnancy is hard on your body. The last thing a lot of women want to do in their third trimester is hike to a scenic overlook or hold a pose while their lower back screams. Water changes that. The moment you’re in, the weight comes off. The gravity floats away and allows you a sense of weightless rest. 

Lissie spent the session moving slowly, drifting, and resting her hands on her belly because it felt natural, and because she had the opportunity to focus on the magic she was creating, not the pain she was feeling.  That ease shows up in the photos. You can’t fake a relaxed body, and water gives you one for free.

2. No makeup, no hair, no prep… just show up

This is the one that surprises people most. There’s no point in a full face of makeup when you’re going underwater, so I tell clients to skip it entirely. No hair styling, no worrying about a dress that photographs well from every angle. You arrive, you get in the pool, we shoot.

Lissie said it was the most relaxed she’d ever been before a session, and it’s because the prep that usually stresses people out simply isn’t part of it. For anyone who’s felt too tired or too over it to commit to a traditional maternity shoot, this removes the extra long, or tedious part you were dreading.

3. You actually feel good in the water

Almost everyone tells me some version of “I feel so good in here.” There’s something about being weightless that lets people relax in a way they don’t on land. When you feel good, you look it, and I don’t have to coach confidence into the frame.

This matters more during pregnancy than at almost any other time. A lot of my past brides and maternity clients were torn: they wanted these photos, but they didn’t feel their best and weren’t sure they wanted to be in front of a camera at all. The water solves that. When I asked Lissie how she felt after the session, she told me, “When we did my underwater maternity shoot, you made me feel so secure and at ease about my body, and the pictures were more than I could have imagined.”

4. The photos look like nothing you’ll get on land

Underwater pregnancy photos don’t look like standard maternity portraits, and that’s entirely the point. Fabric moves differently. Hair lifts and spreads. Light comes through the surface and lands on you in a way that’s impossible to recreate in a studio. You get this soft, weightless, dreamlike quality in every frame.

If you already have a typical maternity gallery from a previous pregnancy, this gives you something completely different to hang next to it. And if this is your first, it’s a striking way to start.

5. You document this chapter without it wiping you out

The reason most people book a maternity session is simple: they want to remember what their body did and how this time felt. The problem is that a long, physical shoot can leave you exhausted, and then the memory is more about being tired than about the pregnancy itself.

A water session is short, gentle, and genuinely fun (I consider it a part of my job to make sure the latter is true). You float, you swim a little, we capture it, and you leave feeling good instead of drained. You get the documentation without the cost to your body, which, when you’re growing a human, counts for a lot.

What an underwater maternity session actually looks like

I would completely understand If the idea of being underwater while pregnant sounds intimidating. After doing this with many different clients, I’ve heard those anxieties, but I know for a fact they disappear once we get into the water. We shoot in a heated pool, so you’re warm and comfortable the whole time. You don’t need to be a strong swimmer because most of what we do is floating and slow, easy movement. I direct you through every bit of it. There are also many different poses we can do that don’t require you to put your head underwater. I’m here to make sure you feel safe, weightless and beautiful. 

I trained for water maternity pictures through a mentorship with Becky, an underwater photographer based in Australia, who taught me everything about shooting safely (and beautifully) in an aquatic setting. Meaning, I take this offering incredibly seriously, because in any kind of shoot your safety and comfort are top priorities for me.

Ready to take your own underwater pregnancy photos?

If you’ve been wanting to document your pregnancy but haven’t felt up to a traditional shoot, this might be the version that actually sounds good to you. No makeup, no marathon, no pressure, just you, the water, and an hour that most of my clients tell me they’d happily do again.

If you want to see what water maternity pictures could look like for you, checkout my full service page or get in touch to book a session. 

I can’t wait to dive in with you.