You’re glowing with excitement for the little one on the way. Now you want to capture the beauty of this special time with professional maternity photos – but balling out on an expensive photoshoot isn’t in the cards. Not to worry! With some creative planning and DIY props and backdrops, you can get gorgeous maternity photos for less than 3000 rupees.
Location, Location, Location
Outdoor natural light is the key to getting that maternal glow for cheap. Scout locations in your area with beautiful scenery that complement your style. Think flower fields, tall grass with windblown movement, tall trees, etc. If you live near water, a lake, river, or ocean beach also make stunning and soothing backdrops that beautifully frame your belly. Just be sure to go during golden hour shortly before sunset for that creamy dreamy light.
Props from Around the House
You likely have lots of items around the house that can double as perfect maternity shoot props. Colourful scarves and wraps not only flatter your shape but also add movement and texture. Display your bare belly proudly with an open button-down blouse or sweater. If you can sew or craft even a little bit, create a small banner with fabric paint with your baby’s name or due date. Other cute prop ideas are children’s books, baby shoes, your partner’s hands cradling your stomach – anything meaningful to you.
DIY Flower Crown
A stunning yet easy DIY accessory to take your maternity photos from basic to ethereal is a flower crown. Purchase affordable fake flowers and foliage from a craft store or online, bend and shape them into a circular crown form, then hot glue everything together. The result is a gorgeous customized floral halo that makes you feel like a maternity goddess – for less than 300 rupees.
Play with Perspectives
Get creative with poses and perspectives to add visual interest to your maternity photos. Photograph yourself standing sideways to highlight your belly profile. Sit or lie down amongst props and nature to showcase its full glory. Add repetitive shapes and lines for depth by standing in between two trees. Place your partner’s or children’s hands on your bump. Details like these add sentiment and beauty without adding cost.
Mobile Photography Magic
You don’t need a fancy DSLR camera and lens package to get professional-looking maternity photos. Today’s smartphone cameras are remarkably advanced and capable of capturing stunning imagery. Use the back camera instead of your lower-res selfie camera. Tap the screen to shift focus where you want it. Enable gridlines to frame the shot by the rule of thirds. And use a tripod with Bluetooth shutter remote to get clear, steady hands-free shots. With the right tips and techniques, your phone photos will look magazine-worthy.
Edit to Perfection
Basic photo editing apps like Snapseed and Adobe Lightroom Mobile offer powerful one-touch tools that instantly elevate your images. Use the Portrait function to artistically blur backgrounds. Play with vintage filters. Adjust brightness, warmth, contrast, highlights and shadows. Crop images for better composition. And remove imperfections with healing brushes. With just a few tweaks, your gorgeous maternity photos become works of art.
Hire an Aspiring Photog
If you want professional photos on a tiny budget, hire a photography student, aspiring amateurs, or newly established pros looking to expand their portfolio. They likely charge only a few hundred or thousand rupees for a mini session. Or see if a talented photography friend will do the shoot for free in exchange for lunch, practice, and sample images to share their work. You get beautiful custom maternity photos, and they get to level up their skills. Win-win!
With some creative planning and resourcefulness, you can have stunning professional maternity photos to cherish without blowing your budget. Focus on gorgeous natural light, thoughtful poses, meaningful props from home, and basic photo editing for brilliant results. Before you know it, you’ll be proudly displaying your radiant expectant mama art as you anticipate baby’s arrival!