Maternity style

With your body changing by the day, and your favourite jeans a distant memory its time to embrace the baby bump. Here are my top tips on styling your bump for your photo session and every day life, whilst still feeling like you, included are my favourite maternity stores and brands. At 30 weeks in, I'm by no means an expert so if you have any maternity styling gems please share them in the comments below.

1. Dress like you!

During the first trimester this is pretty easy to do, your normal jeans with an extendable belly band, and baggy tops or tops in a larger size work just fine, but as you get about half way through your second trimester you'll find this gets harder, a lot harder. Maternity fashion can be some what dowdy and boring so I found the best solution was to buy a few key maternity essentials like jeans and leggings - H&M are by far my fave for maternity jeans by the way, but asos also stock a fairly good range and deliver for free if you order over a certain amount - and then just normal tops in larger sizes paired with a cardi or jacket. Long layered vest tops from the normal H&M range work really well. And the bonus of shopping in this way is that not only are you not forced to buy crappy unfashionable maternity wear but also you aren't left with lots of unusable clothes at the end of your pregnancy.

2. Get good, properly fitting underwear!

This is something I've never had to worry about before, but since I've been expecting I've gone up THREE bra sizes already! Getting good, well fitting underwear makes such a difference to how you feel in general and how your clothes look so its so important to get it right. I recently won a competition on instagram with Dubai Mother for 500AED to spend in Destination Maternity and I spent the whole lot on underwear. Their bras are beautiful and functional (can also be used for nursing once little one arrives) and have made such a difference to how I feel about myself so I'd highly recommend them :)

3. Embrace the bump!

Early on in pregnancy its all about hiding the bump, then you enter that awkward stage of looking somewhere between bloated and piling on the pounds, but as soon as you're past that - which for me unfortunately wasn't until about 26 weeks - you'll find that embracing your bump is far more flattering than trying to hide it. A nice maxi skirt, either maternity or a larger regular size, with a tight fitting vest top has been my saviour during this stage, its both comfy (which becomes more and more important as the weeks pass, trust me!) and flattering and leaves people in no doubt that you're expecting ;)

4. Accessorize

Make sure you wear accessories that scream out your personality. I have found that as my body changes and I start to think about how my life will change its more important than ever to keep a hold of my identity, lots of people comment that they don't even notice my bump, and I think thats because I've not changed my style too much. 

4. Always leave plenty of time to get ready!

This is by far the most important point on my list, as I find what fitted me great last week looks ridiculous this week, I've discovered the importance of leaving myself plenty of time to get ready ;)

5. Get outfit ideas from pinterest!
Ok so I'm a bit of a pinterest addict BUT in my defence its a great resource for, well just about anything, maternity outfit ideas included. I have a board with outfit ideas pinned on it and when I'm going just about anywhere I have a quick look to get an idea of what I could wear. Take a look at my board here, and be sure to share yours with me please :) 

5. Make sure you feel awesome.

This is especially important when dressing for your photo session. No matter what you wear on a day to day basis, make sure that your outfit for the session is something you love. You want to feel your absolute best in the photos and cherish the memory of carrying your baby in your tummy, so make sure you really think about what you're going to wear. Take a look at my top tips for dressing for your maternity session here and also my pinterest board for maternity photo session outfit inspiration.

If you have any great tips or hidden gems that I've missed leave a message in the comments please :) otherwise happy shopping ;) xox

38 weeks ♥♥♥

A beautiful, intimate maternity session at 38 weeks ♥♥♥

How to dress for your maternity session

With so many stunning and stylish expectant mammas in front of my camera recently, I thought I'd share some swoon worthy maternity outfits to inspire your photo session and some tips on where and how to shop for your clothes for the session.

So there are a few things to bear in mind when you are shopping for clothes for your maternity session - number one - this isn't a time to be shy or modest, this session is meant to celebrate your changing shape, your beautiful curves and of course your bump so don't hide away, look for clothes that show off your bump. A maxi skirt with a tight vest that can be rolled up for example. 

Number two - its not necessarily about finding clothes that will take you right through pregnancy and beyond - shopping for clothes in Dubai can be tough at times, and shopping for maternity wear is even worse - so don't stick to the lacking maternity stores but instead head to Mango, Zara or even H&M and buy an outfit in a slightly bigger size, that you can then either just wear for the session or have altered to fit your shape perfectly. All of my most recent maternity clients have done this and looked fabulous!

Number 3 - if you don't want to get your bump out for photos thats absolutely fine but remember we're still there to show it off in some way so wear a floaty top that will cling to the curves, or a caftan that will hang off of your bump and you can clinch in under the bump.

Number 4 - Accessorize! Whatever your thing is wear it - mine is always bangles and some kind of scarf, without them I just wouldn't be me, so whats very you? Hats, necklaces, flowy materials… whatever it is make a conscious effort to wear it and make the pictures your own!

Lastly remember to be yourself and dress to your own style and beat, and buy something that is the super extra fabulous version of you.

For my session (below) I got two skirts from splash for 50AED each in a much bigger size than I usually am (and no I'm not sharing what size haha) this meant I didn't have the muffin top that I have with my normal size maxi skirts :/ and I got two baggy short tops from forever21 for less than 100AED that I would never wear in every day life but looked fab for the shoot!

For more ideas take a look at my pinterest board and if you want some advice feel free to drop me an email, I love to talk maternity fashion ♥♥♥

These two ♥ - Maternity session Dubai

The love and happiness between these two was totally contagious - no guiding or direction was needed, this is simply Celine and her husband in love and expecting their first baby ♥♥♥

Doesn't Celine look incredible! She kept fit and healthy throughout her pregnancy with Anna Holmes, a pre and post natal health and exercise specialist - in fact thats how she came across me! If you want any advice on pre or post natal exercise drop the wonderful Anna an email here xox

A dinkyheart maternity session

I'm often contacted by expectant mamas who are considering a maternity shoot but are unsure if its really for them. I'm here to tell you it is!

When I was asked to do my first maternity session for a friend I must admit I was dubious, it wasn't really the type of photography I was used to and I wasn't completely sure of the purpose of it, but she managed to twist my arm, and now I totally get it! In fact maternity sessions are now one of my favourite's. The excitement, anticipation and love that is present in these sessions is incredible. Its new and unique for every couple, as they approach such a life changing event, and for me to document all of this is just magical. 

Most prospective clients have lots of questions, they want to know when and where to have the maternity session, what they should wear, and how to convince their husband to get involved, I hope this blog post will answer all of those questions and even get hubby excited at the thought of a maternity session. 

Location
A maternity session can be held at your home or an outside location, I personally love a beach maternity session and at sunset it just adds to the romance and excitement of it all, however a home session is very intimate and perhaps more relaxing for some people, this is something we can discuss in more detail, it really depends what you hope to get from the images and what you want to do with them.

Timing

As a general rule I recommend you book in your maternity session between 32-37 weeks, I recommend this time frame, as (in my opinion) your bump is usually a nice size and shape by then and you still feel like your yourself, you're still reasonably active and able to move around for the session, but of course everyone is different so this is just a guide, you being comfortable is the most important thing.

Posing

As with all of my sessions, a maternity session is very relaxed and not overly posed. I will suggest particular ways to stand in order to excentuate your bump and flatter your figure, and I will move around you to get the shot and angle I require. I find the session to be a time of realization and excitement, you spend much of the time talking about the little ones arrival and filling me in on your plans and I capture all of that excitement in the images, it really is a beautiful time for an expectant couple and very little posing is needed to reflect that. 

Outfits

The most important points here are that you are comfortable in what you're wearing and that your outfit shows off your bump. I recommend to my clients that they bring at least 2 outfits to a session, and one of those should clearly show your bump, a long skirt with a tight vest top that can be pulled up for example. The second outfit should be something that you love and that you are comfortable in. If you're a hat person bring a hat, if you love scarves like me, then bring one, and if you love chunky jewelry then wear it, because, although my sessions have a particular feel to them I also want them to be individual to you and your style. But again I would remind you that the outfit should highlight your bump, although floaty dresses are lovely they can look a bit shapeless, a tight maxi, or dress that nips in around the bump will look better in the photos.  

Block colours tend to work better than patterns as they don't draw the attention away form the bump,  and as a general rule light, natural colours work well for at home maternity session, remember though you're the one who will have the photos on your wall so make sure you like the colours of your outfits. 

Take a look at my pinterest board for more inspiration and also through my maternity gallery for examples of what other expectant mammas have worn, but remember above all its very important that you're comfortable in what you're wearing. If you need any more advice or to talk through your ideas just drop me an email, I love to talk outfits ;) xox

Win a Family Photo Session

Competition Now Closed!

For your chance to win a dinkyheart photography photo session simply sign up to my monthly newsletter HERE or via the sign up form below! Everyone that has joined the mailing list will be entered in to the draw for a chance to win. The winner will be announced at the end of September. Good Luck! xo

Sign up to our mailing list

*Competition open to Dubai residents only.

** If the winner has already got a photo session booked the prize can be used in place of payment. 

***REMEMBER your confirmation email may go in to your junk folder, you must click the link  to subscribe! 

Win a photo session with dinkyheart photography!

For your chance to win a family photo session with dinkyheart photography simply 'like' our facebook page and sign-up to our newsletter. Its as simple as that! I will announce the winners in October. 

Good luck xoxox

***Competition open to Dubai residents only

Jamila & Mark

As the sun set across the ocean I met Jamila and Mark at a beach along Al Sufouh Road, a spot that I can usually rely on to be fairly empty… but today was a holiday and the beach was filled with families, cars, dogs, barbecues, wind breakers, the lot… whilst a bit of atmosphere can add to a shoot this was not the relaxing vibe we were after for a romantic maternity session, so we jumped back in the cars and whizzed along Beach Road, weaving between houses trying to find another beach that hadn't been discovered by the hoards ;) 

Thankfully we came across this one, just opposite Bu Qtair (an awesome little fish shack serving a variety of fish caught that day) and although there were still a few families making the most of the long weekend we were able to relax and and get some beautiful photos of this stunning Mama to be! xox

Al Qtair fish restaurant… a must try if you're in Dubai!