How Can I Look Amazing for My Maternity Photos? The Photographer's Client Closet
Why is the photographer’s client closet the way to look amazing in your maternity photos? The simple answer is because the photographer chose those exact dresses for a reason.
I spend a lot of time choosing dresses for my maternity client closet. The dresses can’t just be beautiful. That is a pre-requisite, of course. But I am much more discerning than that before a dress gets chosen and purchased for my client closet.
A photoshoot dress for my client closet must also match my aesthetic and style. Each photographer shoots differently.. My style is distinct in its use of neutral and pastel colors. I tone down the yellows and greens and edit towards the cooler side of the spectrum. I edit closer to a light and airy style (although that is not how I’d describe it) than to a dark and moody style. I incorporate boho elements, but I wouldn’t say my style is bohemian. I edit with a film like quality. Channeling Fuji Film to be exact.
My style is what dictates the dresses I choose more than anything else. A good photograph is well composed. A great photograph is well composed and cohesive in color and style. So I choose dresses that will go well with my style and color, as well as make my moms-to-be beautiful.
Long story short, that is why you should consider the client closet dresses. Because you will know for sure that they will look amazing in the photography itself. That is the short answer though. Below you’ll find a much more robust list of reasons.
Why you should choose a maternity photographer who has a client closet
Not all photographers, not even all maternity photographers, have a client closet. This could be for a variety of reasons. But one big reason is because client closets cost a lot of money and take a lot of time to build. I spend thousands of dollars to maintain and update my client closet each year. If you supply your client closet with designer dresses, like I do, it’s not chump change. And it takes a lot of research and time to start a client closet. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much time it takes to find a beautiful maternity dress. It's ridiculous how hard that is. Add on the fact that I can only consider dresses that are of high quality. And that are cohesive with my photography style. It takes forever. But since I do specialize and want to give a good client experience, I do it.
Saves You Money
The most obvious answer is that it saves you money. It probably saves you more than you think though. Because the quality of the dress does matter in photographs. Believe me it shows! It means that a good photoshoot dress will cost you hundreds of dollars. Yes, that much! But experience is the best education. And I've shot and edited sessions with both cheaper dresses and more expensive ones. I can tell you it does make a difference.
Let me tell you about the session that proved this to me. It was a session I shot before I started to focus on maternity photography. And so before I had a maternity client closet. The mom-to-be sourced her gown from Amazon (which I definitely don’t recommend). She felt great in it. But when it came to editing that session, I spent a lot of time fixing that dress. And, believe me when I say that not all can be photoshopped. I made it look better, but it by no means looked amazing. The dress bunched up in odd places. It made my camera do a lot of crazy things with the material (have you heard of moire?). Overall, it didn’t translate well to photographs.
If that isn’t reason enough, here’s another reason why you should buy a designer gown. Dresses sold on Amazon are made in third world countries with questionable labor laws. And they are often of designs stolen from small businesses. These small businesses are owned by women and moms. So purchasing these dresses not only supports sweat shops. It also directly hurts woman and mom owned businesses. Small businesses that pay living wages.
So, long story short, going with a photographer who has a client closet saves you $100s.
Investment Shows Commitment
As I mentioned above, I only started building a client closet when I focused on maternity photography. And that is the norm. Why does that matter? Well, specializing makes one an expert, doesn’t it?
Let me bring up an example in another service field. When you want a nice Italian meal, where do you go? Do you go to a diner that serves a lasagna, along with hamburgers, sandwiches, and fish and chips? Probably not. You probably go to a nice Italian restaurant, huh? Well, why would you do that? I am going to guess that it’s because you know that the Italian food at a nice Italian restaurant is going to taste better. And it will be of higher quality. And you’ll have a nice experience and it will feel more special. Well, that is how it works in photography too. If you want run of the mill photos you might go to JCPenney's. But if you want something special, you hire a specialist.
A client closet is a sign of a business specializing. JCPenney is never going to have a client closet for a variety of reasons that I won’t go into here. But one of those reasons is because they don’t specialize. It’s not worth their time and energy to build a maternity client closet when it is a small portion of their service.
It Makes You Look Amazing in your Maternity Photos
As I mentioned in the introduction to this blog post, a client closet dress is chosen for two reasons. First, it is an amazing dress. It will look amazing on you and will make you look amazing. Second, it needs to be cohesive with the photographer's style. Have you ever thought that you looked amazing, but then saw a picture and it didn't do it justice? Well, that's because the quality of the image also dictates how amazing you look. And a client closet dress, because it's chosen with the photographer's style in mind, will look amazing in the photo too.
Why you should incorporate a dress from the maternity photographer’s client closet into your photo session
Image Quality Increases
When I started a client closet, I immediately noticed the impact on my photography. It made my photos look ten times better.
One reason is because everything worked together. I have always helped clients choose clothes for a session. But client closet dresses go through a much more rigorous vetting process. If there is one aspect that doesn't work, they don't get chosen. I can't do that with client's clothes. Someone's clothes are personal. There is only so much I can say before it becomes insulting. And, I don't mean to say that my clients don't have good taste. They do. They chose me after all! It's because, good looking clothes are just one part of the criteria. With client closet dresses, I can be brutal in the selection process. With client clothes I can't.
Second, I know these dresses well. I shoot with them all the time. I know how to manipulate them in photos to produce certain effects. With client's clothes, I don't have this knowledge. I'm working with your clothes for the first time.
It’s What You See in their Portfolio
My images look better when my client closet is utilized. So those sessions make up the vast majority of images on my website. It is one of the ways to ensure that your images will be like the images you see on the photographer's website.
Dos for Choosing a Maternity Photoshoot Dress from a Client Closet
Going with a client closet dress isn’t a foolproof. So here are some ways to utilize a client closet well.
Do: Choose for the Location/Season First
Cohesive is key. Your dress should complement the location. So ask your photographer about the location and what will go with the location. Even if you're familiar with the location yourself, I urge you to ask. Photographers see portrait locations differently than regular people. We can take what we see and know how it will look through our camera.
Do: Choose your Pre-Maternity Dress Size
Maternity dress sizing is equally confusing and not confusing. You should go with your pre-maternity dress size when choosing maternity dresses. That is how they size maternity clothes, your pre-maternity size + belly. But it’s not unheard of to have gained a bit more weight than the average pregnant mama. If that is you, take that into account. And go up a size. We can make a dress smaller on location, but not bigger.
Do: Listen to the Photographer’s Recommendations
Have you ever bought something for your house that you absolutely loved in store. But when you got it home, it just didn’t go with the rest of the room? Or a clothes item that you absolutely loved, but it never goes with anything, so you never wear it? That’s because most of what makes something work in design is how to it fits in with the whole. Professionally designed houses look amazing because the whole aesthetic was planned first. Then the pieces were chosen to execute the aesthetic. The reason an outfit works is because all the pieces coordinate.
Photographs are no different. All elements of a photograph must work together to make an amazing photograph. You chose your photographer for their style. It is their style. They are the only ones that know how to make that style work. So ask for their input and use that advice. It is the best way to make sure your images will look just as amazing as the photographer's portfolio.
Do: Ask Your Photographer For Other Options If You Don’t Like Any of the Photoshoot Dresses in their Client Closet
What if you don’t like anything in the client closet? Believe me, even in the cases of the largest client closets, that happens. And that is why many photographers have back up options.
In my studio, I have something called the Stock the Studio program for this very reason. Instead of choosing something in my client closet, they can buy something themselves. They utilize it in their session. And I "buy" it from them with product credit after the session.
So ask if you don't like anything in the client closet. Because your photographer might have a plan B. And make sure to ask for the policies and restrictions of the program. Clear the dress with them first. And make sure you understand what credit you’ll receive in exchange before buying the dress. Photographers cannot accept just any dress off the street. Remember, rigorous and brutal decisions are applied to client closet dresses! The photographer will only offer this option for dresses that fill a need in their client closet. If it is within the photographer’s budget. And if it will work with their style of photography. The photographer is the only one that can determine if a dress meets this criteria. So talk to them first.
What to expect with a photographer’s client closet
Photoshoot dresses that fit a wide range of sizes
The #1 worry I get from clients is that the dress won’t fit. And that is actually the least of my worries. As long as you aren’t bigger than the sizes the dress is designed for, it will fit. The reason for this? Because you aren’t going out for an evening on the town in this dress. All you need to do is stand there a look pretty. What that means is that if a dress isn’t fitting you perfectly, we have options. We have clips to tighten it in certain places and make it work for you. And photoshoot dresses are more flexible in sizing than dresses for everyday wear. Designers know that this dress needs to fit many women. So they design it to do that.
Photoshoot dresses that have a similar style and color
When you look at a photographer’s client closet, you’ll notice that they are all pretty similar. There is a reason for this. They all have to complement the same style of photography. Only certain colors and styles will go with a photographer’s style. So the dresses are going to look similar.
High Quality
I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again. Client closet dresses, for the most part (I can’t speak for all photographers), are going to be of high quality. Quality shows in portraits, so you want quality even for a dress you’ll only wear once.
Three Takeaways for a Client Closet
If you get nothing else out of this blog post, please keep in the mind the following three things:
Choose a photographer with a client closet, because it means that they have invested in this style of photography and are a specialist.
Choose a dress from the client closet, because you’ll know that it will help to create a cohesive look in your photographs.
Listen to your photographer, because they are the expert and know what will work and what won’t.
Sara Herkes is a maternity, newborn, family, and senior photographer based in Longmont, CO. She serves the the Denver Metro Area, the Colorado Rockies, and the Northern Front Range and captures your pregnancy amidst the Colorado wilderness. Learn more about her services here.
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