With social media’s impact on today’s society, it can be intimidating to create the right pregnancy announcement photo. What happened to just taking a photo? Now, you have to make sure everyone is matching, the house is clean, and somehow include a plant and gold lettering. Don’t let the stress get you down. Creating a pregnancy announcement should be fun and memorable. In the end, you don’t even need to post it. Do it for yourself, not the world. Who am I kidding, you’re going to post it, and you want it looking perfect. Of course you can hop on Pinterest, and find about a billion different ideas, but an idea is only the first step. Finding the right light, angle and outfit is what makes a pregnancy announcement really stand out.
Hi! My name is Brittney Jacox. I’m the photographer for BLANQI, AND I’m currently pregnant! That makes me the perfect person to compile a list of ideas and photography 101 tips to help you make your pregnancy announcement “DA BOMB!” ;)
There's so much that goes into shooting when you're looking for the perfectly styled and curated image to announce your bundle of love! Instead of overwhelming you all in one post, come back next week for the technical side of finding your light, flattering poses and tips and making it all happen! Happy Snapping, Brittney
CREATE AN IDEA
Can’t think of any? Blame the “pregnancy brain”… it’s a real thing. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 1) Balloons. Duh. Balloons are always a good time! There are so many varieties and colors to choose from. You can hold lettered balloons spelling “B A B Y”. Or, you can take a creative spin like our co-founder Valerie did, and use them as a gender tie breaker among kids. 2) This photo was my own pregnancy announcement. When you’re pregnant in the Fall, and you look like you ate a pumpkin, you might as well use that to your advantage. I had the whole family pick out pumpkins and hold them up to their belly to emphasize the “new lil’ pumpkin” on the way :) You could use any food, depending on the season. Summer would be the perfect time to hold up a pineapple or watermelon. And, if it’s Christmas, then clearly the honey glazed ham would be the right choice :) 3) Introduce props. If you’re a little camera shy, props are a great way to shift the focus off yourself. You and your husband can hold up signs, banners, ultrasound photos, baby booties etc. If you hold the prop up, so it’s in the center of the photo, and you kiss in the background, your faces will naturally be less in focus. Or, if it’s a really bad hair day, you can cut your face out entirely and take a cropped photo of your belly. I could recommend a pretty amazing pair of leggings that would show off that bump perfectly, and pair well with any top. Cough, cough… buy BLANQI’S Maternity Belly Support Leggings… cough, cough. 4) Get creative! Use chalk to draw your own background. Incorporate your pets. Stand in the fridge and eat a jar of pickles. Just do you! Take what makes this pregnancy unique to you, and create a photo out of it. Your friends and family will appreciate you being genuine, and it’s sure to get more laughs.GENDER REVEAL IDEAS
Some mamas like to wait until they know the gender of the child before announcing it. That way you can combine the announcement and gender reveal together, and feel safe knowing that you’re a little further along in your pregnancy before others find out. Here are some other ideas, if you’re revealing the gender with your announcement.1) Jump on the felt board bandwagon. You can announce the baby in one photo, and show the gender in the next photo, as part of a slide. And, you will just be sooooo cool, because you used a felt letter board.
2) Balloons.Yet again. No brainer. Our fun floating friends are iconic for any type of celebration. And, probably the easiest way to announce the gender of your baby. Grab a few blue for a boy, or pink for a girl. Pair it with a creamy neutral background, and your eyes will thank you. 3) Colored body powder just screams, “we are cool parents!” You could stick with just one color, or mix it up with a sign to announce the gender. Either way, it’s a safe bet that the smiles in the photo will be the best part. 4) For my own gender announcement I used a colored smoke bomb. This is a great way to surprise yourself, and create an awesome photo. Have a friend that knows the gender buy the bomb. The more bombs, the more smoke, the more fog-tabulous the photo will be. Mono-toned or neutral backgrounds will make the smoke more noticeable. Really happy husbands always create a winner too :)FIND THE RIGHT OUTFIT
What you wear should compliment your location.For instance:
If you pick a busy background, then you should stick to wearing something more neutral and calm. If you choose a solid background, then you have permission to go a little more crazy. If you’re set on wearing any sort of floral, pattern or just feel the need to randomly hold a pineapple, then you will want to pick a solid neutral background. Good choices would be a solid colored wall, or a flat and open area, like a field or beach, that is free of background distractions.There's so much that goes into shooting when you're looking for the perfectly styled and curated image to announce your bundle of love! Instead of overwhelming you all in one post, come back next week for the technical side of finding your light, flattering poses and tips and making it all happen! Happy Snapping, Brittney