Oh, baby! Moms-to-be pose for picsby Michelle Megna (staff writer)
Pregnant women are giving birth to a new trend: maternity photography. Moms-to-be are letting it all hang out in front of the camera as a way to embrace — and document — their nine months. More women than ever are turning to professionals for the treasured portraits. Jennifer Loomis, a photographer who specializes in maternity shots, says business in New York is up 300% from last year. "I've been doing this for 12 years, and I've really seen the tide turn recently. Over the past few years it's just taken off," says Loomis, whose company, Loomis Photography, has offices in three cities. "Society at large is celebrating the pregnant body, exposing it as something beautiful instead of covering it up." We've come a long way since 1991. That year, Demi Moore sent shock waves when she exposed her bare, bulbous belly to photog Annie Liebowitz for the cover of Vanity Fair. But today the pregnant photo is so popular, it's part of the prenatal package, up there with high-tech strollers, designer maternity clothes and mommy-to-be yoga sessions. And as coverage of celebrities such as Britney Spears, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and Sarah Jessica Parker have glamorized gestation, the mom as model has gone mainstream. JCPenney offers maternity packages at its 400 studios, with prices starting at $10. Photographers there have even been trained to cater to the poses moms prefer. "What we've done recently is change the type of portrait sittings offered. It used to be very traditional, facing the camera, from the waist up," says JCPenney spokeswoman Daphne Avila. Now a woman can look away from the camera, or request that the lens focus on her hands and stomach. "Women are starting to tie their pregnancies into a sense of style. They dress well, they flaunt their bodies, and this is the visual artistic aspect of that," says Loomis. "It's become another rite of pregnancy." Gretchen Shomo, 34, hired Loomis to photograph her a month before she delivered her first child in February. "I thought it was an amazing experience," she says.
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