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Jennifer Loomis, 36 |
"Why would someone pay to be photographed when they're pregnant?" is a question that Jennifer Loomis (www.jenniferloomis.com) has heard often. She quit her job as a staff photographer for MSNBC four years ago to pursue maternity photography fulltime. Against all expectations, she's grown her business to studios in three cities. "Three shoots a day is not uncommon," says the former photojournalist, who splits her time between Seattle, San Francisco, and New York. Having shot for clients such as CARE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Loomis has always wanted to effect change with her photography.
"I do it because it inspires me to challenge [society's] perceptions. Pregnant women are beautiful, and we should really let them be beautiful."
She began photographing nudes in her early 20s. "I thought, wow, this is great: the light, the shapes, the form." As she worked with more women, some asked to be photographed pregnant. "When I got into maternity photography, the light, the shape, the form, is completely different, better. When women are pregnant, their form is just amazing."
Loomis' shoots are slightly different from most portraits. Almost half are done in clients' homes. And she starts off with some yoga. Then, "we literally sit in the living room and talk. It's a lot about making them beautiful," she says. She uses portable Calumet monolights, shoots medium-format (Mamiya) and 35mm (Nikon), often with diffusion filters for a softer effect.
What makes a successful maternity photographer? Loomis muses, "I think you have to be comfortable with nudity. Because if you're not comfortable, then your clients aren't comfortable… To most of these women, this is like jumping out of an airplane."
Getting the Moment: With an MFA in photojournalism, Loomis tries to take her pictures beyond simple portraits, to "capture a feeling."
Fast Fact: The youngest mom Loomis has shot is 16; the oldest, 57. She recommends mothers come in six to 10 weeks before the due date, "when they've still got the mobility but they [also] have the belly."
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