Maternity Guide
A pregnancy announcement photo has one job: to make the people who love you feel like they were there when you found out. That does not require a chalkboard or a pun. This guide collects announcement photo ideas that still look good years later — simple, seasonal, with siblings, with pets, and the underwater concepts nobody expects — plus when to shoot and what to wear.
The announcement photos people keep are almost always the quiet ones. A close-up, a reaction, a hand. Props date fast; faces do not.
If there is already a child or a dog in the family, they are your best announcement idea. These images do the storytelling for you and nobody has to hold a sign for them to work.
Announcements land well when they connect to the time of year, which in North Florida means golden light rather than snow. Live oaks, spring-fed rivers and long, warm evenings do most of the work.
If you want an announcement nobody has seen before, do it in water. Underwater images look painted rather than photographed, and the symbolism is right there — your baby is already living in water.
Announcements are usually made earlier than maternity portraits, so underwater works even before there is much of a bump: fabric, light and a floating figure carry the image. Sessions run in a heated pool or a Florida spring with a safety swimmer beside you.
Most families announce somewhere between 12 and 20 weeks — after the first-trimester scan, and while the bump is still small enough that the photo reads as news rather than as a maternity portrait.
That makes announcement photos a different session from your maternity shoot, which usually happens between 28 and 36 weeks. Plenty of clients do both, and shooting the announcement first means we already know your wardrobe, your locations and how you like to be photographed by the time the maternity session comes around.
Studio and outdoor sessions around Gainesville, Florida start at $990 and include a $500 print credit. Underwater sessions start at $2,990 and include a $2,000 print credit. Digital images start at $250.
Every session includes a design and planning consultation where we choose the concept, wardrobe and location together, plus an artwork selection session afterward.
Most families shoot between 12 and 20 weeks — after the first-trimester scan, while the bump is still small enough that the image reads as an announcement rather than a maternity portrait.
No. Announcement photos are usually made early in the second trimester; maternity portraits are typically shot between 28 and 36 weeks. Many clients book both.
Coordinate rather than match, stick to two or three solid colors, and avoid logos or slogans that date the image.
Yes. Underwater announcements work even before there is a visible bump, shot in a heated pool or a Florida spring with a safety swimmer present.
Studio and outdoor sessions start at $990 with a $500 print credit; underwater sessions start at $2,990 with a $2,000 print credit.
Studio, outdoor and underwater concepts for a maternity session that looks like you.
Read more →Fabrics, colors, sizing and what to wear for studio, outdoor and underwater maternity photos.
Read more →How an underwater pregnancy shoot works, from safety to gowns to the final artwork.
Read more →