A Maternity Photo Session and What I Learned About Chiggers

Maternity sessions are quickly becoming one of my favorite sessions to shoot. I didn’t really appreciate them as much until I was pregnant. I know the emotion and the excitement and the fear first hand and it makes each maternity session all the more exciting. It truly is a celebration of the couple, and their last time as just being two as well as a celebration of the life shortly to come.

A quick look through my work and you’ll notice I’ll do a photo session pretty much anywhere. The more exotic, the more off the wall, the more rural the better. When Bethia told me that her husband Joel had found a great set of abandoned silos and some sweet farm land I was all for it. Fast forward to two days later and I was covered with little tiny red bumps that itched more than any fire ant bite I’ve ever gotten. I had been bitten, by chiggers, and this is what I learned…

1. Chiggers do not bury themselves into your skin, this is a myth.
2. They inject an enzyme into you that makes your skin somewhat deteriorate and then they eat it through a feeding tube. (total violation)
3. Its the juvenile form of the chigger that actually bites you (teenage angst at its finest).
4. They like areas where the skin is thin or where they can hang out…like the back of my knees, which were basically just pure red because all their little dots just ran right together.
5. If two people are standing right next to each other, one person may get tons of bites and the other may not. Which was why neither Bill nor Bethia (thank God) got any bites while Joel and I were covered.
6. After ever rural shoot I am now requiring myself to shower immediately and burn wash my clothes. Staying in them all day makes it worse, much, much worse.

All the bites, redness, insane itching and general discomfort were totally worth it because the photos from the session turned out fantastic. Joel and Bethia also happen to be friends of mine who I’ve shot countless times so they are old pros at this point. It’s been fun to watch them from our first photo session when I was first starting out, trying to build a portfolio and they were just dating, to an engagement session, to bridal portraits, to their wedding, to a post wedding session, to their anniversary and now their maternity photos. I will say right now it’s going to take everything within me not to jump on a plane the moment that baby girl is born so I can take her newborn photos (even then, I just might). Anyways, without further ado, here’s a few of my favorites from their maternity session.

Seriously, some of my favorite images! Also you should note the photo on the bottom left is a total joke. We had grand plans to do all of the over done, cliche maternity photo prop things all in one image and it just didn’t happen. So instead there’s this, which makes me giggle. Thank you Bethia and Joel for letting me take your maternity photos, I am SO excited for you guys and can not wait to hold that baby girl!!