Maternity milk bath photos are admittedly not for everyone. And that’s cool. But if you are interested in them, they can be so beautiful! Here are a few tips if you are wanting to do maternity milk bath photos (several of which also apply to baby milk bath photos).
- First tip: real flowers sink pretty quickly. If you want to include florals, fake florals are better for photos. With fruit slices, like oranges, limes. lemons, strawberries, etc., the real deal works quite well!
- The majority of the bath will be water. Add just a little bit of whole milk or even powdered milk to get the milk bath effect. It doesn’t take much!
- Dress to your comfort level. If you want to remain covered at all times, be in a dress/swim suit/lingerie set that you are comfortable in. If you are comfortable with nudity, be prepared to use your hands or the flowers to cover up a few specific parts during the photos.
- Be mindful of the water/milk temperature. Whether the session is indoors or outdoors, make sure the temperature of the liquid will be comfortable to be in.
- If possible (particularly for maternity milk baths), use a photographer you know and are comfortable with. If there is going to be any level of nudity, that can be quite awkward if you’re working with someone new and your vibes don’t exactly match. But if you have a photographer you’ve previously worked with and who feels familiar, that is going to make the whole session much more enjoyable.
- Make sure expectations are clear upfront about what you are comfortable with being shared publicly. Most photographers have clauses in their contracts that state they (the photographer) can use any/all images from a session in their online portfolio, social media, marketing materials, etc. If you want to have control over what is shared on the photographer’s end, you need to find a photographer who is willing to work with you and what you want and is willing to put that into their contract.
If a milk bath is something you are interested in, I’d definitely consider it! They make for beautiful photos and can be another stunning way to capture that perfect baby bump.
