Back to the Beach Where We Photographed Their Engagement

When we originally planned Nikki and Kyle's engagement photos, Nikki knew she wanted the beach. I suggested Coral Cove because I was familiar with the area and knew I could create the romantic, slightly dramatic beach portraits she had in mind. And dramatic they were. Kyle has long hair that catches the ocean wind like he has been waiting his entire life to appear on the cover of a romance novel. We photographed them along the beach, headed farther south toward Juno, played with twinkle lights and used a picture frame in the sand to literally frame the two of them in the distance.

One of those frame photographs eventually made its way onto a matchbook they created for their wedding. I photographed their wedding too, and I kept one of those little matchboxes afterward.

Years later, when it was time for maternity photos, Nikki mentioned recreating our picture-frame photograph. I brought an ornate frame along just in case, which was lucky, because she forgot hers. But I brought something else too. Their matchbook.

I placed it in the sand beside a seashell, with Nikki and Kyle blurred together in the distance behind it. An engagement photograph I created became part of their wedding. A piece of their wedding then came back into their maternity photos.

That is what storytelling photography means to me.

It isn't just putting someone in a beautiful location and taking a beautiful picture. I'm constantly looking for the little things that can connect your photographs to you.

Sometimes it's something meaningful that I deliberately bring with us.

Sometimes it's a dress catching the wind, a wave hitting the rocks or a bird flying through the background at exactly the right moment.

And sometimes it's a tiny pair of black Converse sitting in the sand, waiting for the little boy who will eventually wear them.

A Maternity Session Can Still Feel Like a Couples Session

Most of Nikki and Kyle's maternity gallery is actually the two of them together. That's intentional. Maternity photography obviously celebrates the baby you're carrying, but this chapter is also about the two people becoming parents.

So I don't suddenly throw everything I know about photographing couples out the window because there's a baby bump involved. We walked. They cuddled. I had Kyle come up behind her and wrap her in a hug. We played with movement. I had them start with airplane arms and move into each other. I had him brush her hair back. And, yes, there was plenty of belly holding. With maternity posing, I'm especially conscious of hand placement around the top and bottom of the belly because it helps define its beautiful shape. But otherwise, many of my favorite prompts are the same kinds of things I'd use during a couples session. The biggest difference is what we're talking about.

At one point, I had Kyle look at Nikki's belly. Instead of simply telling him to smile, I started talking to him.

That's your son in there.

You're about to be his dad.

That's your little boy.

You could see the genuine emotion come across his face.

I'll take that expression over “Okay, smile!” every single time.

Feeling Self-Conscious in Front of the Camera Is Okay

Pregnancy changes your body. Even someone who normally feels comfortable being photographed can suddenly feel like they're figuring out a completely different version of themselves. You don't need to arrive at your maternity session magically knowing how to pose that body.

That's my job.

I'm paying attention to the things that make a photograph flattering while you're thinking about your partner, your baby and whatever ridiculous direction I've just given you.

Sometimes I'll have you turn about 45 degrees. Sometimes I'll ask you to create more of an S-curve through your body. I might tell you to bring your chin forward and slightly down or shift your shoulders in a way that feels a little strange. "Like a Turtle" One of my favorite things to tell clients is that sometimes if a pose feels slightly awkward, it photographs beautifully. The camera sees shape differently than we experience it standing there. And I'm never going to point at something you're insecure about and announce it. I'm simply going to direct you.

Chin this way.

Shoulder back.

Hand here.

Turn toward me.

Perfect. Don't move.

And I will probably be hyping you up the entire time.

I put myself in your shoes when I'm photographing you. I know what it's like to see a photograph of yourself and immediately notice the one thing you're self-conscious about.

I don't want you thinking about that while you're with me.

Why Coral Cove Works So Well for Maternity Photos

The rocks are what everyone notices first, but Coral Cove is not just rocks. That's one of the reasons I like photographing there.

We started Nikki and Kyle's session near a tunnel-like path through the sea grapes. Nearby, the classic beach fencing and grasses create beautiful leading lines toward the ocean. There are flowers, vegetation, sandy pathways, open beach and eventually the rocky shoreline. We can create several completely different looks without packing up and driving somewhere else.

For Nikki and Kyle, we started among the greenery before making our way toward the beach and eventually walking down to the rocks. Coral Cove Park itself has both guarded and unguarded stretches of beach, plus restrooms, outdoor showers and a playground. Those aren't particularly glamorous details, but when you're pregnant or bringing older children to a maternity session, they're details worth knowing.

Are the rocks comfortable when you're pregnant?

They can be.

Some formations have flatter sections and naturally curved areas where I can position someone comfortably. I've even found a few spots that basically cradle your booty perfectly. Plus theres always the option to bring a towel or jacket to sit on and if you're brave and dont mind a little messy, the sand itself.

But you absolutely do not spend your entire maternity session climbing rocks.

There is plenty of normal beach. And if you don't want to sit in the water or on a particular rock that day, we don't. Nikki wasn't feeling getting wet during this session, so we adjusted. Your comfort matters more to me than checking a pose off some imaginary maternity-photo list.

Be prepared to walk

The one thing I do want maternity clients to know is that reaching some of the rock formations requires walking down the beach. I'd want you comfortable walking roughly half a mile through sand. That's completely manageable for many pregnancies, but walking through sand isn't the same as walking half a mile on pavement, especially with a third-trimester belly. Nikki was around 32 weeks and did great. That's also around the timeframe I generally like for maternity portraits: the belly is beautifully defined while we're hopefully not getting quite close enough to your due date to make me wonder whether photography is about to become the second-most-important thing happening on this beach.

Comfort and your individual pregnancy always come first.

And wear sandals.

Seriously.

Coral Cove Can Be Crowded, and That's Okay!

Here's something perfectly cropped Instagram photographs don't always show you:

Other humans also enjoy beautiful beaches.

We photographed this session on a weekend, and the rocks were still fairly busy around 5 p.m. Families were hanging out, children were playing and another photographer was working nearby. There was one particular rock I wanted to use because I'd photographed there before. A family was enjoying it. I kept thinking they might leave. They did not.

So we moved on.

A public beach belongs to everyone who is there, not just the person carrying the expensive camera.

We found another beautiful section and kept shooting. Later, a dad and his children ended up in the background of some photographs. What are you going to do? That's what Photoshop is for. Knowing a location isn't just knowing where the prettiest rock is. It's knowing how to adapt when that rock isn't available.

South Florida Weather Doesn't Always Ruin Your Maternity Photos

We started this session with sunshine. Then the storm clouds started rolling in. Welcome to September in South Florida.

I had intentionally scheduled Nikki and Kyle earlier than I might have for a traditional golden-hour beach session because I was watching the weather and knew we had a good chance of storms.

That decision gave us time.

Inside the sea-grape tunnel, the approaching clouds made an already shaded area dark enough that I brought out my flash. As we moved toward the beach, the sky kept changing.

Eventually those dark clouds became part of the photographs.

Instead of pointing Nikki toward the ocean for one set of images, I turned her toward the grassy side of the beach so I could use all that green against the stormy sky behind her.

Those ended up having a completely different mood from the bright photographs we'd made earlier.

A thunderstorm in the forecast doesn't automatically mean your South Florida photoshoot is ruined.

It means I'm watching the radar, watching the sky and making decisions as we go. We'll work with dramatic clouds. We will not play games with lightning. When conditions stop being safe, we're done. Sometimes the weather we were worried would ruin the photographs becomes the thing that makes them memorable.

What Happens at High Tide?

Coral Cove's rocks can become even more dramatic when the water is active.

Higher water and stronger waves can give us those gorgeous bursts of ocean spray against the rocks. The famous nearby Blowing Rocks Preserve gets its name from a much larger version of this phenomenon: The Nature Conservancy explains that rough seas at high tide can force saltwater high into the air along its Anastasia limestone shoreline.

But there is an important distinction if you've been searching online for “Blowing Rocks maternity photos.”

Our session was at Coral Cove Park, not Blowing Rocks Preserve.

Blowing Rocks is a separate protected preserve farther north, and professional-style photo and video shoots are currently not allowed on its trails or beach. Coral Cove gives us that beautiful rocky Jupiter Island coastline while also being an established Palm Beach County park where professional photography sessions can be conducted under the county's current photography permit requirements. And no, we don't need a perfectly timed high tide to make beautiful photographs here.

Yes, Bring the Flowing Maternity Dress

Nikki wore three different looks across the maternity photos we created.

At Coral Cove, she started in a blue striped dress while Kyle coordinated in blue, khakis and blue sneakers. They looked connected without wearing identical outfits. Then we switched into a white maternity look with a crop-style top and long flowing skirt. That skirt and the ocean wind were made for each other.

For some portraits, I positioned Nikki on the rocks while Kyle tossed the fabric for me. I photographed the movement and later removed him from the final frame, leaving the dress flying dramatically around her.

Movement photographs beautifully at the beach.

You don't have to wear a maternity gown, but if you've been wondering whether Coral Cove is a good location for one of those long, flowing dresses: Yes. Bring it.

For our later Lake Worth Beach session, Nikki chose a fitted sage lace dress, which gave us yet another completely different look and beautifully showed the shape of her belly.

Flowing or fitted can both work. The goal isn't following some universal maternity-photo wardrobe rule.

It's choosing something that feels like you and photographs the way you want to remember this version of yourself.

One Tiny Thing I Make Everyone Do Before We Leave the Car

Empty your pockets. Please.

Before we start walking down the beach, I do a quick check. Phones. Wallets. Keys. Bulky hair ties. Things around your wrist. Anything you don't want permanently starring in your photographs needs to come off your body. And, gentlemen, this absolutely includes you. Nothing says “sweeping romantic maternity portrait” quite like a giant rectangular iPhone outline through the front of someone's pants.

Once we're down the beach, nobody wants to trek all the way back because we discovered the car keys are creating their own little silhouette. It's a tiny thing. It's also exactly the kind of tiny thing I'm watching so you don't have to.

I'm Watching More Than the People in Front of My Camera

When I say I create storytelling portraits, part of that is simply how my brain works while I'm shooting. I'm looking at you. But I'm also looking behind you. I'm watching the sky. The waves. The wind. Your dress. Your hair. The people in the background. The little details in the sand. The way the light is changing. I'm waiting for the moment when something else enters the frame and gives the photograph another layer.

I love when a seagull happens to fly through the background of a beach portrait. Every time I arrive at the beach, I remember my recurring brilliant plan to somehow encourage more birds into the background. And every single time:

Dang it. I forgot my snacks again.

Maybe one day I'll actually remember. Until then, we'll let the birds make their own creative decisions.

That's also probably why my social media doesn't always show how much is happening behind the scenes. I wore my Meta glasses during almost this entire photoshoot specifically so I could record content. I remembered to turn them on once. You can actually hear me in the recording telling myself: Come on, Kelsey. Be a professional. Use your glasses.

Apparently there is a limit to how many things my brain can track simultaneously.

Once I'm behind the camera, I'm thinking about my settings, the light, your expression, your pose, the weather, your dress, what's happening in the background and what the photograph could become. Making content about myself tends to lose that competition. I probably need an assistant.

We Weren't Quite Finished After Coral Cove

Our original plan involved creating another completely different set of maternity photographs on another day. That plan didn't work out exactly as expected, so, as tends to happen with me, we pivoted. We met at Lake Worth Beach instead. Nikki wore her fitted sage lace dress. We photographed underneath the pier. Then we got ice cream and ate it on the beach.

It wasn't Coral Cove Part Two.

It became its own little piece of their maternity story. That's something I want my sessions to have room for. A plan matters. Preparation matters.

But some of my favorite photographs happen when we stop trying to force the original plan and pay attention to what we can create with what we actually have.

But this wasn't the end of their maternity story. Come with us for Part Two at Lake Worth Beach: HERE , where we traded dramatic rocks and storm clouds for the pier, the boardwalk, a sage-green dress and an ice cream date before these two officially become Mom and Dad.

From High School Sweethearts to Mom and Dad

I've photographed Nikki and Kyle engaged.

I've photographed them getting married.

And now I've photographed them waiting for their son.

That history changes the way I see these photographs.

The frame isn't simply a prop.

The matchbook isn't simply a detail shot.

Even the beach isn't simply a pretty location.

They're callbacks.

They're little pieces of a story that has been going on since we were teenagers and one that is about to change again in the biggest way.

Their son won't know the version of them I knew in high school.

He won't know them as the couple who had already been together forever before they finally got married.

He'll just know them as Mom and Dad.

But someday he'll be able to look at these photographs and see what they looked like while they were waiting for him.

And maybe he'll see that his dad was already completely obsessed with both of them.

Planning Your Own Jupiter Maternity Photoshoot?

Your maternity photos don't have to look exactly like anyone else's.

Maybe your story belongs on a dramatic Jupiter Island beach.

Maybe there's somewhere completely different in Palm Beach County that already means something to you.

Maybe we need movement and crashing waves.

Maybe we need quiet, intimate portraits.

Maybe we need to return to the place where another chapter of your story happened years ago.

That's the part I want to figure out with you.

I photograph maternity sessions throughout Jupiter, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and surrounding Palm Beach County, with a focus on bold color, genuine connection and photographs that actually feel like the people in them.

You don't need to know how to pose.

You don't need to know your “good side.”

And you definitely don't need to arrive knowing what to do with your hands.

I'll take care of that.

You just bring the people—and the story—you want to remember.

If you're expecting and ready to tell this chapter of your own story, let's start planning a maternity session that feels like you.