Maternity Photos Under the Lake Worth Beach Pier

We started around the Lake Worth Beach Pier at Benny's on the Beach.

I've photographed around here before, but there is noticeably less open space underneath the pier than I remember. Sand levels beneath the pier have risen enough over time to reduce the clearance underneath it. There was still enough room for us to work, though. And that's really all I need.

The repeating pilings underneath a pier create natural leading lines that pull your eye directly toward the people in the photograph. You get texture, symmetry, shade and a completely different feeling from standing on an open beach. Nikki wore her third look from our maternity sessions: a fitted sage-green lace dress.

At Coral Cove, we'd used flowing white fabric against rocks and ocean. The fitted lace showed the shape of her belly beautifully, while the muted sage worked naturally against the sand, weathered pier and beach surroundings.

Same pregnancy.

Same couple.

Completely different photographs.

Moving From the Beach to the Boardwalk

Once we finished underneath and around the pier, we moved up toward the boardwalk. That's one of the things I love about photographing at Lake Worth Beach: you don't have to stay on the sand to make the location feel coastal. We used the fencing along the boardwalk and had Nikki and Kyle sit together along the edge. It gave us another chance to slow everything down. Not every maternity photograph needs a giant dramatic dress flying through the air.

Sometimes I want you sitting together.

Sometimes I want you leaning into each other.

Sometimes I want you laughing because there are approximately seventeen strangers wondering what we're doing.

And yes, there were plenty of people around for this session. That's Lake Worth Beach. It's alive.

People are eating, walking, watching the ocean, going to restaurants and wandering around the pier. If you're waiting for the entire place to empty before we make a photograph, we're going to be there for a very long time. So we work with it.

Then We Got Ice Cream

This might be my favorite part of the whole second session.

Instead of finishing the photos and immediately going home, we walked over to Kilwins at the Lake Worth Beach Casino complex.

Naturally, I kept taking pictures. We photographed inside the ice cream shop and then brought our ice cream outside, where Nikki and Kyle sat together on the staircase leading toward the beach. And suddenly we weren't really doing maternity poses anymore.

They were just eating ice cream together.

That's exactly why I loved it.

Your Maternity Photos Don't Have to Be Maternity Photos the Entire Time

Of course I want the beautiful portraits.

I want the photograph where your hands perfectly frame your belly.

I want the one where your partner is behind you, wrapped around you.

I want the dress, the movement and the photograph that makes you stop scrolling.

But I also want you.

Years from now, the photograph that gets you might not be the perfectly posed maternity portrait. It might be the one where you're sitting on the beach steps eating ice cream together. Because right now, Nikki and Kyle can just decide to go get ice cream. Soon, they'll be deciding whether it's worth getting the baby back out of the car seat for ice cream.

That's a different era of life. These little ordinary moments deserve photographs too.

Lake Worth Beach Gives Us More Than Just a Beach

When people hear “beach photos,” it's easy to imagine an hour of standing barefoot at the waterline. Lake Worth Beach gives us considerably more to work with.

In one relatively small area, we can use:

• the ocean and open sand,
• the Lake Worth Beach Pier,
• the repeating lines underneath the pier,
• the boardwalk and fencing,
• stairs and architectural details around the beach complex,
• and the restaurants and shops that make this feel like Lake Worth Beach, rather than an anonymous stretch of sand.

Benny's On The Beach sits directly on the pier, while Mamma Mia's on the Beach and Kilwins Ice Cream - Chocolate - Fudge are all part of the surrounding Lake Worth Beach complex. The city itself describes the area as a beachfront destination combining the beach with dining and shopping.

That gives us the opportunity to make a session feel like an actual afternoon or evening together instead of moving from Pose A to Pose B for an hour.

Don't Be Afraid of People Being Around

This came up at Coral Cove, and it came up again here.

There were people around us.

Some watched.

That's normal.

We're making maternity photographs at a popular public beach, not on a closed movie set. I know being photographed in front of strangers can initially feel awkward. Usually, once we start moving and talking, you stop paying nearly as much attention to them. I'm certainly not paying much attention to them unless they're standing directly in my composition.

I'm watching you.

I'm looking at your posture, your expression, your hands, your hair, the light and what's happening between you and your partner. If someone walks through the background, we wait a second. If there's a distraction I can avoid by changing my angle, I change my angle. And occasionally, Photoshop earns its keep.

You don't need an empty beach to create photographs that feel like you're the only two people there.

Part One Was Dramatic. Part Two Felt Like Them.

That's probably my favorite thing about putting Nikki and Kyle's maternity sessions together.

Coral Cove gave us drama. Blog Linked HERE.

Rocks. Ocean. A flowing white skirt. Storm clouds rolling across the sky. The picture frame from their engagement-photo concept. Their wedding matchbook placed back into the story years later.

Lake Worth Beach gave us everyday life.

A fitted green dress.

Sitting together along the boardwalk.

Walking around a place close to home.

Getting ice cream.

Laughing.

Being watched by random people while your photographer crawls around trying to get the angle she wants.

Both belong in the same story.

One Last Date Before Mom and Dad

I've known Nikki and Kyle since we were in high school. I've photographed their engagement. I've photographed their wedding. And now I've photographed them preparing to meet their first son.

There are obviously going to be thousands of ordinary moments after he arrives.

First bottles. First smiles. Sleepless nights. Trips to the beach. Melted ice cream. Tiny shoes that eventually become much bigger shoes.

But this particular version of them only exists for a little while.

They're Mom and Dad already. They just haven't met the person who gets to call them that yet.

So yes, we'll make the beautiful maternity portraits. But then maybe we'll go get ice cream. Because sometimes that's part of the story too.

Looking for a Lake Worth Beach Maternity Photographer?

Your maternity session doesn't have to follow a formula. We can make beautiful portraits at the beach and still leave room for something playful, romantic or completely ordinary.

Maybe that's walking underneath the pier.

Maybe it's revisiting somewhere meaningful to your relationship.

Maybe it's stopping for ice cream simply because ice cream sounds good.

We'll figure out what feels like you and build from there. I photograph maternity and couples sessions throughout Lake Worth Beach, Jupiter, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County, with bold color, genuine connection and thoughtful direction throughout your session.

You don't have to come to me knowing how to pose or exactly what photographs you want.

Bring me the people, and the chapter, you want to remember.

We'll create the rest together.