Porto has been one of my favourite pregnancy photoshoot outdoor locations so far. Looking back I can’t believe that days before that trip I was about to cancel it…In all fairness I was going through some personal issues and my mind and energy weren’t available for my creative project, the Maternity World Tour.
Eventually I managed to solve those personal problems but I wasn’t very motivated…Plus I didn’t have a model for the shoot. My husband said to me: “Trust life and trust yourself. You’ve been through these situations before and you always find a way”. So I listened to him, packed my bags and went to the airport.
I entered the airport facilities repeating this mantra to myself: “I trust myself. I trust life. I have trust”. Suddenly, as I approach the boarding gate I see a face looking right at me…”Hélio, nice to see you here!”- I said.
Serendipity once again
Hélio works as an account manager for Dreambook, one of my photo printing service providers. As you may know I own a photography studio in Barcelona. In addition to doing international pregnancy photoshoot outdoor projects, I also do beautiful shootings for local people here in Catalunya.
When I arrived at the boarding gate for my flight to Porto I found myself face to face with Helio. I couldn’t believe it! We had never met in person before. I saw him and five seconds later I remembered that his wife was pregnant! Oh my God! Thank you, Universe!
I immediately proposed to do an outdoor shoot for them in Porto. They agreed and here you have a glimpse of the experience.
It was such a joy getting to photograph people I already have a connection with! Nini was a true warrior! She was heavily pregnant (so close to her due date) and still she agreed to go to the different locations…She posed in different outfits..Like a true professional! I loved photographing her, her daughter and her husband.
The best thing about the experience is working with local models who show you authentic places in the city that you would never have seen, like their family’s century-old house in the center that you see in the photos.
When in Porto…All pregnancy photoshoot outdoor ideas are welcome
Over the weekend I had the chance to explore and enjoy Porto. I already had some shots pre-planned. In fact I had designed the perfect pregnancy gown just for one of the pictures that I had in my mind.
So that was my first pregnancy photoshoot outdoor idea for Porto. I wanted to photograph my pregnant model using São Bento Railway Station as backdrop. The gorgeous blue gown that I had made just for the occasion would work wonders against the white and blue tiles of that building.
I always have a clear idea of some of the shots I want to get when I plan the trip. And, once I reach the destination, things usually align so that I end up with additional shots that are sometimes even better than those I had in my mind. I consider this a “surprise reward” for the energy and love that I invest in every destination photoshoot that I do.
And a second model appears!
I guess having a lot of experience doing pregnancy photoshoots outdoor helps too! Because when things don’t go your way, you can still reap some good work improvising and using the elements around you.
That’s what happened when, out of the blue, another model contacted me just as I landed in Porto on Friday. Mayela was from Venezuela and was very keen on participating so I decided to fit an additional photoshoot on my schedule.
But I didn’t have enough gowns for both shoots so, before she arrived to the meeting point I went to a wedding shop and I bought a beautiful gown that I used for the “Majestic cafeteria set”. Mayela was so easy to work with! She was truly enjoying her shoot, despite the cold weather that she had to put up with…Especially when changing from one outfit to another. That’s one of the things you need to bear in mind when you do outdoor photoshoots…You don’t usually have ideal facilities to change clothes. But the end result makes up for these inconveniences…At least I hope so!
