When Jamilex contacted me about maternity photos she said she wanted to have them taken somewhere that was "natural and beautiful." Immediately I thought of Ijams Nature Center here in Knoxville.

Ijams Nature Center is fun and educational 315 acres of land located in South Knoxville. There's rock quarries, sunflower fields, hiking and biking trails,and so much more. I've photographed several maternity sessions there.

Jamilex and her family were all dressed to the nines. She wore a gorgeous  red maternity gown that contrasted beautifully with the yellow flower fields.

Once in Ijams we found a sort of abandoned greenhouse that made for a unique and charming setting for maternity pictures. Scroll down to see a couple of my favorite from Jamilex's session!

Currently I live in Knoxville, TN but for those of you who may not know, I am originally from a small town on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line named Jellico. I only lived there until I was ten, but my ties remain strong. (Several of my family members still lives there.) I love, love, love that so many from my hometown still choose me to photograph them and travel all the way to Knoxville to see me, like Deana who I recently photographed for her maternity session. 

Deana chose to do a boudoir maternity session and then a regular one with her family as well. For the family session she wore one of my maternity gowns I keep in my client closet that is available to rent. We took the family and gown maternity photos at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge, TN. 

Check out some of my favorite images from her session below. 

When Brittany first approached me about taking her maternity pictures she also sent me a photo of the gown she was planning on wearing. You know how I always say an outfit can make or break a photoshoot? Well, as soon as I saw Brittany's gown I knew these photos would come out stunning! 

Her gown was really delicate, light pink and lacey so I knew that I wanted this photoshoot to have those same soft and dreamy vibes. I chose a field in West Knoxville that usually has a ton of yellow flowers. Unfortunately, it rained that week and almost all the flowers were destroyed! Luckily, there were still a few patches of flowers in the field we could use. 

Brittany was a trooper too! The grass in the field was waist high and you could barely see where you were going. At eight months pregnant she still followed me through it all! I love when a client is up for an adventure in order to get some beautiful photos! Hopefully, I made the hike worth it when I fell on my butt not once, but twice in front of her in the field! (My boyfriend will tell you, I am an EXTREMELY clumsy person).

We shot around sunset, and the lighting really made for some gorgeous pictures. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite from Brittany's STUNNING maternity photoshoot! Make sure you comment below and let me know which photo is your favorite! 

   I always say what can make a  major difference in how a maternity session turns out is the gown a client chooses to wear. An outfit can make or break a photoshoot! As all of you probably know, finding cute maternity clothes, let alone a beautiful maternity gown, is not exactly easy.

I decided to put a list together of the best websites to find maternity gowns. This includes where I purchased my dress. Also, I asked a few of my clients who had gowns I really loved photographing where they bought theirs at. First, I want to give you a few tips to choosing your maternity gown for the photoshoot.

1. Avoid patterns. Patterns tend to be unflattering and make you look larger, not just in the belly area. Also, too much pattern in the photo can be distracting. 

2. Order something you are comfortable wearing and can move easily in. Too tight of a gown can be difficult to pose in, and if you're uncomfortable it tends to show in photographs. 

3. A more flowy dress can make for some really beautiful effects in photos!

4. Bright colors set a happier tone, and I think make for more beautiful  photographs. 

So where do you find these comfortable, flowy and bright gowns? Keep reading. 
 

The above photo is from my maternity session. I probably received ten messages asking where I found my dress. Everyone could not believe when I told them it was not even a maternity gown. This dress is actually from LuLu's online, and while they do not offer maternity clothing, you can still find a beautiful gown from there and just order a size or two up. Here are a few options I found on their site I think would look gorgeous in  photos. 

This dress is nice and flowy and will not be too tight on the belly. You can find it here

I love this gown so much! It comes in over ten colors! Check it out here. 

This is the exact dress I wore for my maternity photoshoot. I loved it so much. It's here! 

Another website that is an excellent source for stunning maternity gowns is PinkBlush. You can also find adorable maternity outfits on this site. They have an entire category of maternity gowns labeled "photoshoot" for your convenience. Here are a couple of my favorite dresses from their site. 

I love this color! Find this gown here. 

All I have to say about this gown is YASSS! Click here to purchase. 

Amazon is where several of my clients said they found their dresses, including the one I photographed below. The nice thing about Amazon is Prime shipping of course, and usually it has less expensive pricing.  Find a few of my favorite picks from Amazon below. 

This dress was absolutely stunning to photograph, and it is only $35! Find it here. 

I also really love this dress, and it is a steal for $25 (and it's available on Prime...whattt??). You can buy it here. 

This is probably my FAVORITE dress. Like I said, I love flowy gowns for maternity photography. To find it in more colors and your size click here. 

I hope you all found this blog post helpful in your maternity gown search. None of these sites sponsored this post, and they are where I genuinely found the gowns I like most for photoshoots. If you have questions for me comment below. Thanks for reading!