Jennifer Loomis has been a Fine Art Maternity and Family Photographer since 2001 and is a pioneer in Maternity Photography. She has photographed over 4,000 women and their families including celebrities, sports stars, and musicians from around the world.
With more than 25 years of experience, Jennifer has learned how to paint with light to capture moments and feelings that create compelling photographs of a woman and her family.
According to her clients, investing in a Fine Art Photography Session with Jennifer Loomis is about more than just getting your photograph taken, it’s about collaborating together to create a beautiful piece of artwork that is representative of you, your body, and your family.
Catch Jennifer Loomis as she walks us through her journey as a maternity photographer and the key essentials of a successful photo session. Read on.
Namita Nayyar:
You started off as a photojournalist and went on to become a pioneer of maternity photography. Could you share your journey and what motivated you to pick up this field?
Jennifer Loomis:
Yes, sure. It is kind of a fun roundabout story.
I became interested in photographing pregnant women around 1991 while living in San Francisco as a struggling artist. Those were such good days in SF. So much creativity. So cheap to live. There was so much happening. I was working for minimum wage at a camera store.
Anyway, I signed up for a class on photographing the female nude and when I showed up, I was the only female photographer in the room. I was shocked. Even though I was a young woman in her twenties, I was very aware that my creative voice and how I looked at the female body was very different than my male classmates. I realized that the photographs of women in magazines and advertisements were taken mostly by men. Why is that important? It is harmful to women.
Females were consuming images that were not authentic because it was the male gaze that was dictating what was beautiful. These photos were often over-sexualized and objectified, and almost always of a certain body type. Women were judging themselves using an unfair metric for beauty.
So back to the class… the first part of the class was more of a boudoir style of photography and, unlike my classmates, I just wasn’t interested. Then the same model came out on a simple black backdrop and started just slowly moving, and all I could see what light, shape, and form. I got goosebumps and from that moment, I knew I wanted to be a female photographer photographing the female form. I photographed everyone who would let me be friends, roommates, friends of friends, pregnant friends, and non-pregnant friends.
When I photographed my first pregnant woman, I fell in love with her beauty, the symbolism of the pregnant female, and the story and history that she represents. Given we all come from pregnant women, I was stunned at the lack of representation in art history,= and the current media like advertising. I immediately knew I wanted to bring this shape into the public eye, make it a part of the conversation and challenge society’s definition of beauty. I had found my passion.
So back to your question…Even though I knew I wanted to do this type of work, photographing women and pregnant women, I asked all the photographers I knew (most of them were men) and all of them were discouraging, saying, “No one is going to pay you to photograph them pregnant. You should go to school and get a degree in Photojournalism so you can actually get a job.” This was the 90s and Demi Moore had just been photographed for the cover of Vanity Fair by Annie Leibovitz which caused quite a stir in the United States. No one knew yet, what was happening in the psyche of the pregnant woman. A movement was starting.
So I believed these guys and went to graduate school for photojournalism. I loved it. I had a great ride, covering stories all over the globe for different publications and NGOs. I learned all about finding the light, capturing the moment, and studying the best photographers in history and in the modern world. I met many of them; I talked to them; I mentored them. At one point I moved to Indiana to work with a photo editor known as the Zen Master of Photojournalism because he taught his photographers how to photograph with their heart instead of their head. I really believe he made the biggest difference in my work. I grew into a heartfelt photographer telling stories that made a difference in people’s lives.
Fast-forward to East Africa where I was living and photographing for some large NGOs. While living there, I got an opportunity to move back to the States, Seattle, actually, to work with some amazing photographers who were starting MSNBC.com’s multimedia team. I had gone to grad school with many of them and this was cutting-edge stuff. I thought this was a good opportunity, and took it. It was a wonderful opportunity and after three years, I missed telling stories.
I had this big business plan to tell stories for NGOs using audio, video, and still photographs. I mortgaged my house and began. The lead time for those large jobs was often several months and I needed to pay my mortgage. So I had a plan, in order to get some income coming in, I literally hung up a few photographs of my artistic photographs of pregnant women in a maternity shop. People started calling me. In fact, the phone would not stop ringing.
Another break came when I was having coffee with a TV cameraman for a local Seattle TV station to ask him questions about shooting videos for NGOs. Out of nowhere, he said, I Googled you and don’t you photograph pregnant women? I said, “Yes, but don’t tell anyone. I can’t have the Gates Foundation or other large NGOs I work for know about this.” He said this would make a wonderful Mother’s Day story. And I almost said no way! So funny! He talked me into it. As soon as that story came out, I had to have three phone lines installed so that I wouldn’t miss a call. Three phone lines! Before I knew it, I had three studios, one in SF one in NY, and of course one in Seattle. The movement had started. Celebrities were showing their bumps, and women started to recognize this was something they wanted too.
It was a crazy and exhilarating 15 years. I was featured in every major paper, on every major TV channel, and on every major website. I photographed high-profile celebrities, CEOS, and sports figures. I had a book come out with the forward written by the famous Penny Simkin who founded the role of the doula for birth support. She is one of the grandmothers of midwifery in the Pacific Northwest. I had a retrospective of my work in Perugia, Italy in the town adjacent to the only known pregnant Madonna. I was the number one listing on Google for 15 years straight, in every single market. It was so much fun! And you know what the best part was? So many women came to me and walked away feeling beautiful, beautiful in their bodies for the first time since getting pregnant. Or, these women saw themselves in a new way, as powerful, and sacred. Knowing that I changed so many pregnant women’s lives is such a blessing. Finally, I was able to challenge society’s definition of beauty and watched the rise of the genre of maternity photography take on a life of its own. I am so blessed.
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
With more than 25 years of experience, you have learned to capture moments and feelings
that create compelling photographs of you and your family. Share points to keep in mind
while choosing a photographer or maternity shoot.
Jennifer Loomis:
The best advice I give my students is to really make their business about building relationships with their clients. Get to know her, and her family. Genuinely care about her and her well-being. The most enriching experience is to work with clients for years, to see their kids grow, graduate, get married, to be a part of all those transformations.
I also advise my students that to capture intimate authentic moments of their subjects in front of your camera, you too have to be authentic in front of your clients. You have to be honest about who you are in front of the person you are photographing to gain their trust. You have to be present. Gaining trust is so important. I had to learn this pretty quickly as a photojournalist where you often only have 30 minutes to come into a situation and make a compelling photograph. One way I really help women relax in my studio is to do a brief Tadasana yoga pose with them. (A side note here is I trained to be an Iyengar yoga teacher and this is adapted from a teacher of mine.) I bring many life experiences into my studio if I feel they will help my mothers (clients) heal, grow, or be more present for this transformation that they are about to witness in themselves.
I may keep saying this, but pregnancy is the most profound and significant transformation a woman will undergo. My job is to witness it and create a photograph that represents the person before me, her strength, her vulnerability, her joy, and her sadness. Not only is having a baby full of love and laughter for the new being we are now guiding through this world, but also there can also be extreme sadness for the loss of self, or loss of a vision for a life that one hoped for. So how do I capture these moments? I use all the tools I have learned over the years, finding the light, watching for a gesture, consciously crafting composition, using special lenses, and all the other tools photographers have like exposure, and motion blur. I should add I do most of my work on camera and don’t use Lightroom presets or fix my images much in post-production. I am a former film photographer so with film you have to get it right the first time and I continue to do this even though I use a digital camera now. I also shoot in manual mode still to this day. I have the fanciest camera in the world but that isn’t important, it is a tool like anything else. My expertise is knowing how to use that tool to make it do what I want and tell the story that I envision for each client.
As for choosing a maternity photographer, the best advice I can offer is to look at a lot of photographs. Google everything. Keep looking. Observe your body or your heart while looking at them. What image makes you pause for even a second? Find that photographer. Be careful because now there is a lot of image manipulation and sadly it can be misleading as to a photographer’s actual ability. Lastly, find someone who you like. Talk to her. See what she does. Why she does do it? Find out her “why,” meaning why is she doing this work. Is it for the money, or is there a bigger passion simmering beneath her price sheets?
Namita Nayyar:
According to you, reasons for the rise in maternity & family photography.
Jennifer Loomis:
Maternity photography has been increasing in popularity for the past 20 years and it started in 1991 with the wonderful risk-taking Annie Leibovitz’s photograph of Demi Moore. I think women are realizing that this is an important turning point in their lives, and one worth capturing. I am excited because, during my first few years in business, clients told me that they didn’t tell anyone they were getting maternity photographs taken because they were shy about it. Now having your maternity photos taken is as normal as having your baby shower. Yay! How amazing that women are feeling proud of their bodies enough to capture it to be seen for generations.
Namita Nayyar:
Dresses & locations to choose for the shoot for this particular moment. Also at what stage
of pregnancy should one opt for a photo shoot?
Jennifer Loomis:
I am a studio photographer and feel that the studio offers a safer place for my clients to open up and be vulnerable. This safety allows them to take more risks showing their body. As for outside locations, I always recommend that photographers ask their clients if there is a location that holds meaning for them. Then that photographer needs to go and scout that spot and figure out what time has the best light. Often this is early in the morning or right at sunset. Another discovery you can make when scouting a location is to find out when it isn’t crowded with people which cam make photographing a challenge.
In my experience, the optimal time for a maternity photo shoot is six-ten weeks before a woman’s expected due date. But I always check in and see how the mother is feeling and ask if she has any health conditions that could affect her due date.
Namita Nayyar:
What excites you most about this field of photography?
Jennifer Loomis:
This is a really great question. I think what excites me about this field of photography is that women can do it better than men. That didn’t come out quite right, but women are better positioned because of their gender. It is quite simple, pregnant women will be more comfortable expressing themselves in a safe female-centered space. Why does this matter? Photography, historically, has been a male-dominated field but maternity and family photography has really
leveled the playing field so to speak. I believe women have the advantage here because women in many different cultures are way more comfortable with other women and often we can get better photographs depending on the sensitivities of the women we work with. Obviously, there are men who do a great job photographing pregnant women, but in my work with the semi-nude and nude pregnant mother, my clients have expressed that a woman is definitely the preferred gender.
Namita Nayyar:
Moments one should definitely capture and save for the future?
Jennifer Loomis:
This is a tough question because each pregnancy is different. I would say if you have a husband or a partner, capture some images with them, along with other children or pets. Grandparents don’t show up in my maternity photography sessions that often, but they are welcome. I also love having them come to the baby photography sessions. I also like to tell pregnant women that this is their time to create an image that represents this time in their lives. I encourage them to think about that and try to access their personal feelings about becoming a mother. Then we discuss it and I come up with some ideas for making a photo.
Namita Nayyar:
How can a mom-to-be manage to get the best photographs? Common mistakes they end up
making which spoils the moment and how you correct them.
Jennifer Loomis:
So I tell my clients that the best photographs are achieved when you are your authentic self. Some moms like to have makeup and hair done, so they look like they are going out, and others like to come wearing their most comfortable clothes, no makeup, and their hair up in a ponytail. I always say these photos catch a specific nine months in your life, what do you want to remember about this period in your life let’s start there. In my sessions, I always allow clients to bring additional outfits for me to look at to consider. I am always very honest with my clients but also am willing to try anything.
I guess nothing spoils a moment for me. There are no bad photography sessions. I guess it is hard for me to work with a client who is trying too hard to be something she’s not. Be who you are, those are the best photographs.
Namita Nayyar:
Your piece of advice for moms-to-be?
Jennifer Loomis:
The best advice I ever got as a mom was gifted to me by a client years ago. I always gift it to my clients. The advice is this: “There is going to come a time when you are so exhausted you almost want to die (or give up). At that very moment, pause and be grateful for whatever moment is happening, because before you know it, it will be gone.” She was so right. The days can be long, but the years are definitely short.
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2023 Women Fitness