What to Wear for Maternity Photos: Outfit Ideas, Tips, and Where to Shop

If you’re staring at your closet trying to figure out what to wear for maternity photos, you’re not alone. It’s one of those things that feels like it should be simple. You’re the star of the shoot, your bump is beautiful, and yet somehow it’s weirdly hard to nail down an outfit.

I come at this from both sides of the camera. I’m a photographer, and I’ve also been the pregnant one in front of the lens more than once: a flowy beach shoot in a tiered maxi dress (non-maternity, for the record, more on that later), a fitted dress that really showed off my bump, and a cozy at-home lifestyle shoot in loungewear and an unbuttoned button-up. Each one felt totally different, and I learned something new every time.

This post covers everything you need to know about what to wear for maternity photos: the tips, outfit formulas that work for different settings, what your partner and kids should wear, and specific places to shop at every price point. Whether you’re doing a beach shoot, a studio session, an outdoor field shoot, or a lifestyle shoot at home, there’s something here for you.

Quick tip: most of these looks can be pulled off in non-maternity pieces. Don’t assume you need to buy something specifically labeled “maternity.” Stretchy fabrics, flowy silhouettes, and wrap styles work beautifully at every stage of pregnancy.

The Short Answer: What to Wear for Maternity Photos

The best maternity photo outfit fits your body comfortably right now, flatters your bump, and makes you feel like yourself. Reach for soft, drapey fabrics like chiffon, jersey, linen, and lace in timeless colors such as ivory, blush, sage, taupe, or a muted jewel tone. A flowy maxi dress is the most popular pick for outdoor shoots, a fitted bodycon or gown shines in the studio, and jeans with an open button-up are perfect for a casual at-home session. Skip solid black, busy prints, and anything stiff or logo-heavy.

Tips for Choosing Your Maternity Photo Shoot Outfit

Before we get into specific outfits and formulas, here are the principles that make the biggest difference when choosing what to wear.

1. Choose Fabrics That Photograph Well

Best: chiffon, linen, jersey, lace, silk, muslin.

These fabrics move beautifully, drape well, and look elevated in photos without a lot of effort. Chiffon and lace are especially popular for outdoor shoots because they catch light and create that dreamy look you see all over Pinterest. Jersey and stretchy knit are your best friends for fitted looks because they accommodate your bump without pulling or bunching.

Avoid: stiff cotton, thick denim (for outdoor shoots), and anything with a lot of texture or busy print. Busy patterns can distract from you and your bump, stiff fabrics don’t move with your body in a flattering way, and thick horizontal stripes can read as widening in photos, which isn’t always what you want.

2. Be Thoughtful About Color

Colors that photograph beautifully: soft neutrals (cream, ivory, taupe, blush, sage, dusty blue), rich jewel tones (burgundy, forest green, deep navy used carefully, more on that below), and earthy tones. These are timeless, and you’ll still love them in photos years from now.

Be careful with bright white, neon, and very busy prints. True white can wash out in bright outdoor light or look overly clinical in studio shots, though a soft ivory or off-white is stunning. Neons and very bold prints pull attention away from your face and bump.

Consider your setting. If you’re shooting on the beach, soft blues, aqua, ivory, and warm sand tones complement the background beautifully. In a green field or garden, blush, cream, and earthy tones work better than trying to compete with the greenery. In a studio you have more flexibility, and richer or bolder tones show up beautifully against a neutral backdrop.

3. A Quick Word on Black and Dark Colors

This is the tip maternity photographers bring up the most, and it surprises a lot of people: solid black and very dark colors (deep navy, charcoal) can actually hide your bump in photos. Dark fabric absorbs light and flattens the shadows and highlights that give your belly its beautiful round shape on camera. Black is slimming in real life, which is the exact opposite of what you want here. The whole point of the shoot is to show off that bump, so you don’t want your color working against you.

That said, this isn’t a hard rule. A black or deep jewel-tone gown can look gorgeous and editorial in a studio when it’s an intentional choice and your photographer is lighting for it. The difference is doing it on purpose with good light versus reaching for a black dress because it’s the safe thing in your closet. If you love a dark look, mention it to your photographer ahead of time so they can light to keep your silhouette defined.

4. Decide How Much Bump You Want to Show

Show it all: fitted jersey gowns, bodycon minis, and form-fitting mermaid-style dresses put your bump front and center. This is gorgeous if you want photos that clearly show how pregnant you are, and these work especially well for studio shoots and intimate home sessions.

Hint at it: flowy maxi dresses, wrap styles, and tiered dresses give you that beautiful silhouette without being super fitted. Your bump reads in photos but the overall look feels softer and more ethereal.

Casual and real: jeans, a crop top or bralette, and an open button-up is a look many moms love for its authenticity. It reads as “real life” in the best way, and works especially well for at-home lifestyle shoots.

5. Dress for the Season

Think about when and where you’re shooting. In fall and winter, warmer tones like rust, mustard, camel, cream, burgundy, and forest green feel right, and a cozy knit or wrap layer does double duty: it looks beautiful and keeps you warm between shots. In spring and summer, lean into lighter, softer colors such as cream, blush, sage, dusty blue, and soft neutrals. A chunky knit cardigan or a long open kimono is one of my favorite ways to add dimension to a cooler-weather shoot, and you can pull it off your shoulders for some shots and wrap up in it between others.

6. Comfort Matters More Than You Think

You’ll be standing, sitting, crouching, and moving around for an hour or more in these clothes, and you’re pregnant. Choose something you can actually breathe in. If you’re second-guessing whether you can sit down comfortably in an outfit, it’s probably not the one. The best maternity photo outfit is something you feel like yourself in, not just something that looks good on a hanger.

7. You Don’t Have to Buy Maternity-Specific Clothing

I wore a non-maternity tiered maxi dress from Chicwish to one of my own shoots, aqua with lemons, completely not designed for pregnancy, and it was one of my favorite looks. Stretchy, flowy, and wrap-style non-maternity pieces often work just as well (or better) than maternity-labeled options. Look at Free People, Baltic Born, ASOS, and Amazon for bump-friendly silhouettes that aren’t in the maternity section.

8. Consider Bringing Two Outfits

If your budget and photographer allow it, bringing two different looks to your shoot is well worth it. A flowy dress for the dreamy shots and a more fitted or casual look for a different vibe gives you so much more to choose from when you’re editing. You don’t have to use both, but having options is never a bad thing.

9. Ask Your Photographer if They Have a Client Closet

Some photographers (especially those who specialize in maternity and newborn photography) keep a small collection of gowns, wraps, and dresses that clients can borrow. These are pieces the photographer knows photograph well in their specific style. It’s always worth asking before you buy anything.

What NOT to Wear for a Maternity Photo Shoot

• Logos and graphics. They date your photos and pull the eye away from you.
• Solid black or very dark colors (unless it’s an intentional studio look your photographer is lighting for). They tend to hide your bump.
• Anything that doesn’t fit right now. Don’t plan to squeeze into a pre-pregnancy dress. Wear what fits your body today.
• Super stiff fabrics. They don’t move well and can look boxy in photos.
• Shoes you can’t walk in. If you’re shooting outdoors, you’ll be on your feet. Barefoot is always a beautiful option for beach and field shoots.
• Overly busy prints. If you want a print, go small (think tiny florals over large checks). You don’t want to distract from the main event.
• Anything that makes you feel self-conscious. If you try it on and don’t love it, don’t wear it. You’ll feel the discomfort in every photo.

What Should Your Partner and Kids Wear?

If your partner or kids are joining you, their outfits matter more than you’d think. Done well, everyone complements you and the focus stays right where it should be: on you and your bump. Done poorly, a clashing print or a too-matchy color story pulls the eye all over the place. I’ve written two full posts on coordinating outfits, what we wore for family pictures and coordinating kids’ outfits without matching, if you want to go deep. Here are the essentials for a maternity session.

Start With Mom, Then Build Around Her

You’re the star of this shoot, so pick your outfit first and build everyone else’s around yours. This is the opposite of how a lot of people do it, but it saves so much stress. Once your dress is set you have a color palette to work from, and dressing everyone else gets much easier.

Coordinate, Don’t Match

The goal is to look like you all happen to be really well dressed in pieces that go together, not like you planned matching outfits at the store. Stick with a palette of neutrals plus one or two accent colors pulled from your dress. Put your partner and kids in complementary shades rather than the exact same color, because matching colors make people blend into each other in the frame. One small thing I always check: make sure no one is wearing the same shade as the person standing right next to them. (When we did family photos, I put my younger son in a brown that was darker than my husband’s sweater on purpose, so he wouldn’t disappear into Dad.) Add texture, especially with neutrals, and keep any patterns small. Tiny florals and fine plaids photograph beautifully, while big bold prints fight for attention.

What Should Dad Wear for Maternity Photos?

Keep it simple and let him complement your look rather than compete with it. If you’re in an elegant gown, he can wear a button-down on its own or with nice trousers. If you’re doing a casual or at-home session, dark or light denim with a plain crew neck, a henley, or a button-up looks great. A few things to steer clear of: logos and graphics, anything with a big bold print, and shirts that are too baggy around the middle (tucking in or adding a belt helps). If you want, pull a color for his shirt straight from your dress’s palette so the two of you read as a set. For getting his denim right, my post on the best men’s jeans is a good place to start.

Dressing Older Kids and Toddlers

If you’ve got little ones in the shoot, the same rules apply: pull their colors from your palette, lean on neutrals with small accents, and add texture with knits or layers. A fun trick for siblings is to break a matching set up between them so they coordinate without being in identical outfits. And bring something for restless kids to hold or sit on. A simple prop or a chair keeps everyone calmer and gives you better candids. My kids’ coordinating post has much more on this.

Maternity Photo Shoot Outfit Formulas by Setting

Here are outfit formulas that work beautifully for each type of shoot, with shoppable options at a range of price points.

Beach Maternity Photo Shoot

Formula 1: The Flowy Maxi

This is the classic beach maternity look for a reason. A tiered or chiffon maxi dress in a soft color catches the breeze, photographs beautifully against water and sand, and works for any body type. Go barefoot or wear simple flat sandals.

• Tiered chiffon or linen maxi dress in ivory, blush, sage, or aqua
• No shoes (barefoot on the beach is stunning) or simple flat sandals
• Simple jewelry only, the dress and the setting do the work

Where to shop: Amazon (from ~$35), ASOS (~$44 to $80), PinkBlush (~$65 to $90)

Formula 2: The Boho Lace Gown

For a more ethereal, editorial feel, a lace or off-shoulder gown in taupe, cream, or dusty rose is stunning at the beach. These photograph incredibly well in golden-hour light.

• Off-shoulder lace gown in neutral tones
• Bare feet
• Hair down and loose, or a simple braid

Where to shop: Amazon (~$42 to $65), PinkBlush (~$85)

**BONUS: Another great option here is a boho two piece set like a client of mine wore as one of her outfits last month! I love the way this looked with the beach setting and showed off the bump.

Outdoor Field or Garden Maternity Shoot

Formula 3: Soft Floral Wrap Dress

A wrap-style dress in a soft floral or botanical print is perfect for a garden or field setting. It ties at the waist or side so it grows with your bump, and the print feels organic against a natural backdrop.

• Wrap maxi or midi dress in soft floral, blush, or sage
• Simple block-heel sandal or flat mule
• Delicate earrings or a thin necklace

Where to shop: ASOS (~$44 to $148), Nordstrom (~$98)

Formula 4: Fitted Mermaid Gown

If you want to show off your bump in a more dramatic way, a fitted mermaid-style gown in a rich color like burgundy or forest green looks striking in outdoor settings. The structure of the silhouette against an organic background creates a beautiful contrast.

• Fitted ruched mermaid maxi in a jewel tone
• Simple heeled sandal or bare feet in grass
• Hair up in a low bun to show off the neckline

Where to shop: Amazon (~$38 to $65), Etsy (~$44 to $220)

Studio Maternity Shoot

Formula 5: The Bodycon or Fitted Jersey Dress

Studio shoots are where fitted looks really shine, because the neutral backdrop puts the focus entirely on your body and your bump. A stretchy bodycon or form-fitting midi dress in a solid color is clean, timeless, and stunning in a studio setting.

• Stretchy ribbed or jersey bodycon dress in cream, taupe, or a soft neutral
• Simple heeled mule or ankle-strap sandal
• Minimal jewelry, let the silhouette speak

Where to shop: Amazon (~$38 to $55), ASOS (~$32 to $60)

Formula 6: Elegant Mesh or Chiffon Gown

For a more formal, magazine-worthy studio look, a floor-length chiffon or mesh gown in a deep jewel tone or classic black is breathtaking, and the studio is the one place a dark gown works (your photographer can light to keep your bump defined). These are the looks that end up framed on walls. If you want a dressier route, see my roundup of the best places for formal maternity gowns.

• Cold-shoulder or off-shoulder chiffon evening gown
• Simple strappy heel
• Statement earrings only

Where to shop: PinkBlush (~$89 to $129), Amazon (~$45 to $65)

At-Home Lifestyle Maternity Shoot

Formula 7: The Casual-Intimate Look

An at-home shoot has a totally different energy. It’s warm, real, and personal. This is the setting where jeans, a simple bralette, and an open linen button-up looks perfect. It’s the “this is actually my life right now” look, and it’s a beautiful way to document pregnancy.

• Well-fitting maternity jeans (or a pair of non-maternity jeans, unbuttoned)
• Simple bralette or fitted white tank
• Open linen or chambray button-up (oversized works great, or grab a neutral dress shirt from your husband’s closet)
• Barefoot or simple slide sandals

Where to shop: maternity jeans on Amazon, ASOS maternity denim

Formula 8: Maternity Loungewear

Soft, fitted maternity loungewear, a matching set or a simple bump-baring two-piece, reads as incredibly intimate and cozy on camera. This works especially well for candid-style photos around the house: making coffee, reading, sitting in the nursery.

• Soft maternity lounge set in a neutral or blush tone
• Barefoot
• Hair natural, no need to style heavily for this look

Where to shop: Amazon maternity loungewear, Target (~$30)

Where to Shop for Maternity Photo Shoot Clothing

Here’s a quick guide to the best places to find maternity photo outfits at every price point:

• Amazon. The most affordable option, with a huge selection of photoshoot-specific gowns. Most come in 20+ colors. Great for trying two or three options and returning what doesn’t work. Budget: $25 to $65. (See also my favorite maternity pieces on Amazon.)
• ASOS. Great for trendy, modern cuts in both maternity and non-maternity styles. Budget: $35 to $150.
• PinkBlush Maternity. One of the best dedicated maternity fashion sites. Beautiful fabrics, bump-first silhouettes, and styles designed for photoshoots. Budget: $65 to $130.
• Target. Surprisingly solid for casual and loungewear maternity options, and great if you want a more everyday look. Budget: $20 to $50.
• H&M Maternity. Simple, well-priced basics and occasional standout pieces. Budget: $30 to $70.
• Baltic Born / Free People. Non-maternity, but very bump-friendly. Flowy, boho, feminine silhouettes that look stunning in photos. Budget: $60 to $150.
• Etsy. The place to find unique, rental-style photoshoot gowns. Many sellers rent designer maternity gowns at a fraction of the purchase price. Budget: $25 rental to $200+ purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions