WHEN Nameshni Moodley decided to do a maternity photo shoot in the latter weeks of her pregnancy, she chose to be brave about it.
She wanted to express herself as a woman, a proud wife and a mum-to-be, but mostly she wanted the pictures to overflow with aspects of her culture.
The result: a concept that showed off her feminism and her body, yet still embraced her culture.
The oThongathi resident drew a bit of flack from some of the elders in her family for exposing her then-unborn baby to “bad eyes”, but she said she had put her trust in God.
As Moodley and her husband Yugen celebrated baby Thanika’s three months at the weekend, she said, looking back, she was proud of sticking with a decision she hoped would one day inspire her daughter.
In an interview with POST, Moodley said she had pondered her maternity photo shoot and how to do it for a long time.
“I had always said that when I fell pregnant I would want to do a photo shoot, and I always wanted to do something different. Photographer Ravi Naidoo suggested that I include my culture in the shoot, because I am a proud Indian. She suggested that I wear my wedding sari?
“It was also symbolic of my union with my husband. I generally use very big bindis, and this was something I also wanted to showcase in the shoot. It means so much to us that we have a baby coming out of our marriage, so I also wanted to include my hubby in the shoot, shirtless, to make it more natural and beautiful,” she said.
Moodley said she was amazed by the results of the shoot with Naidoo.
“Ravi gave me exactly what I was hoping to achieve. Most people loved the photos. For my mum, it was hard when she saw that I had exposed so much of my body. Being Indian, within the culture, it's believed that it's ‘bad eyes’ to show your tummy before the baby is born.
“A lot of the elders in my family were not happy with it because of that. But with me being who I am, I always want to be different. I just said that God was good and I doubted anything would happen. But generally I’ve had a lot of positive comments about the shoot because it was so different,” said Moodley.
Her advice to expectant women who are pondering a maternity photo shoot, she said: “Go with what your heart tells you. If you are comfortable to show your body, then go ahead. These are memories that are going to last a lifetime.
“As women, we need to also set an example for our daughters to be strong-willed and be able to do what they like, and be comfortable with themselves. I am hoping that my daughter will look at this shoot one day and be comfortable in her own skin also.
“Also, mums-to-be should enjoy this moment – it's something that is so precious. Just follow your heart, be proud to show off your belly, and be proud to show that you are an expectant mum. This is an exciting period in your life that is to be celebrated. If you don't do it, you will sit back with regrets,” said Moodley.
Maternity shoots
Arguably the maternity photo shoot became popular after Demi Moore’s jaw-dropping 1991 cover shot for Vanity Fair magazine. Proudly displaying her full belly in the nude, she seemingly turned the tables on how pregnancy was viewed. Not long after, a wave of celebrity moms-to-be – and, of course, the average Janes – jumped on the bandwagon, proudly showing off their commissioned nude and bikini shoots.
Naidoo said the popularity of photo shoots over the years had grown over the years.
“I think this is because over the years people have been posting photos on their social media more. You will notice that a lot more people are doing pre-wedding shoots and engagement shoots, as well as maternity shoots.
“Whereas in the past photographs were taken and just kept in an album, over the years it has grown to be more of a social sharing experience, where everybody can share in the joy of that moment and comment,” said Naidoo.
She said with the maternity shoot she had found that women liked to feel fabulous.
“So we've been doing a lot of very glamorous photo shoots for maternity. They are bold, and they are very colourful and very happy.”
But there is no one particular way to do a shoot, she said. “I like to personalise my photo shoots. I prefer to talk to each client and get to know them. Then I tailor the photo shoot to their particular personality and their likes and dislikes. So every photo shoot is a little bit different, but mostly for maternity shoots we go for feminine and glamorous.”
Naidoo said there were few basic and important pointers to consider when embarking on a maternity shoot:
*TIMING: The best time for a maternity shoot is between 30 and 35 weeks of pregnancy, as that is usually when the “baby bump” is pronounced enough to be visible and look fantastic in pictures. Beyond 35 weeks, the mom-to-be tends to be a bit too uncomfortable and the shoot becomes cumbersome.
*PRACTICAL: In terms of preparation, just be comfortable. Find something that you are happy wearing.
*LOCATION: If you do the shoot outdoors, remember that you are going to be walking around and out in the sun, so take that into consideration beforehand. A studio shoot with air conditioning is a lot more comfortable.
*PARTIALLY/FULLY NUDE SHOTS: This is a beautiful time – the body has gone through so much change and it's something that is really worth capturing on camera. But it is pivotal that you chat to your photographer and get to know them a little bit so that you can have the security of knowing that you will be okay if you are partly or fully naked in front of them. During the shoot, when we do the dress changes and work with props, you will be coming into close contact with the person you are working with, so it is important that the mum is comfortable with her choice of photographer. Having someone you are familiar with is really important, as you do not want to clam up on the day, because then you will not get those really great shots.
*For more tips and inspirations, www.standstarestudios.com, or follow Naidoo on Facebook: Stand & Stare Studios and Instagram: standstarestudios
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