Hi Everyone! Today I am beyond excited to share with you photos of my stunning gold maternity photoshoot with Torrey Fox Photography, based here in Mill Valley. I met Torrey at the playground just 3 days before the Coronavirus quarantine was put in place here in California, and we kept in touch via instagram in order to coordinate this socially-distant photoshoot, 8 weeks later.
The photos came out incredible! Much better than I could have imagined, considering we shot from 7-7:30pm (i.e. Marina’s bedtime), hiked up a beautiful hill 10 minutes to get the best light (while I was 37 weeks pregnant and Torrey herself 25 weeks preggo), it was the first time I put on makeup in 8 weeks, and that I finished making my dress and Marina’s dress literally the day before.
As far as the aesthetic of the photoshoot, I really had no idea what to do. I constantly struggle with the two little voices in my head arguing about shooting something classic and clean (i.e. white or otherwise simple knit dress) vs. going ‘extra’ (i.e. flower crowns, colorful prints, etc.). I love to look at simple and clean lines in photography, but somewhere I know that’s not completely my aesthetic, so I wanted to find a balance in-between. I found this incredible sheer gold sequin fabric on Joann Fabric’s website, and ordered 2 yards for curbside pickup hoping it would work out for a maxi dress. Truthfully, I had no design or pattern in mind, I just waited to see the fabric and let it take me from there. Once I received the fabric and saw how over the top it was, I decided to make a simple pregnancy sheath dress with with tulip sleeves and wear a slip underneath.
Marina’s dress was a LAST minute addition with fabric I stumbled upon in my stash, since there was no last minute shipping or shopping options available to me. This tweed fabric has a few gold sequins in it, which coordinated it to my dress without being as showy (or itchy for her) and worked for a classic bodice and flare style dress. I used this dress pattern for her which was meant for knit fabric, but I already owned, and sized it up just a bit knowing that this thicker tweed fabric would be less forgiving. I up-cycled her old baby eyelet bucket hat from Gap into a faux collar to drape over the dress, and I think the Chanel vibe ties really well with the classic vibe of Mr. R. My only regret is that Mr. R and I literally threw on shoes not knowing what to wear, and although I’m not sure what I would have worn that I would have liked more, Mr. R’s blue boat shoes are not exactly right.
How stunning did these photos come out? Torrey nailed the lighting, the composition and most importantly, shooting my family. Mr. R does not like to be in front of the camera but she made him comfortable and kept it quick, which is crucial when shooting husbands and toddlers. If you are in the Bay Area I strongly suggest you reach out to her for any maternity, newborn, family or wedding photoshoots, as she will really deliver timeless photos that will become family heirlooms!
