Gender Reveal Photo Shoot

{I let go of the pink balloon to announce the arrival of our baby boy Emory James Worsham}

I love the way that different styles of clothing can affect my mood. When I style my own personal photo shoots, I feel most pulled together when the look feels timeless yet reflects my personality. When I am planning for any successful photo shoot, I create a styling list or a look book which dates back to my days as an assistant art editor at Ocean Drive magazine.

I had so much fun styling my pregnancy photo shoot. This was the chance for me to throw all the rules out the window and be even more whimsical and over the top girlie than I am usually. To figure out my desired looks, I pulled many outfits and started taking photos of myself to see what worked and what fell flat. I needed to make sure that every clothing look was unique from each other but at the same time every outfit needed to enhance my pregnant belly. 

My first look styled the gender reveal photos. I wanted these shots to be the most over the top and a tutu dress seemed to fit the bill perfectly. My idea was to create a look that revealed the gender of our baby in a cotton candy inspired sugary sweet confection shot. The rest of the pregnancy looks I wanted to feel romantic and natural. When styling my son and husband, I simply coordinate their outfits to mine. Never do a matchy matchy family photo, the look will come off as contrived and no matter how much time is spent planning, the photos should always look effortless.

               

After the outfits have been chosen, shoes and accessories help add the extra sparkle and fun to photos. Jewelry needs to have a prescence and make a bold statement. Remember the more outrageous and fun you have with jewels the more likely your accessories will be captured in print. It goes without saying that I love beautiful necklaces and this flower necklace I purchased at  Anthroplogie is certainly no exception. 

Packing for traveling with your family and styling my pregnancy photo shoot could get a little hairy because I naturally overpack  for a normal travel weekend. I style my outfits ahead of time to prevent insane overpacking. Before I travel anywhere I try on my outfits and make sure they are correct for the occasion and time of year. I like to have everything organized and packed efficiently and it's certainly one of my OCD traits along with keeping my closet merchandised. Here are some photos of my packing process:)

We traveled to my hometown in Central Fl to meet up with one of my best friends who is an amazing photographer. She has pretty much documented my entire adult life. Love her so much! Check out her amazing website...     

http://www.lindsayparks.com/

The location was at Lake Louisa State Park which could not have been any prettier or more of an idyllic setting for the rustic nature look I was going for.. I love the finished photos and especially the balloon gender reveal shots which evoked that whimsical cotton candy charm but at the same time captured the beauty of my country hometown. My endearing family photos with my son Easton and my husband are memories we will share with each other and Easton's little brother Emory for many years to come...