Maternity & Family Photography in Boston: Larissa's Session, From Flowers to the Delivery Room
She Booked Her Maternity Session The Day Before Her Due Date. She Had Jack That Night.
Some sessions come together over months of planning. This one came together in about twenty-four hours — and it capped off a story that started a month earlier, with a flower ladder and a piece of exciting news Larissa wasn't even planning to share that day.
How It Started: A Mother's Day MINI session
Larissa came into my Somerville studio this spring for one of my Mother's Day mini sessions — the ones with the big floral install, built for moms and their little ones to just show up and be photographed exactly as they are. She brought her husband Dave and their daughter, and what was supposed to be a simple family mini turned into something bigger: Larissa was expecting again, and she used the photos from that session to announce baby number two.
She posted the news to her own page a few weeks later with the sweetest caption: "Our little family is growing! Baby number 2 coming soon 🌸 parenting level will now be upgraded to 2 under 2!!" — and a second post, a carousel from the same session, captioned simply: "When 3 become 4 🤍" — with an ultrasound photo tucked into her hand in the middle of all those flowers.
THE LAST-MINUTE BOOKING
Fast forward to the third trimester, and Larissa reached out about booking an actual maternity session — real maternity portraits with her family, not just the mini. She reached out a couple of weeks before her due date, which was already later than ideal — the sweet spot for a maternity session is usually around 28 to 31 weeks. We started talking about getting her on the books, and then she went quiet. I figured she must have had the baby already. When I followed up, she told me she'd just been feeling too under the weather that week to shoot — but now she was ready. It was Wednesday, July 29th.
I asked her — half-joking — "what's your due date again?"
Her answer: July 31st.
That was two days away. We talked briefly about outfit ideas, brainstormed a little, and booked her for Friday. No time to overthink it, no time for nerves. Just: come as you are, before this baby arrives.
The Session: Three Looks, One Very Full Day
Larissa showed up ready for it. She brought three outfits: a sleek black look because she's a realtor and wanted images that said business owner as much as expecting mom; a soft, feminine white gown — the one she'd actually bought for her first pregnancy and never got the chance to wear for a maternity session; and a fitted black bodysuit for something a little more editorial. Dave and their daughter joined for part of the session too, so we got the whole family together one more time before everything changed.
Then, Three Hours Later...
Right after Larissa left the studio, I texted her:
"Thank you so much for coming today, it was nice to see you guys again. I will send you everything on Monday. Have a great weekend and hopefully Jack will be here soon."
Her reply:
"Thank you for the last minute. I think he was just waiting for that. We are on the way to the hospital."
Three hours after that, she sent me a photo of Jack.
I still can't get over it. Jack was, apparently, just waiting for his mom to get her photos taken.
FROM LENA
This is exactly why I don't do stiff, over-posed studio photography. I'm not interested in "everyone look at the camera and smile." I want the real moments — the last-minute sessions booked the day before a due date, the ultrasound photo tucked into a bouquet, the family showing up exactly as they are, a handful of hours before their whole world changes. Larissa's story is proof that the best sessions aren't always the ones planned months in advance. Sometimes they're the ones that almost didn't happen at all.
Congratulations to Larissa, Dave, and big sister — and welcome to the world, Jack. 🤍
