Some photography sessions feel deeply personal before I ever pick up my camera. Joceline’s Salt River maternity session was one of them.
Joceline used to work alongside me as an associate photographer, but our friendship extends far beyond photography. I have known her for eight or nine years since before she and Ryan had children. I have watched their family grow and have known many of the hopes, struggles, and emotions that came with that journey.
She has become my closest friend in Arizona. She is ten years younger than I am and, somehow, also my birthday twin.
Whenever I photograph Joceline’s family, I feel as though I am traveling back in time to my own life twelve or fifteen years ago. Joceline reminds me so much of a younger version of myself. Ryan reminds me of my husband in his work ethic, personality, and many of the things he likes and definitely does not like. Their two daughters remind me of my own girls when they were little.
Photographing them gives me the unusual experience of documenting someone else’s family while remembering so much of my own.
Celebrating Their Last Baby
This maternity session was especially meaningful because Joceline and Ryan are expecting their last baby.
Their family is about to change from four people to five, and these photographs preserve the final chapter before that happens. For a little while longer, these two girls are the center of their parents’ world. Soon, they will become big sisters to a new baby and settle into entirely new roles within their family.
We wanted the session to celebrate both sides of that transition: the last moments of being a family of four and the excitement of meeting the baby who will complete their family.
That is one of the things I love most about maternity photography. The photographs are obviously about the baby who is coming, but they are also about the family as it exists right now. The relationships, personalities, and little routines that feel ordinary today will look completely different a year from now.
Can My Family Be Included in My Maternity Session?
I am often asked whether partners and children can be included in maternity photos. The answer is absolutely yes.
While this was a maternity session celebrating Joceline and the baby she was carrying, it was also about this season of their family. These were some of their final photographs as a family of four before welcoming a new baby and becoming a family of five.
Including Ryan and the girls allowed us to photograph more than Joceline’s pregnancy. We captured the girls loving on their mom’s belly, the family playing together in the Salt River, and the relationships that already surrounded this baby before they had even arrived.
Your maternity session can include portraits of you alone, photographs with your partner, and plenty of moments with your children. It does not have to be either a maternity session or a family session. It can be both.
Pregnancy changes the entire family, not only the person carrying the baby. Including everyone creates a beautiful record of who your family was during this brief chapter and the excitement surrounding whoever comes next.
A Summer Maternity Session at the Salt River
The Salt River gave us the perfect setting for this session. The desert was full of warm evening color, the river reflected the light from the mountains, and the greenery added richness without taking attention away from the family.
Joceline’s white maternity dress was perfect for a summer session in the water. It felt light, natural, and comfortable, and the white stood out beautifully against the warm desert mountains and deeper greens surrounding the river. The girls’ soft floral dresses and Ryan’s pale green shirt kept the entire family coordinated without making everyone look overly matched.
We began on dry land with the family gathered together among the desert greenery. Then we moved into the river for the playful, relaxed part of the session.
The girls splashed, played, climbed onto Ryan’s shoulders, and laughed with their parents. Joceline and Ryan also had a few quiet moments together while the evening light reflected across the water behind them.
Those natural interactions are always what I am looking for. I want the beautiful family portrait where everyone is together, but I also want the movement, laughter, and connections that show what life with this family actually feels like.
When the Session Turns Into Playtime
By the end of the session, the girls had absolutely no interest in getting out of the water.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame them. We had been photographing in temperatures over 110 degrees, so the Salt River felt especially good. Once I knew we had everything we needed, I put my camera down and went to play in the water with them for a few minutes.
That small moment will always be part of how I remember this session.
Photography has given me the privilege of preserving so many important chapters for other families. But when the people in front of my camera are close friends, people whose history I know and whose future I am genuinely excited to witness…the photographs carry another layer of meaning.
These images celebrate Joceline’s pregnancy, their growing family, and the final weeks before they begin life as a family of five. They also preserve two little girls exactly as they are right now: playful, affectionate, and completely delighted to be in the river.
I am so grateful that I was able to document this chapter for them and even more grateful that I get to be present for the chapter that comes next.
If you are expecting and want maternity photographs that include more than beautiful portraits, I would love to help you preserve the relationships and personalities that make your family yours. The Salt River is a beautiful choice for Phoenix maternity photos featuring water, desert greenery, mountain views, and Arizona’s warm evening light.