T + J | Sunrise Hampton Park Maternity Session

I recently had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful maternity photo session and picnic at Hampton Park in Charleston, South Carolina with T and J. They were brave and chose a sunrise session (one of my favorites in the summertime), and it was SO worth the early alarm.

We met early in the morning, just as the sun was starting to rise. The temperature was still fairly cool, and the park was quiet and peaceful. The light was perfect, that beautiful warm glow you only really get at sunrise, so we started the session off by exploring some of my favorite spots in the park looking for the perfect picnic spot. Hampton Park has so many beautiful nooks and crannies, and it was EMPTY so early in the morning, so we had our choice of spots.

purple flowers in the early morning light at Hampton Park in Charleston South Carolina
Picnic setup on a white blanket with pink baby shoes and ultrasound photos during a Hampton Park Maternity Session

T messaged me ahead of time and asked if it was “too extra” to set up a picnic….um never too extra. Her setup was complete with blankets, baby books and ultrasound photos, and delicious breakfast treats. We enjoyed some quiet moments together, as they chatted about how excited they were about becoming parents. We laughed about what they’d nicknamed their little one, and chatted about the names they were thinking about.

Black and white photo of expectant parents on a blanket having a picnic
picnic setup in the early morning sun in Hampton park with grapes and jelly and croissants and macrons
mother and father smiling at each other sitting on a picnic blanket holding their ultrasound photos
Husband whispering into wife's ear and wife laughing sitting on a white picnic blanket at an early morning picnic
Picnic basket with white flowers on a white blanket
Black and white portrait of a pregnant woman in a white off the shoulder dress leaning on her husband and smiling
Pregnant woman in a white dress laying on a blanket with ultrasound photos

As the morning got later we finished up the picnic, and wandered through the park a bit. The live oaks and crepe myrtles with Spanish moss are epic in the morning, so we took advantage of the morning light in as many spots as we could.

picnic blanket in Hampton Park South Carolina with Jimmy Fallon Mama Dada books
Maternity portrait in the early morning sun in Hampton Park
Maternity portrait with pink velvet baby shoes and mother in a white dress
Woman smiling at the camera hugging her husband and holding her ultrasound photos
black and white maternity portrait in the early morning sun

Overall, another point to sunrise photo sessions, especially in the summertime. I’m always so grateful to capture just this little sliver of time in a couple’s journey to parenthood. It’s a precious time, full of so much excitement and so many little secrets and surprises, and sweet quiet moments together. Also, hint to all you expectant parents, a picnic for your pregnancy announcement or maternity session is NEVER too much. Be extra, loves.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.