Your body during pregnancy and the photos: doubts, stretch marks and how to feel good

The message came in on a Tuesday afternoon. Laura wrote to me on WhatsApp before booking: “I have a lot of stretch marks and I'm not sure I want to show my belly.” It wasn't the first message like that, or the tenth. It's the most common worry I hear before a maternity shoot in Barcelona.

“Has this happened to you? Everyone talks about acceptance, about body positivity, about loving yourself just as you are… But you're pregnant and you simply can't. You don't like what you see. You don't feel like yourself. And then you feel bad for feeling that way. I've been there too.”
— Tami (Wonderstory)

A study published in the journal Body Image in 2025 confirmed what I see every week: around 50% of women feel unhappy with their body during pregnancy. You're not strange and you're not overreacting. It's very common, even if almost nobody says it out loud.

This post isn't about “love yourself as you are”. It's about what really happens when you walk into the studio worried about pregnancy photos, your body, your stretch marks or the changes you're going through — and how we work so the result surprises you.

First: name what you are feeling

Body worries during pregnancy are not all the same. Some women arrive concerned about stretch marks, purple and visible on the belly or the breasts. Others feel their body no longer looks like it used to, that they got big all at once, or that they simply don't see themselves in the mirror anymore. And some go through something harder to explain: “I don't feel like me.”

That temporary loss of body identity is real and it has a name. The body changes so fast during pregnancy that the brain doesn't always keep up. It isn't weakness. It's a completely normal response to an intense physical change.

What I do see in the studio: women who aren't happy with their body arrive feeling embarrassed, and I respect that without pushing. But there's one number worth sharing: around 80% of women who decided not to do pregnancy photos regretted it later. The ones who did them almost never do. Worries about your body and your stretch marks during pregnancy are usually temporary. Regret isn't always.

How we work before you walk into the studio

It all starts with a conversation. Before the shoot we talk on WhatsApp — no forms, no formal questionnaires. I just ask what worries you, what you'd like to come away with, and whether there's anything you'd rather avoid. That conversation changes the whole shoot, because by the time you reach the studio in central Barcelona we're not two strangers anymore.

During the shoot I use soft side light. It softens shapes and adds depth without showing everything at once. It isn't a post-production trick: it's how the space is set up. The poses I use most with women who feel unsure are the profile, the 45-degree angle, and the backlit silhouette for anyone who prefers to start with something more discreet.

“If a pose is beautiful but I can see the mum-to-be isn't comfortable in it, we'll change it!”
— Tami (Wonderstory)

I also pay a lot of attention to pace. I'm never watching the clock, thinking about how much time is left. The shoot moves at your speed, with breaks when you need them, and nobody telling you the time is up.

As Ariana Montecino Álvarez says in her Google review:

“it was our first photo shoot and we came with a lot of doubts about how it would go (because we're shy) and a bit nervous too… she made us feel really comfortable, relaxed and above all enjoying every minute”

Fabrics, clothes and covering without hiding

One of the most common questions is: “What do I wear if I don't want to show too much?” The answer is simpler than it looks.

Draped fabric is what I reach for most. It covers exactly what you want without losing the shape of your bump, and the photo never looks forced. An open men's shirt is a classic that always works. Sheer lingerie, for anyone who wants it, is sensual without showing everything. I also keep options at the studio, so you don't have to bring anything special.

If you want more ideas about what to wear, I have a whole article with clothes that flatter you in maternity photos, where I explain in detail what works and why.

As Claudia Oliver says in her Google review:

“Photos that show so much of the beauty of a pregnant woman and her lovely curves… improvising even with a piece of fabric. The result? Amazing”

Laura's story, by the way, ended like this: at the end of the shoot she was the one who said, “Can we do one without the fabric?” Nobody talked her into it. That moment simply arrived.

My retouching policy: honest and clear

There's a question almost nobody asks out loud, but everybody thinks: “Are you going to retouch me?” So let me answer it straight.

I adjust light and color. I don't change bodies. That's my approach, and there are no exceptions unless we agree on them first.

What I do: adjust the lighting, correct tones, remove something temporary like a spot or a mark left by clothing. What I don't do by default: change the shape of your body, make you slimmer, or erase deep stretch marks. If you ask me for extra retouching, we talk about it with zero judgment. It's your call, not mine. But my starting point is always to bring out what's there, not to hide who you are.

The difference between a well-lit pregnancy photo and one retouched until it looks unreal is huge. The first one will move you 10 years from now. The second one probably won't.

You don't have to come alone

Company changes the energy of a shoot a lot. Your partner, who may well arrive nervous too, can be exactly what you need to relax, laugh, and get photos that show both of you. If you want to know how to organize that part, you'll find everything in my guide on bringing your partner to the shoot.

Your mother, your sister, your oldest friend, or even your dog work really well too. Plenty of clients come with their pet, and those turn out to be some of the most natural photos of the whole day.

“some people feel comfortable with something more editorial, and others need to go with the flow in a more lifestyle way”
— Tami (Wonderstory)

There's no correct format. The shoot adapts to who you are, not the other way around.

A year from now you'll see these photos differently

After the birth a lot of things change. Hormones, perspective, the relationship with your own body. What makes you feel insecure about your body in pregnancy photos today usually turns into something completely different when you sit down to look at those images with your baby in your arms.

I'm not asking you to love yourself exactly as you are right now. I'm asking you to give yourself the chance to have these photos.

If you'd like to talk before you decide, message me on WhatsApp. No commitment, no pressure. Just tell me what worries you, the way Laura did that Tuesday afternoon.

My shoots are set up so you feel comfortable from the very first minute, whatever state you arrive in.

Tami · Photographer and founder of Wonderstory
I've been photographing real moments in Barcelona for more than six years. Every article I write comes from what I live in the studio with my clients.