In this day and age, it can be hard to remember a time before social media, and the connections it provides.
These days, it seems like there’s always some hot new technology development that makes it easier than ever to share major life updates with our friends and family!
Given all of this interconnectivity, it’s not too surprising that social media has had a profound effect on birth announcements, wedding invites, and engagement photos.
Instead of arriving via snail mail, it’s more and more common for these exciting updates to crop up on Facebook!
As a result, when it comes to maternity shoots, moms-to-be are upping their game more than ever before. As we saw with this awesome multiple mama, the new aesthetic for these images is ethereal, light, and dainty.
Now, photographers are capitalizing on this look with a fascinating new trend, Floral Milk Baths.
Scroll through the gallery below to check out the intriguing artistry of this beautiful movement in maternity photos!
So what exactly is a Floral Milk Bath?
Well, it starts out as an ordinary bath, which is then peppered with floating flower blossoms.
The photographer will then add milk until the water reaches an opalescent, milky color.
In the tub, Mom-to-be will recline, usually with her baby bump sticking up out of the water.
Meanwhile, hands, blossoms, and the opaque water are put to work concealing the rest of her body, so that the emphasis is all on the little one hard at work growing in her belly.
Other times, the photo shoots are done after the baby is born, so mother and baby are pictured together, reclining in the water.
Photographer Tiffany Burke is often credited with launching the trend.
She explained to Woman’s Day what drew her to the unique style, saying, “An expecting mother is strikingly beautiful, and this felt like an artistic way to showcase that.”
Certainly, that’s very visible in her spectacular photos of women reaching the end of pregnancy and of new moms.
Most of these photos take place in the last few weeks of pregnancy, when the pregnant belly is at its most pronounced.
That way, the baby bump is presented as the heart of the picture.
There’s lots of beauty in the background, between the floating flowers and the diaphanous fabrics some of the women dress in, but all eyes are on the belly and, by extension, on the little one inside.
For the photographer, it’s truly a labor of love to create these images perfectly.
They have to add the milk, or, occasionally, coffee creamer, until the color is just right, and then balance that with the flowers floating in the water.
Lastly, they often have to hop up on the side of the bathtub to get just the right shot.
But photographers specializing in this style — mostly women themselves — don’t give the extra work a second thought.
For them, every extra step is worth it for the beautiful final image.
Some photographers even note the health benefits for expectant moms, since milk is chock-full of nutrients that can help with some of the minor irritations of pregnancy, like stretch marks and dry skin.
Meanwhile, for the moms in the photos, the experience is said to be much more relaxing than a traditional photo shoot.
Instead of striking poses and wearing potentially uncomfortable clothes, these moms are pictured in the most comfortable pose imaginable: lounging in the bath.
That sounds like a much happier and more comfy way to celebrate the miracle of birth, especially when you’re nine months pregnant, or have recently given birth!
What do you think of this mesmerizing and unusual photo style? Make sure to sound off in the comments below, and don’t forget to SHARE on Facebook to see what your friends think!
