Shooting Rissa

I don't think I've ever photographed a pregnant woman in her last trimester for a cover before. In her first two trimesters, when her belly's not prominent still, yes. But on her last trimester with her belly blossoming? I don't think so.
But I wasn't worried. We were, after all, photographing the lovely Rissa Mananquil. What's there to worry about?

I absolutely loved pulling out clothes at House of Laurel. They had wonderful choices that looked nothing like the maternity clothes I had to sift through while I was pregnant ten thousand years ago.

Here is Rissa wearing one of my favorite dresses. It had a lot of shirring, strategically placed to accentuate Rissa's blossoming shape. So sexy!

photo by Sofia Genato of The Stork Studio

It was late in the afternoon but Sofia of The Stork Studio wanted to get Rissa out of doors. This is at Sofia's studio/residence. It's really just a wall overrun by clingy vines but Rissa made it work.
photo by Sofia Genato of The Stork Studio

And here's the cover :)
More than shooting Rissa, I loved talking to her. She's such a no nonsense kind of mom. She talked about being overwhelmed by the wide variety of mommy and baby products available today, and how she has to be practical about choosing what's best for her and her baby. She shared her experiences breastfeeding her first child, expressing her breast milk by hand. And she told us of her frustration at how technology has teased children away from the joys of playing outdoors. More importantly, Rissa told us how she dealt with all these concerns. Lovely! :)