Casual maternity photoshoot: blue jeans and a white shirt

What you wear. The look on this page is simple. A white shirt, open or half buttoned, over a white crop top or bralette, with blue jeans folded down or left open. A few frames use a black fitted top instead, or a grey knit cardigan, or a black leather jacket thrown over your shoulders. There is nothing to hire; this is the one session where everything comes from your own wardrobe.

The bare bump. Most of these frames show the bare bump, held or kissed or leaned against. If that is not what you want, a closed shirt photographs just as well, and we will tell you which poses suit it. The choice is entirely yours.

Jeans that work. Soft denim you can leave open is best. A tight waistband leaves marks on the skin, which show in the photographs, so avoid anything that presses.

Why it suits a couple. More than half the frames on this page have a partner in them, and the look is built for it: his white tee or shirt, your white shirt, both in blue jeans. The matching vocabulary makes the two of you read as a pair without a single matching outfit. In five of these frames the husband wears a turban in navy or blue, which sits well beside white and denim.

Children and a dog. Toddlers in denim dungarees, a young daughter on your hip, a boy leaning against the bump, a golden retriever lying at your feet. This is the most relaxed session in the studio, and the one where children and dogs behave most like themselves.

Light and backdrop. Most are made against the sheer white curtains or a plain white backdrop, which gives the daylight look. The darker ones, with a black top and jeans on a dark grey backdrop, are moodier, and tend to be chosen by mothers who want something less bright.

An easy first dress. Jeans and a white shirt count as one outfit. One outfit takes about 35 to 45 minutes, so a casual session on its own is the lightest way to be photographed, and it pairs easily with a gown as a second dress.

The dark ones. On a dark grey backdrop the casual look turns quiet: a black fitted top and jeans with a leather jacket slipped on, or a grey knit cardigan open over a bare bump with your husband in a knit sweater beside you. These make up a sizeable share of the page, and they sit well in a living room.

The playful ones. A husband bending to listen to the bump, heart hands over it, the two of you sitting back to back on the floor, lying on the floor with his head against yours. The casual look is where couples laugh, and Anega shoots through the laughter.

Floor, block and wall. Most of the poses use the floor, a white block or a wall to lean on, none of which asks anything of you. It is the easiest session to feel comfortable in.