Pregnancy is truly an incredible experience. Sure, there’s the weird food cravings and ever changing, always growing belly, but the simplest truth of it—that your body is growing another body, another person—is life’s purest miracle.
Thanks to a well-timed friend date, I learned that Nick and Dani were expecting pretty early on. I got to gush over pictures of the first ultrasound, photograph their sweet pregnancy announcement, and cheer when we all found out they were having a girl at their reveal party. (For the record, I was always Team Girl.) So getting the chance to capture their love, excitement, and anticipation in a sweet and sentimental maternity shoot was a dream.
The beach setting was pretty much a given since Nick and Dani’s nursery theme centers around whales and sea life. We arrived at Natural Bridges State Park and were met with a foggy coastline, which added just the right amount of drama and magic to every shot. On our walk down to the water, we chatted about how different life would be in a few short months and tried to stay warm as the wind picked up.
With waves crashing into the sky and Nick and Dani making serious heart-eyes at one another, I totally started tearing up and said, “You guys look so beautiful that it’s making me emotional.”
Because hormones aside, what’s more emotional than bringing new life into this world?
I think the final images from this Santa Cruz beach maternity shoot convey some of pregnancy’s most unique moments: the way you look at your spouse picturing what kind of parent they’ll be, the joy and reassurance that comes from each movement in the womb, the quiet times when you try to wrap your head around how parenthood will change you, and the realization that a tiny, unknown person is about to become your greatest adventure.
Congratulations, Nick & Dani. I can’t wait to meet Luci!
