Red dress maternity in Santa Cruz with Cheryl

We photographed Cheryl’s red dress maternity session on a sunny Saturday morning in Santa Cruz.

Cheryl has been photographed by Mischa before and we weren’t surprised when she showed up with a stunning red dress and matching red lip.  Cheryl is a knock-out. Here she is making pregnancy seem actually glamorous.

We met at Lighthouse field near the iconic Santa Cruz Lighthouse. Though we didn’t include the actual lighthouse in the images, we used a lot of the nearby scenery to make Cheryl’s red dress pop.

When Mischa and I shoot together, we usually shoot simultaneously. Mischa takes the lead (whether he likes it or not) and I usually try to find another angle that’s both flattering, and decidedly different from what Mischa seems to be going for. This is when being married to him comes in really handy… I know better than anyone what he’s likely trying to accomplish.

These next two shots were taken at almost the same moment.

Cheryl assured us that not only was she comfortable on that fallen tree, that she was more comfortable than being pregnant and reclining usually allows.

We left the field of Spring wildflowers for the sandy shore of Natural Bridges State beach.

It was a busy day at the beach (being a sunny, Spring Break weekend morning) but we were able to shoot around the beach-goers and even another maternity shoot.

Mischa took the opportunity of the sunny day and our breathtaking subject to bring out the infrared converted camera.

This is one of my very favorite maternity images… ever. (and of course it’s Mischa’s! – I am in love with both the man and his eye)

Though the infrared image doesn’t hint at this being a red dress maternity session, it’s a perfect example of how being a photographer means more than seeing what’s there in the same way as everyone else. It’s creating art from what other people can’t see.

If you or someone you know wants more than just a basic maternity session, we love creating art and pushing past the expected.