A Magical Underwater Maternity Photoshoot In The Bahamas

There’s something so magical about underwater photoshoots! What's so amazing about them is that they are perfect for just about any occasion. Underwater photography can be a great way to celebrate life events, such as pregnancy, engagements, weddings, or honeymoons. It can also be a fun way to document a solo adventure trip or capture beautiful family moments during a special beach vacation! 

This underwater photoshoot took me and my client Kayla to the Bahamas. Just a 60-minute flight from Miami, this tropical paradise was an amazing destination for an adventure photoshoot like this one! With its beautiful beaches and clear blue waters, this was a welcome winter escape for Kayla — and even better, we were there to capture her pregnancy!

This is one Bahamas underwater photoshoot that I'll remember forever!

Finding the Perfect Beach For a Maternity Session in the Bahamas

My client Kayla decided that she wanted to document her pregnancy in a fun, unique way: an underwater maternity photoshoot in the Bahamas! 

The first step was to find an ideal location for her session, and I was up for the challenge! The Bahamas has so many gorgeous beaches, but not every beach will be able to create beautiful underwater photos.  I drove around and stopped at several beaches along the way. My goal was to find clear blue waters that would give us the best visibility for this underwater photoshoot! 

No matter how many times you visit a place, you can never guarantee how any given beach will look from one visit to the next. This is why I had to do my research to determine the best day, time, and location for our photo session! I wanted Kayla’s underwater maternity photos to turn out as incredible as possible!

I ended up choosing Junkanoo Beach for our Bahamas underwater photoshoot! Located only 9 miles away from the Nassau Airport, this beach had the best conditions. 

Junkanoo Beach was absolutely beautiful! With its clear, turquoise waters, white sand, and palm trees, it was such a breathtaking destination for a maternity photoshoot in the Bahamas. It was a calm, serene beach, where sailboats could be seen off in the distance.

Most importantly, the water visibility was absolutely perfect for an underwater photoshoot!

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Maternity Adventure Photoshoot

Kayla had been interested in doing an underwater photoshoot for a while. She knew that her trip to the Bahamas was a great opportunity for me to capture some underwater adventures during her pregnancy!

Once we got into the ocean, Kayla and I practiced poses to help prepare for her underwater maternity photos. It’s important to keep in mind that your poses don’t have to be perfect! When we’re shooting, we’ll do each pose several times until we have enough beautiful portraits to choose from. There’s absolutely no pressure on your end! Since other factors are involved, such as safety and comfortability, there’s definitely a learning curve. But as your underwater photographer, I’m always there to help! 

Creating Beautiful Poses For an Underwater Photoshoot

After Kayla and I treaded water for about 20 minutes, we went into the shallow area where she could stand. I used the drone and took a few shots of her floating, showing off the expansive blue water that surrounded her. This was one of my favorite photos from our underwater photoshoot in the Bahamas!

Then it was time to go under the sea! My underwater photoshoot clients can expect to spend approximately 20 minutes swimming in the ocean and treading the water. We’ll take breaks to help you stay refreshed. Kayla and I took a few breaks to help get her comfortable in the water. Then we went through the poses provided in the free underwater photography guide that I gave her. This guide, which I provide to all of my clients, talks about how to prepare for an underwater photoshoot. This helps my clients know exactly what to expect during this type of session and allows them to walk into the underwater photoshoot with confidence! 

I never want to leave you guessing!

Kayla did amazing while posing for our underwater photoshoot! Another one of my favorite portraits from this photo session was her belly-up pose. With the light streaming around the belly with the sand piles at the bottom of the photo, this photo feels ethereal to me. What many don’t know is that this is a really challenging photo to pull off because it allows the water to go right up your nostrils. But Kayla absolutely nailed it for our underwater maternity photoshoot!

Another cool aspect of this photoshoot was that Kayla got her friend in on the action! She and her friend had some double shots, which made this Bahamas underwater photoshoot even more memorable for the friends during their girls’ trip “babymoon”!

Safety First For This Bahamas Underwater Photoshoot 

As an underwater photographer, safety is always my top priority when taking my client out in the water! Several factors can impact safety conditions when capturing underwater adventures, such as weather conditions and the depth of the ocean. I’m currently in the process of becoming CPR and Lifeguard certified so that I can provide my clients with peace of mind that they'll be safe while in the water with me for our underwater photography session!

Something else I always prioritize is my client's comfort. Kayla was nervous about encountering sharks during her underwater maternity photoshoot. I don't blame her —  the Bahamas have been nicknamed the Shark Capital of the World for a reason! To help ease her anxiety, I flew a drone over the water in the area to ensure we were clear and that she felt safe during our Bahamas underwater photoshoot.

An underwater photoshoot isn't for the faint of heart! It's important to be a strong, confident swimmer for these types of sessions. Deep open water can be a bit nerve-wracking, which was the case for Kayla. And it’s perfectly okay to have fears! The ocean can be scary if you don’t have a ton of experience exploring the depths of its waters.

One of the main benefits of working with an experienced underwater photographer is that we know what to do to ensure your safety — and help calm you down when fears or unexpected situations arise! During this particular Bahamas underwater photoshoot, I helped Kayla regulate her breathing and calm down, so we could get some epic shots.

Kayla was so incredibly brave and conquered so many fears during this session. We were able to capture so many beautiful underwater maternity photos that she’ll be able to cherish for a lifetime!

A Gorgeous Sunset Beach Maternity Shoot

Something that made this underwater maternity photoshoot even more special was that once we dried off, Kayla and I decided to head to Adelaide Beach. Featuring endless shoreline and tons of lush greenery, this beach was the perfect place to watch the sunset and take breathtaking sunset beach maternity photos!

Kayla started off in a black tank top and jeans before transitioning into a bikini where she threw on a long, flowy mauve kimono and a white button up top that popped against the shoreline. It accentuated her natural skin tone and features, giving her a radiant glow! She was so relaxed and carefree as we strolled up and down the beach and captured gorgeous maternity photos of her lounging on the sand and enjoying the water.

I offer this option with my land and sea packages. We’ll start with an underwater photo session and finish the day off by capturing gorgeous sunset photos! This is a great way to get the best of both worlds when it comes to a maternity underwater photoshoot and is such a great way to document your beach vacation or babymoon!

This Bahamas underwater photoshoot and sunset beach maternity photoshoot with Kayla was an absolute dream come true! It was amazing to be able to create memories and photograph once-in-a-lifetime portraits that she’ll love and reminisce about for years to come! 

Are You Interested in Booking an Underwater Photoshoot? 

If you’re interested in hiring an underwater photographer, be sure to check out what to expect when you book an underwater photoshoot. If you think that underwater photography is something you’d like to explore more in-depth or if you have questions about this type of photoshoot, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

If you want to document your trip to the Bahamas, I have good news. I live in Florida now, and I’m excited to be able to plan underwater photoshoots for other people who want to dive in and explore more of the ocean with me! 

Whether you want to plan an underwater photoshoot in the Bahamas, explore the sea during a Florida underwater photoshoot, or travel somewhere else in the world to capture beautiful underwater photos, please get in touch with me so we can turn your dreams into a reality!