A Long Island City Maternity Portrait Session

Couple reflected in window during a Long Island City maternity portrait session

Gantry Plaza State Park is a fantastic venue for any type of photo shoot. I’ve photographed engaged couples, families, brides and grooms, and recently I had my first maternity shoot here. In today’s blog post, I’ll share with you all the details (and of course photos) from Vani and Kris’s Long Island City maternity portrait session and let you know what’s new down at Gantry Plaza State Park.

Meet Vani and Kris

Couple comparing stomachs during a Long Island City maternity portrait sessionLet me start by introducing you to Vani and Kris. These two have been together for four years. This is their first little one, and their baby is expected to arrive in June. While it is certainly a surreal time to be having a child, Vani has had smooth sailing her entire pregnancy and they have lots of family in Queens to help with babysitting.

 

A Long Island City Maternity Portrait Session: The Details

Couple walking along pier during a Long Island City maternity portrait sessionWe met on a bright Saturday afternoon in Gantry Plaza State Park. While the park was quite crowded when we started our session at 5:00 p.m., we had the entire park to ourselves by the end of the photo shoot.

With epic waterfront views of the NYC skyline, plus the super cool Pepsi Cola neon sign, you have lots of photo opportunities throughout the Gantry Plaza State Park. That said, this time of year is a bit tricky. Spring is not in full swing, and as such, there are no leaves on the trees to give any shade. Indeed, it was incredibly bright and tough to find any good portrait locations until the near end of the session when the sun had begun to set. The impending arrival of Vani and Kris’s baby meant that they couldn’t wait too much longer for a comfortable maternity session, but if you do have any leniency with the timing of your own photo session at Gantry Plaza, know that there isn’t much shade to be had until mid-spring.

Panorama shot of couple along waterfront during a Long Island City maternity portrait sessionSince most of the natural flora and fauna was not in season yet, I made use of the reflective windows at the Queens Public Library at Hunters Point. If you can’t actively go into the library at the moment, you might as well put the architecture to good use.

For the couple’s Long Island City maternity portrait session, Vani planned one outfit change. She went from a flowy, white gown to a more fitted floral dress and looked great in both looks. In case you are curious, the closest public restroom for outfit changes is conveniently located next to the Queens West Sports Field.

Pregnant woman in white gown walking along boardwalk during a Long Island City maternity portrait sessionFinally, note that Gantry Plaza State Park is getting a bit of a sprucing up at the moment. There is construction occurs from the Long Island sign down towards the recreational dock. Hopefully this end of the park will be improved in time for summer.

Enjoy all of Vani and Kris’s maternity photos, and I’ll have more adventures for you next week!


If you would like a few more tips and tricks for planning your own Gantry Plaza State Park portrait session, then check out my recent photo shoots here and here.

Are you interested in scheduling your own Long Island City maternity portrait session in the future?  Drop me a line and let’s chat about your photography needs.

If you would like to see more photos from my family portrait portfolio, then please visit my website KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com

Mother to be in front of Pepsi Cola sign during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Husband kissing pregnant wife along waterfront during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Couple hugging in front of NYC waterfront during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Pregnant woman kissing man's cheek during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Couple posing along NYC waterfront during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Couple walking along boardwalk at Gantry Plaza State Park during a Long Island City maternity portrait session Pregnant woman wearing white gown Pregnant woman holding stomach at Gantry Plaza State Park Mother to be wearing white, flowy gown in front of NYC waterfront Pregnant woman wearing floral dress standing in front of tree Expectant couple standing in front of trees Couple walking along pier during a Long Island City maternity portrait sessionCouple holding hands on pier at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple kissing on pier at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple leaning against pier railing at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple hugging on pier of Gantry Plaza State ParkPregnant woman leaning against gantry at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple hugging in front of gantry at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple standing in front of gantry at Gantry Plaza State ParkClose up of couple holding framed photo of sonogramCouple dancing in front of gantries at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple dancing on pier at Gantry Plaza State ParkCouple dancing on pier at Gantry Plaza State ParkHusband squeezing wife's cheeksPregnant woman wearing floral dress standing in front of white wallExpectant couple standing in front of white wallExpectant couple standing in front of white wallMom to be wearing floral dress at Gantry Plaza State ParkMom to be with hand on stomach at Gantry Plaza State ParkExpectant couple walking in Gantry Plaza State Park at sunsetExpectant couple hugging at Gantry Plaza State ParkExpectant couple during Long Island City maternity portrait session at Gantry Plaza State ParkNYC skyline at sunset

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