A Bare Belly Summer Maternity Photo Session in the Wildflowers

If you are looking for a beautiful location in Lancaster County for a summer maternity photo session, Wildflower Lookout is a great option. This carefully planned flower field blooms with a variety of flowers all summer long. Located up on a hill overlooking Lancaster County farmland, it offers beautiful views and a colorful array of wildflowers beginning in June and blooming as late as October.

This family is expecting baby number two and mom chose a simple white top and jeans that allows her bare belly to be the star of the show against the colorful sea of flowers. I photographed her first pregnancy in the fall, so it was fun to have a very different backdrop this time around. Their adorable toddler daughter also stole the show with her expressive personality and adorable curls.

Before I share more photos from this beautiful bare belly maternity photo session, here are a few of my best tips for your photo session at Wildflower Lookout in summer time:

1. Plan your session on a week day evening no earlier than 7 p.m. In June sunset is after 8:30 pm and the best golden hour light happens right around 8:00 to 8:20 pm in my opinion. Weekends can be very crowded! An early morning session could be lovely as well, though I have never photographed a morning session there.

2. Bring cash! Wildflower Lookout is cash only and you need exact change. Money is placed in a box at the entrance. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children. Update: I learned they also accept PayPal via a QR code on a sign near the money box.

3. You have the option of renting a private field for a fee but my preference is to wander the general fields and work around others. Refer to their website for private field rental.

4. Check the Wildflower Lookout instagram page for periodic bloom updates. If you want a specific type of flower, it’s helpful to know what is in bloom. For example if you love the pink and red poppies, June is the time to find them.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family, maternity and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Winter Maternity Photo Session Location Feature: Herr Park in Lancaster, PA

If you are a pregnant mama who is expecting a baby in early spring, it means that the best timeframe for having your maternity photos taken is during winter time. As a Lancaster maternity photographer, I recommend scheduling maternity photos when you are between 28-32 weeks pregnant. Here in Lancaster, PA the colder months are typically November through February. Herr Park is one of my favorite Lancaster locations for winter photo sessions and I recommend checking it out!

While you may prefer a studio or indoor option such as a greenhouse or your own home, there are also some really lovely outdoor winter photo shoot locations if you’re up for braving the cold and are up for the adventure. Herr Park is one of my favorite winter photo session locations in Lancaster because of the abundance of evergreen trees. In addition it overlooks some fields and farmlands and gets lovely afternoon sunlight.

My tips for planning an outdoor winter maternity photo session are:

1. wear layers (and hats, gloves, scarves, boots if it’s snowy!)

2. take breaks to warm up if needed (hop in the car or put on coats)

3. keep moving

4. plan for late afternoon vs early morning when temperatures are a bit higher

5. bring a blanket to sit on or wrap around one another

6. choose a location that is a short distance from the parking lot

This beautiful winter maternity photo session took place in early December and we lucked out with an unusually warm day. The couple brought their dog along and I was happy to incorporate him into photos. I love the textures of the evergreens combined with their neutral colored clothing as well as the dried grasses and carpet of rust colored pine needles.

One thing to note: the parking lot for Herr Park is next to a school and it’s about an 8 minute walk to the large evergreen forest from there. There is a paved walking path that is a loop that will take you to the forest. There is also a disc golf course at the park so you have to be aware of that if you’re taking photos inside the large pine tree forest.

If you’d like to see some of my other favorite Lancaster photo shoot locations throughout the seasons, you can check out my list here.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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A Late Summer Maternity Session at Wildflower Lookout in Lancaster, PA

I have been meaning to blog a session from Wildflower Lookout for a least a year now and I’m finally getting around to it! This photo location has really blown up since it opened about 3 years ago and every summer people from all over Lancaster County and beyond flock here for the beautiful photo opportunities. This session was taken in late August when the sunflowers were in bloom. We also spent a lot of time in a field of long grasses that were beautifully illuminated by the sun at golden hour.

As a Lancaster maternity photographer who loves color and flowers, Wildflower Lookout has become a favorite location for summer photo sessions. One key tip for this location is to get there about an hour before sunset. Any earlier than that and the sun is too high in the sky and this creates stark shadows. There is a sweet spot shortly before sunset when the golden backlight hits just right and that is my favorite time to shoot.

One fun aspect of Wildflower Lookout is that they often have props such as a wagon or a wicker chair in the field to use for photo ops. They have picnic tables as well if you’d like to take a picnic and enjoy the views!

Lea and Daniel are expecting their first baby this fall and they were so at ease in front of the camera despite the hot, humid, muggy August weather. At Wildflower Lookout you can rent a private field in advance for an additional fee or just pay a general admission fee to photograph in a variety of fields. I prefer to wander to the different fields and do the general admission fee but renting a private field is great, especially for mini sessions.

If you think you might want to use Wildflower Lookout as a location for your session, you can check their website and social media for field bloom updates starting as early as late May.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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