There are so many fun things to do in Monterey that you can incorporate into your maternity session!

Maternity photos don't have to mean standing in one spot and posing for a certain amount of time. In fact, some of my favorite maternity sessions are the ones where we turn your session into an experience rather than just a photoshoot!

Whether you're planning a maternity session around Monterey or Big Sur, want to document a cozy day at home, or are thinking about turning your photos into part of your babymoon, there are so many ways to make your session feel personal and fun by building your photos around an activity you actually enjoy doing together.

Instead of planning a bunch of activities just because they look good in photos, think about the things you actually enjoy doing together. Grab your favorite coffee, bake something at home, take a walk along the coast, spend a weekend in Big Sur, or simply slow down and enjoy this season of life together.

And if activities aren't really your thing, that's totally okay too! You can always bring along a few meaningful or fun props to incorporate into your session instead. I put together a whole blog with maternity photo props and ideas for what to bring to your session if you'd rather add a few special details that way.

Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Things to Do Around Monterey

One of my favorite things about photographing maternity sessions on the Monterey Peninsula is that we can incorporate little pieces of a day together and let your photos become part of the experience.

Grab Coffee at a Local Coffee Shop

Start your morning with coffee! We could meet up at one of Monterey's local coffee shops, grab your favorite drink and a pastry, and spend some time walking around together afterward. A coffee date gives you something natural to do while I capture those little moments between the two of you. For a more local feel, stop by Captain + Stoker in or Crema Pacific Grove for coffee and we could spend your session walking around Lover's Point. Another option is Alta Bakery and Cafe, where you can grab coffee and pastries before exploring around Old Monterey.

Get Ice Cream and Explore

Because pregnancy is a pretty good excuse for ice cream! Grab a scoop and take a walk together afterward. You could wander around downtown Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, or another area you enjoy visiting. For something local in Monterey, Revival Ice Cream is a fun option for grabbing a treat before continuing your session!

Take a Walk Along the Coast

Of course, you can't visit Monterey without spending some time by the ocean! Take a slow walk along the beach, explore the coastline, hold hands, stop to enjoy the view, or find somewhere to sit together. We can photograph you as you naturally move through the area instead of keeping you in one spot the entire time. This is one of those activities that works beautifully because you don't really have to do anything. Just enjoy being together!

Go Swimming

If you're comfortable getting in the water during your pregnancy, why not make a little beach adventure out of your maternity session! You could take a dip in the ocean, wade through the water, explore tide pools, or spend some time looking for little sea creatures along the rocks. You don't have to spend the entire session in the water either. We can mix it with walking along the beach, exploring the coastline, and relaxing together between swims. This can be such a fun option if you're a couple who loves being outdoors and getting a little adventurous.

Have a Picnic

Pack a blanket, some snacks, your favorite drinks, and let's find a pretty spot along the coast and spend some time together! You can eat, talk, relax, and enjoy the scenery while I photograph all of those little moments. It can be as simple as grabbing takeout and bringing it to the beach. It doesn't have to be a perfectly styled picnic to look beautiful in photos.

Go Shopping for Your Baby

Turn your maternity session into a little shopping day and go looking for something special for your baby! Spend some time wandering through the shops in Carmel-by-the-Sea, looking for that perfect little outfit, a cute baby blanket, a special toy, or something you just can't leave without. You could even make a game out of finding the cutest little outfit for your baby's first photos! Stop for coffee or a sweet treat along the way, wander the streets together, and let me photograph all of those little moments as you get excited about meeting your baby. It doesn't have to be about buying a bunch of things. Even finding one special little item to take home can make the experience feel meaningful.

Visit the Library & Pick Out Baby Books

If you're a couple who loves to read, make a trip to your local library or book store and pick out a few books for your little one! Bookworks in Pacific Grove is one of my favorite local bookstores in Pacific Grove! Spend some time browsing the children's section, choose a few favorites, and let me capture you reading together or looking through the books you've picked out! You could even bring your library books home and continue the story with a few cozy photos in the nursery. I love this idea because it's such a simple activity, but it becomes a sweet little part of preparing for your baby's arrival.

Things to Do at Home

You don't have to leave your house to create beautiful maternity photos. In fact, some of the most meaningful photos can come from documenting the little things you do every day.

Bake Something Together

Make cookies, bake a cake, make your favorite bread, or try a recipe you've been wanting to make! You can measure ingredients, sneak tastes, make a mess, and enjoy whatever you make together afterward.

Make Breakfast Together

A slow morning at home can make such a beautiful maternity session. Make pancakes, scramble some eggs, pour coffee, sit at the kitchen counter, and enjoy breakfast together. You can even stay in your pajamas if that's more your style. These are the kinds of everyday moments that you might not think to photograph now, but may mean so much to you later!

Get the Nursery Ready

If you're still getting ready for your baby's arrival, let that become part of your session! Fold tiny clothes, organize books, put away little shoes, hang decorations, or work on those final nursery details together. Your nursery doesn't need to be perfectly finished. In fact, documenting those unfinished details can be a really sweet way to remember what this season looked like before your baby arrived.

Read a Baby Book Together

Choose a favorite baby book and spend some time reading together. Maybe it's a book you loved growing up, one you've already bought for your baby, or simply one that feels special to you. You can read together in the nursery, cuddle on the couch, or have your partner read to your belly. It's simple, but it gives you something natural to do while creating meaningful photographs.

Write a Letter to Your Baby

Take some time to write a letter to your baby. Write about what you're feeling, what you're excited about, or what you want them to know about this chapter of your life. You can also bring your pregnancy journal, ultrasound photos, or other little keepsakes you've collected along the way.

Hang Out With Your Pets

If your pets are part of your family, let them be part of this chapter too! Spend some time cuddling on the couch, playing together, taking your dog for a walk, or simply letting them hang out with you around the house. Your pets are part of your story before your baby arrives, and I love when they get to make an appearance in maternity galleries.

Turn Your Maternity Session Into a Babymoon

If you're already planning to travel to the Monterey Peninsula or Big Sur for your maternity photos, why not make a little getaway out of it? A babymoon doesn't have to be an elaborate vacation. It can be a simple weekend away where you slow down, explore somewhere beautiful, enjoy some good food, and spend a little extra time together before your baby arrives. There are so many different ways to plan a babymoon around the Monterey Peninsula, depending on what sounds most like you!

Go Glamping in Big Sur

For the couple who loves being outdoors but still wants a few comforts of home, a glamping getaway in Big Sur could be the perfect fit. Ventana Big Sur's glamping experience offers safari-style canvas tents tucked into the redwoods, complete with comfortable beds, fire pits, and the chance to spend your stay surrounded by the Big Sur landscape. You could spend your time making coffee at your campsite, sitting around the fire, exploring the redwoods, or simply relaxing together. We can incorporate some of those moments into your maternity session or head out to the coast for your portraits.

Stay in a Cozy Big Sur Cabin

If glamping isn't quite your thing, find a cozy cabin or rustic vacation rental in Big Sur like at Glen Oaks and make it your home base for the weekend! Think slow mornings with coffee, breakfast on the porch, reading together, cooking dinner, relaxing by the fireplace, or enjoying the scenery around your cabin. Then we can head out for your maternity photos whenever you're ready. This option is especially fun if you want your maternity photos to feel like a little snapshot of your getaway rather than a standalone photo shoot.

Make It a Luxury Big Sur Retreat

For something a little more relaxing, book a stay somewhere like Alila Ventana Big Sur and make your babymoon all about slowing down. With rooms and suites tucked into the redwoods, private outdoor spaces, fireplaces, hot tubs, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the surrounding landscape, you can make the entire weekend about relaxing and spending time together. Your maternity session could be as simple as photographing the two of you enjoying your stay, or we can head out into Big Sur for some beautiful coastal portraits.

Have a Carmel-by-the-Sea Getaway

If you'd rather spend your babymoon wandering little streets, shopping, eating good food, and enjoying a charming hotel, Carmel-by-the-Sea is another great option.

Stay somewhere like La Playa Hotel, spend the day wandering through Carmel, stop into the shops, grab coffee or a sweet treat, and take a walk down to the beach. You could even incorporate some of your Carmel adventures into your maternity session, whether that's walking through town, stopping for coffee, or ending the evening along the coast.

Go Camping

For the more adventurous couple, a traditional camping trip could be such a fun way to celebrate before your baby arrives! Set up camp together, cook dinner outside, make coffee around the fire, spend the evening under the stars, and enjoy being somewhere away from your normal routine. We can document a few of those moments during your maternity session or use the camping trip as inspiration for a more adventurous outdoor session.

Make Your Maternity Session Part of the Experience

At the end of the day, your maternity session should feel like more than just standing in front of a camera. It should be a chance to slow down, enjoy this season together, and create memories you'll be able to look back on long after your little one arrives. Whether your session takes place along the Monterey coast, in your own home, or somewhere special during a babymoon, I'm here to help you create an experience that feels natural and true to you.

You don't need to know exactly what you want to do before booking. We'll figure out the details together and create a session that feels comfortable, meaningful, and fun from start to finish!

Ready to document this chapter before your little one arrives? I'd love to help you make it happen!