I had always wanted to do a proper maternity photoshoot. The kind I had seen back in India: planned setups, well-thought-out outfits, and beautifully captured moments. But living in the Netherlands, it did not feel as easily accessible in the same way, and I never seriously pursued booking one. So somewhere along the way, I had made peace with the idea that if I wanted these photos, we would probably have to do something simple on our own. More than anything, I just wanted a few photographs that would hold that version of life, the waiting, the visible bump, and that quiet phase before everything changed. I just did not know yet how naturally it would all come together.

When Friends Arrive at the Right Time

Disha and Suresh are among Rishi’s closest friends, and their visit itself had already been postponed once by life. They had originally planned to come in 2023, but just before travelling, they found out about their own pregnancy and had to cancel. This time, they finally made it, travelling with Suresh’s sister, her husband, and their child. Their trip actually began from our home. They stayed with us for a couple of days, then travelled through Switzerland and Italy, after which Suresh’s sister’s family returned to India. Disha and Suresh then came back to stay with us again for about a week. It was during that second stay that I asked if they would help me take the pregnancy photos I had been thinking about. I asked without hesitation because I already knew Disha had an eye for it. She had taken some of my favourite pictures during our honeymoon in the Maldives, so I trusted her completely. By then, I had also saved more pose ideas than I probably needed on Instagram, and it finally felt like I had the right people around me to try them.

Starting at Home

We began at home on 15 October, when I was 33 weeks and 5 days pregnant. The plan was simple: silhouette photos, soft light, and whatever dress I already had. I had not bought anything specifically for the shoot, assuming any long dress would work. But once we started, it became clear that a flowing dress did not show the bump the way we had imagined. So Disha quickly improvised, tying the dress at the back to create a more defined silhouette. That small adjustment made all the difference. The whole process stayed informal, almost experimental, but that is also what makes those photos feel so honest now.

Taking It Along to Belgium

A few days later, the photos continued almost without planning in Belgium. Because they had already completed a long trip, and I was at a stage of pregnancy where long travel did not feel comfortable, Belgium felt like the right kind of short getaway. We chose Ghent and Brussels, cities we had already visited before, which meant there was no pressure to cover anything. We could just walk, pause, and enjoy the pace. In Ghent, on 18 October, the photos were taken during a casual walk rather than anything planned. For those pictures, Disha even let me borrow one of her dresses, which somehow made the whole thing feel even more spontaneous. Because she was behind the camera, nothing felt staged, just moments being noticed well.

A Slower Day in Brussels

The next day in Brussels, we stopped at Brussels Park, where everything felt quieter and more open. This time, I wore a dress that had been in my wardrobe for years, an off-shoulder fitted dress that Swati had gifted me for my birthday. Unlike the first day, this one naturally worked with the shape of pregnancy, and for the first time, I did not feel the need to adjust anything. By then, I was 34 weeks pregnant, and I think that stage shows in the photos too, not just in the bump but also in the slower, more deliberate way I was moving through the day. We also finally got to try many of the poses I had been saving for months. And I remember thinking how patient Disha was through all of it, going through one idea after another without ever rushing it. That patience is probably a big part of why those photos turned out the way they did.

After the Photos Were Taken

Much later, I went through all the pictures, picked the ones I loved, and sent them to my mother. From there, it became something else entirely. She found a photo studio editor and had the images professionally edited, adjusting light, tones, and finishing them in a way we had not planned for at all. What had started as an improvised, almost amateur photoshoot suddenly looked like something much more polished. And in a way, that completed the whole circle, something created here, quietly finished with a touch from home.

Closing Reflection

Looking back, what I like most is that none of these photos came out of a formal plan. They happened because friends arrived, because timing aligned, because someone I trusted stood behind the camera, and because we made space for it in otherwise ordinary days. And perhaps that is why they now feel less like a photoshoot and more like a memory of that exact version of life just before everything changed.