Our Tokyo Maternity Shoot with Flytographer

Typically, when Mike and I travel together, the only shots we manage to take of ourselves are lopsided selfies. They are cute and all, but not necessarily frame-worthy. So I decided our trip to Japan, our last big trip together before baby makes three, needed to be different.

Enter Flytographer.

I first learned about Flytographer from my friends Chris and Tawny of Captain and Clark. They did a lovely couples shoot in Ljubljana awhile back, and then a maternity shoot in Maui recently. Although I hate posing for photos, I loved this idea: professional photos in a foreign location.

The concept is pretty unique: they connect you with a vetted photographer in the city of your choice, so you can get perfectly posed pictures on your vacation. Just think of the possibilities. An engagement shoot in your hometown is nice, but what about an engagement shoot on the streets of Barcelona?

With this baby bump just starting to show, of course we had to opt for a maternity shoot in Tokyo. Based on ability and aesthetics we were connected with Izumi, a lovely and experienced photographer. We were also given a list of suggested shoot locations to choose from. The shoot was to be an hour long, and we ended up choosing Hibiya Park and the area around Marunouchi. We talked a little bit about the aesthetic we were going for and where to meet, it was all very straightforward.

The shoot itself was fun and easy, and luckily took place on the nicest weather day we probably had our entire trip. The locations were beautiful and, while I could have used a bit more direction on what to do and where to put my hands (I never know where to put my hands), it was a quick and painless experience.

Less than a week later we got the pictures back (our package included 30 digital photos), and they are pretty gorgeous! Tell me what you think (Warning: sappiness ahead):

All of our travel memories will last a lifetime, but good pictures make those memories so much more vivid. For once, it was nice to have some really nice shots to capture this special moment on a special trip.

Flytographer is available in over 175 countries, and they offer a wide range of packages and pricing. They also do surprise proposal photography (which I recommend from personal experience). Check out their site for lots of interesting ideas.

Disclosure: Flytographer offered me a free photo shoot in return for a review.