A walk in the forest — a maternity session with Didi

How I met Didi and how she captured the last moments of my pregnancy.

I have been admiring Didi Von Boch’s photography for a little while. Her unique and artistic work popped up one day on Main Street Mamas San Francisco, my favorite local mom group and I’ve been loving how she captures expressive, real everyday moments. I started following Didi on Instagram, and that’s where we connected. I was 34 weeks pregnant with a high-risk condition and scheduled for an induction two weeks later. The thought of professional maternity pictures had crossed my mind but things had gotten so hectic that I thought I had missed the opportunity. Two weeks left: I needed to focus on resting and preparing for baby. Then I posted a bathroom selfie on IG, and Didi messaged me: “ I just saw your pic and thought: oh man, I wanna shoot!” — That’s Didi in a nutshell, she’s spontaneous, inspired and has a big heart.

Didi quickly convinced me it wasn’t too late for a maternity photoshoot and we met up the following week — only 6 days before my induction date! She suggested a location for our photoshoot: Baker’s beach. She asked me about my preferences, what I felt comfortable with. She talked about taking photos with a hippie vibe, and finding what’s inspiring around us. My first thought was: oh, beach maternity photos are so dreamy, especially with the Golden Gate bridge in the background. Well, let me tell you that we didn’t take these kind of pictures — Didi surprised me. And that’s exactly why you hire Didi, because you want to be surprised, in a wonderful way!

When we met, it felt like good friends meeting up: we talked about our homes in Europe, our experience moving to the US and shared the fun and struggles of raising toddlers — we found out our sons are almost the same ages!

The weather had been so warm, I was bragging about fall in California being like summer. Well, on the day of our photoshoot, the real fall decided to make an appearance: the weather got really cold and gloomy! Didi didn’t worry about it at all, she only worried about making sure I and the little one in my belly were warm enough during the photoshoot, so she brought the perfect accessory: a fur coat! Perfect for a walk in the woods.

I was nervous at first but Didi knows how to make you feel at ease. She also knows how to make you feel confident and beautiful. At some point her voice was almost like a meditation guide, I was soaking in the smell of the woods and connecting with the precious little one moving in my belly.

We walked on the path, stopped a few feet further down where a beautiful tree was covered in tiny green leaves, we took some pics inside this natural shelter. It was amazing to take the time to observe the nature and the light — in a busy mom’s life, there’s rarely a moment like this!

What I enjoyed the most was seeing this place through the eye of Didi. What could have been a raw, desolated wooden area, she saw as a beautiful work of nature where the light was playing with the trees and the grass (and my belly!) It was also such a fun and playful moment — like when I put on red lipstick and my beanie hat, we laughed so much!

As soon as she got home Didi started texting me pictures, right as she was editing them. Needless to say, I was so excited I couldn’t put down my phone for a couple of hours. The pictures that Didi took are so real and so stunning. They truly reflect my joy of expecting a baby! I’m so happy to have Didi’s photos to capture the end of my pregnancy, that precious moment when I could feel my baby before I got to meet him!

So here is my recommendation to you: Book Didi for your photos! If you book her before the end of the year for a newborn and maternity session together, you can save $150. I promise you these memories will be the best holiday present you can ever give — treat yourself or your loved ones!