A maternity session falls within a short period that the client and you choose together, depending on her due date and how she feels. In Graindevue, the Booking carries a precise date, which you can move as long as the client has not signed the contract. The maternity contract deals separately with what matters in this speciality: wellbeing during the session, body image and cancellation for health reasons.
This page follows a maternity session, from the first question to the gallery. Graindevue works in euros, for photographers working in France.
A maternity session, step by step
| Step | Who / where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First conversation | The client, on your profile | "Send Message" to discuss the session period, location and outfits, signed in to her client account. |
| 2. Request | The client | The "Maternity" type, your package, the date and start time, "Photographer's studio" or "Custom location" (her home, for example), then "Book Session". |
| 3. Adjustments | You, "Session" card | If the agreed date has changed, "Edit" then "Save Changes", as long as the client has not signed. |
| 4. Contract | You, "Contract" tab | At your studio, "Add the shooting address" with the studio's address. "Generate Contract" from the maternity template, review, then "Send for Review". |
| 5. Signatures | The client, then you | The client signs first, then you sign. The date is then settled. |
| 6. Payment | The client | Deposit and balance as set on the package. For a request made 5 days or less before the session, full payment is required. |
| 7. Gallery | You, "Files" tab | Once the Booking is fully paid, "Upload" then "Share Gallery". |
Fictional example: Sarah's session at 33 weeks
This example is made up to illustrate the flow.
Sarah writes to you at 26 weeks. In the conversation, you agree on a session around 33 weeks, at her home near Nantes, with her partner joining at the end. She books your "Maternity, 2 hours" package for a Tuesday morning, at a "Custom location".
A week later, her medical follow-up suggests bringing the session forward. The contract is still a draft: you change the date on the "Session" card, regenerate the contract and send it. Sarah signs, you sign, and she pays the deposit by card. After the session, you deliver the gallery and Sarah downloads her photos.
Choosing and moving the date
A Booking request always carries a day and a start time, tomorrow at the earliest. The ideal period is discussed beforehand, in "Messages" or in the Booking's conversation, then the client books the chosen date.
As long as the client has not signed the contract, you move the session yourself: "Edit" on the "Session" card, new "Event Date", "Save Changes". If a contract was already generated, it shows "Stale Contract": click "Regenerate Contract", review it and send it again.
Once the client has signed the contract, the date is settled. For a new date, the Booking is cancelled and the client sends a new request. If both parties had signed, "Cancel booking" refunds the client everything she has paid. The couple photographers page details this date change before and after signature.
The maternity contract
For a package of the "Maternity" type, Graindevue uses a template written for maternity sessions. The contract text is in French. It includes:
- your wellbeing commitments: adapting the pace, planning breaks, respecting the client's limits on poses and how much is revealed;
- the health information the client shares with you, and her right to stop the session at any time;
- enhanced confidentiality and protection of body image: the client can ask for any photo she finds too intimate to be deleted;
- use of the images in your portfolio, with intimate images treated separately, and the option to withdraw that consent;
- cancellation for health reasons, free of charge.
You can adapt the template's editable articles (obligations, copyright, image rights, cancellation, mediation) on the package, or for one session with "Edit Template" while the contract is a draft. Review the portfolio article in particular and state the use agreed with the client. The full flow is on the contract management page.
After the pregnancy: the newborn session
The newborn session is a separate Booking, with its own package of the "Baby" type and its own contract, which covers the newborn's image rights and safety protocols in particular. The client sends that new request once the date is known. See newborn photographers.
Package, payment and gallery
The package sets the duration in hours, "Minimum Shots", the delivery timeframe carried into the contract, and the price, fixed or "On quote". The "Deposit Percentage", "Balance Due" and payment methods are yours: see the deposit guide and the guide on pricing your photography.
The gallery opens in the "Files" tab once the Booking is fully paid. Only the client, signed in to her account, and you can open it: she then chooses who to share her photos with. See the gallery delivery page.
What Graindevue costs
€29 per month after a 30-day trial with no card, and no platform commission on your Bookings. Online payments go through Stripe, whose processing fees apply. See the zero commission page.
Going further
- A family session, with older siblings: family photographers.
- The clauses to decide before signing: the photography contract guide.
To generate a maternity contract on a test Booking, start the free 30-day trial, with no card.
Frequently asked questions
How do I handle a maternity session when the due date shifts?
Agree on the period with the client by message, then she books a precise date. As long as she has not signed the contract, you can move the session from the "Session" card and regenerate the contract.
What if the session has to be postponed after signature?
The date in the signed contract is settled. The Booking is cancelled and the client sends a new request for the new date. If you cancel after both parties have signed, she is refunded everything she has paid. The maternity template provides for cancellation free of charge for health reasons.
Does the contract protect the client's body image?
Yes. The maternity template provides enhanced protection of body image, enhanced confidentiality and separate treatment of intimate images for your portfolio. The client can withdraw her consent to promotional use.
Can I offer a maternity session at the client's home?
Yes. On the request, the client picks "Custom location" and enters the address. It appears on the Booking and in the contract.
How do I organise the newborn session that follows?
It is a new Booking, with a package of the "Baby" type and its own contract. The client makes it once the date is known.
Who sees the maternity photos?
The client, signed in to her account, and you. She downloads the originals and chooses who to share them with.