DEAR HARRIETTE: My wife is pregnant with our first child, and she is truly reveling in being pregnant. She loves the changes her body is going through, and now that she's toward the end of her pregnancy, she wants a nude maternity shoot. This makes me uncomfortable because I wouldn't have someone else see my naked body, and I don't want some random photographer looking at hers. She says this is just about documenting pregnancy and the life she is creating, but I'm still unnerved. Could I take these photos for her as a compromise? She wants a professional photographer. -- Photo Shoots, Madison, Wisconsin
DEAR PHOTO SHOOTS: I want to share with you that some women feel beautiful during pregnancy and want to capture the image of that beauty as it may be a unique experience for them. In fact, it can be the only time that some women feel to the very core of their being that they are beautiful -- it is attached to a hormonal reality, that a child is growing within them. You have no need to feel jealous.
As one who has worked in the world of image for a long time, I recommend that you agree to having a professional photographer take her picture so that it will actually be a great photo. You can be there, if you are both comfortable with that. I promise you that this is not about her wanting to have someone else see her nude. It is about her celebrating the miracle of bringing a child into the world. Help her to celebrate.