Maternity Photoshoot Colors
for Cool Undertones
A maternity photoshoot captures a moment your body will never repeat. The colors in those photographs will be permanent — visible in every viewing, every print, every album. For cool undertones, the pink-blue quality of your complexion is most photographically stunning when dressed in colors that harmonize with it: dusty blues, cool berry, deep navy, soft lavender, and cool nude. The wrong colors — warm earth tones, orange, yellow — flatten the cool clarity of your skin and make photographs look slightly off in a way you may not be able to name but will always feel. This guide gives you the exact palette for your maternity session.
Discover Your ColorsWhy Cool Undertones Need Temperature-Matched Colors
Cool undertones carry a pink, red, or blue-pink cast in the skin. This undertone quality is reactive to color temperature in clothing. Warm-toned fabrics — the ochres, rusts, and creams popular for maternity shoots — don't just fail to flatter cool undertones; they actively create a clash that appears as slightly muddy or washed-out in photographs. The camera captures color temperature contrast more literally than the eye, making the mismatch more visible in prints than in person.
The right temperature-matched colors do the opposite. Navy near cool-undertoned skin creates a clean, clear contrast that makes the face look luminous. Dusty rose with cool undertones creates a soft, romantic harmony. Deep berry adds richness without fighting the skin's coolness. These are colors that make cool-undertoned maternity photos look effortlessly beautiful rather than slightly wrong.
The body changes of pregnancy also interact with color choices. Full-length flowy gowns in soft, cool-toned shades create an ethereal, flowing quality that flatters the pregnant silhouette. Cool nudes and soft blues create a delicate, dreamy image. Deep jewels and rich berries create dramatic, striking images. Understanding which look you want — and which colors achieve it for your cool undertone — is the first decision to make before booking.
Your Most Flattering Maternity Photoshoot Colors
Dusty and Soft Blue
Soft blues are among the most beautiful maternity photoshoot colors for cool undertones. The cool temperature of blue harmonizes with the pink-blue quality of cool skin, creating a clean, luminous result rather than a contrast clash. Dusty blue is the most universally flattering: it's soft enough for a romantic, ethereal image while retaining enough depth to frame the face clearly. Steel blue adds more structure. Periwinkle creates a dreamy, lavender-tinged quality. These photograph beautifully in soft natural light.
Cool Berry and Deep Pink
Cool berries and deep pinks are excellent for cool-undertoned maternity shoots because the pink quality echoes the undertone itself, creating natural harmony. Deep raspberry is particularly striking — it has the warmth of color to prevent looking clinical while its cool-pink cast keeps it harmonious with cool skin. Cranberry creates rich contrast. Vivid rose is bolder and more impactful. These are ideal for outdoor or golden hour shoots where you want rich color that photographs with depth.
Soft Lavender and Lilac
Lavender and lilac are classic maternity photography colors — and they're perfectly suited for cool undertones because the cool-pink quality of these shades harmonizes with the pink quality in cool skin. Dusty lavender is particularly beautiful: it's soft enough for a dreamy maternity image while having real color presence that prevents washing out. Cool mauve has more depth. These are exceptional in soft, filtered natural light or golden hour conditions.
Cool Nude and White
Cool nudes and clean whites are powerful options for cool-undertoned maternity shoots. Cool nude creates a seamless, skin-tone-adjacent look where the fabric disappears into the skin in a luminous, glowing way — but only if the nude is genuinely cool-toned (pink or neutral, not peach or golden). Crisp white creates strong, clean contrast that photographs with clarity. These are the most 'body focus' options, drawing attention to the silhouette and belly.
How to Choose Colors for Your Cool-Undertone Maternity Shoot
Outdoor natural light sessions
Outdoor maternity sessions in natural daylight are ideal for cool-undertoned skin in dusty blue, lavender, or cool berry — the natural light has a clean, neutral quality that shows these colors at their best. If your session is near sunset (golden hour), choose slightly richer or deeper shades of your cool palette: deep berry instead of soft lavender, steel blue instead of powder blue. Golden light adds warmth to everything, so your cool palette can afford slightly more depth to balance.
Studio maternity sessions
Studio sessions often use soft diffused light that flatters cool undertones beautifully. Cool berry, dusty lavender, and deep navy photograph with striking clarity under soft studio lighting. If the studio uses warm-toned lighting, lean slightly warmer within your cool palette — dusty rose rather than lavender, muted teal rather than pure blue. The goal is always maintaining the cool temperature matching while acknowledging the light quality.
Multiple gown looks
For a multi-outfit maternity shoot, build a cool-toned palette across your looks: start with your most romantic choice (dusty lavender or soft blue), shift to your most striking (deep berry or cranberry), and finish with a neutral (cool nude or crisp white for belly shots). This creates variety while keeping the gallery cohesive — all cool-toned, all harmonious with your skin, all beautiful together.
Belly shots and body focus
For dedicated belly focus shots, cool nude or cool white gowns are ideal — they minimize fabric distraction and focus attention on the silhouette. Make sure your nude choice is genuinely cool-toned (pink-neutral, not peach). Soft grey-white also works beautifully for cool undertones in this context. Add depth through a darker complementary piece for face-focus shots and reserve the nude for the most intimate, body-centered images.
Colors That Clash with Cool Undertones in Maternity Photos
Warm terracotta and rust
Terracotta, rust, and warm earth tones are among the most popular maternity photoshoot colors — and among the least flattering for cool undertones. The warm orange-red base of these colors directly conflicts with the pink-blue quality of cool skin, creating a muddy, slightly clashing appearance in photographs. These colors photograph beautifully on warm-undertoned skin and unfavorably on cool.
Warm nude and peach
Warm nude — with its peachy, golden cast — is one of the most popular maternity gown colors, but it requires warm undertones to work. Against cool undertones, warm nude can look slightly sallow or clashing, diminishing the luminous quality of cool skin. Choose cool nude instead: a pink-toned or neutral nude rather than a peach-based one.
Warm ivory and cream
Warm ivory and cream have yellow undertones that can create a slight clash with cool-undertoned skin in photographs. The warm quality in these colors emphasizes the cool quality of your undertone through contrast, making skin look slightly cooler or more blue-tinged. Choose cool ivory (white with a barely-there cool cast) or soft white instead.
Mustard and warm yellow
Mustard and warm yellow tones are dramatically unflattering for cool undertones in photographs. The strong warm-yellow base is the opposite temperature from cool skin and creates an unflattering contrast that the camera emphasizes. Avoid yellow in all its warm forms: mustard, ochre, warm gold, warm amber. Even small amounts near the face can pull negatively against cool skin.
Maternity Photo Color Swaps for Cool Undertones
Trading the popular maternity colors that clash with cool undertones for ones that create luminous photographs.
Terracotta clashes with cool undertones and photographs muddily. Dusty blue harmonizes with cool skin and creates a luminous, dreamy maternity image.
Warm nude emphasizes the temperature mismatch with cool skin. Cool nude creates a seamless, glowing skin-tone effect that is distinctly beautiful for this undertone.
Warm ivory's yellow cast clashes with cool undertones. Cool white or cool ivory creates clean, luminous contrast that photographs clearly and beautifully.
Warm burgundy with orange undertones clashes slightly with cool skin. Cool berry and cranberry have the same depth and richness without the temperature conflict.
Warm blush and peach emphasize the temperature mismatch with cool undertones. Cool dusty rose harmonizes with cool skin's pink quality for a romantic, soft result.
Warm yellow-mustard is among the most unflattering colors for cool undertones. Deep navy creates striking, rich contrast that makes cool-undertoned skin look luminous.
Which Seasonal Palettes Have Cool Undertones?
Cool undertones span several seasonal palettes. Your exact season determines which cool shades work best — whether you need muted pastels or can handle vivid, saturated color.
Cool Summer
Learn moreIf your cool undertones come with a soft, muted quality — gentle coloring, low contrast — you may be a Cool Summer. Your best maternity photo colors are softer and muted: dusty blue, cool rose, soft lavender, muted berry. The muted versions of cool shades photograph most beautifully for this type.
Cool Winter
Learn moreIf your cool undertones come with high contrast — vivid eyes, strong features, clear skin — you may be a Cool Winter. Your maternity photo colors can be bolder and more vivid: bright navy, stark white, vivid cobalt, clear berry. High contrast and saturation photograph strikingly for this type.
Light Summer
Learn moreIf your cool undertones are light and delicate — fair skin, light hair, soft features — you may be a Light Summer. Your maternity colors should be lighter and softer: powder blue, soft lavender, light rose, cool ivory. These create a delicate, ethereal maternity image suited to your gentle coloring.
Get Your Exact Palette Before the Session
Maternity photos are permanent. The colors you choose will exist in those images forever — in your home, in the album, in the digital files shared with family. Getting the exact cool-toned shades that harmonize with your specific undertone depth and skin tone ensures those images look as beautiful in ten years as they do the day of the shoot. A personalized color analysis identifies precisely which blue, which lavender, which berry is perfectly calibrated to make your cool-undertoned skin look luminous.
Get Your Color AnalysisFrequently Asked Questions
What colors are best for a maternity photoshoot with cool undertones?
Dusty blue, soft lavender, cool berry, deep raspberry, cranberry, cool nude, and crisp white are the most flattering maternity photoshoot colors for cool undertones. These shades harmonize with the pink-blue quality of cool skin and photograph with clarity and luminosity. Avoid terracotta, warm rust, peach, mustard, and warm ivory, which clash with cool undertones.
Can cool undertones wear nude for a maternity shoot?
Yes — but choose a cool-toned nude: a pink-neutral or barely-there cool nude rather than a peach or golden nude. Cool nude creates a seamless, luminous skin-tone effect for cool undertones. Warm, peachy nude creates a temperature clash that appears as slightly muddy or dull in photographs. Look for nudes described as 'blush nude,' 'cool nude,' or 'pink-neutral' rather than 'warm nude' or 'beige nude.'
What should cool undertones avoid in maternity photos?
Avoid terracotta, warm rust, warm nude, peach, mustard, warm ivory, and warm cream. These colors have warm yellow or orange undertones that clash with the pink-blue quality of cool skin, creating photographs that look slightly muddy or off. Also avoid any color described as 'warm' in the beige, nude, or earth tone families.
Is dusty blue good for a maternity photoshoot with cool undertones?
Yes — dusty blue is one of the best maternity photoshoot colors for cool undertones. The cool temperature of blue harmonizes with the pink-blue quality of cool skin, creating a clean, luminous quality in photographs. Dusty blue is particularly beautiful: soft enough for a romantic, dreamy maternity image while retaining enough depth to frame the face clearly.
What white should cool undertones wear in maternity photos?
Crisp white or cool ivory are ideal for cool undertones in maternity photos. Avoid warm ivory and cream, which have yellow undertones that clash with cool skin. Cool white and cool ivory create clean, luminous contrast that photographs clearly. These are ideal for belly-focused shots where the goal is minimizing fabric distraction.