Couple’s insanely creative gender reveal knocks it out of the park

The happy couple

The first thing we wanted to know was whose idea the shoot was. Meet Monique and Steven, the mother- and father-to-be. David told us that they both love baseball, so of course a baseball-themed reveal was totally perfect. In the pictures, you’ll see there were even two dugouts. One for team blue and one for team pink, where friends and family members could stand to cast their bets.

The pitch

Here’s where it starts to get interesting. David told us that, incredibly, they had only one chance to get the shot right. The “ball” Monique is about to throw here is really a (very fragile) ornament filled with colored powder (pink or blue, of course!), and David explains what was at stake:

“There was no second ball! We had to get it right on the first throw/shot. I remember saying a quick little prayer to myself before she threw the ball, not for me to get the perfect shot, but for Steven to make contact with the ball, giving them both the outcome that they had envisioned in their minds.”

Dad at the bat

Not that it was a breeze to get the shot just right, though! David told us he had to move quickly to get the perfect series of pictures. “I shoot in manual mode, and because the sun was in such a horrible spot that when I went back and forth from him hitting the ball and Monique’s reaction, I had to change the shutter speed constantly, at a fast pace, to expose the photo properly.”

He swings…

Here’s Steven winding up to hit the ball out of the park! The next shot is where all the magic happens…

Crack!

When Steven makes contact with the “ball,” a bunch of pink powder shoots out over the baseball diamond, revealing that the couple is expecting a daughter. And yes, the reveal was a true surprise. According to David, not even the couple knew:

“The couple did not know the gender of their baby. The only person who knew was Monique’s sister, Marissa. As soon as the pink powder filled the air, both sides of the dugout went crazy, and Monique and Steven were overjoyed to know the gender of their baby!”

Mom’s reaction

Look at Mom’s face! Everything went off without a hitch, and she’s just learned that she’s expecting a daughter. This gorgeous mama-to-be’s face just radiates pure joy and delight.

The hug

Whether you learn your baby’s sex as soon as possible or wait for the day they’re born, it’s almost always a wonderful, joyful surprise. Most of us have had this same reaction, whether or not we learned we were having our preferred sex — the urge to grip on to your partner or spouse and just enjoy the reality of the moment.

The fans

Another thing that made this shoot so special was the number of people who showed up to support Monique and Steven and to get in on the surprise. David told us, “I’ve done several gender reveals in my photography career. None like this, not with a crowd. It has been with just the mother- and the father-to-be.”

So that definitely helped make the entire day just a little more special!

It’s a girl!

David never anticipated that this series of photos would get the attention they have, but so far on his photography Facebook page, the album’s been liked nearly 25,000 times and been shared more than twice that many. He told us he wanted to say, “Thank you to those who have reached out to me to show me so much love and support for what I do,” and he gave us the reason he loves shoots like these:

“I always try to capture emotion as best as possible to remind people of a certain time in their lives. Something they can go back to years later and remember how they felt at that exact moment.”

Mission most certainly accomplished!

You can check out more of David’s work on his website, or swing by Instagram to check him out at @DavidSwayzePhoto