A photographer captured an emotional moment between a surrogate and the intended mom holding hands

• A silhouetted photograph of a surrogate mom and the baby's intended parents went viral on Facebook.
• The powerful image received 600,000 reactions. One commentator called it, "stunning and emotional."

Professional photographer Melissa Wilson has been in the business for 16 years, specializing in portraits of families, pregnant women and newborns.

"I'm all about capturing love and connection," she told Insider.

Certainly, hundreds of thousands of people on social media felt that she'd hit the mark when she posted her latest picture. It showed a couple embracing on a beach, their heads bent towards each other.

The black and white silhouette of the couple alone would have been striking enough. But it was all the more arresting because the woman was reaching out backwards to hold the hand of the person carrying their child.

In turn, the surrogate mom — heavily pregnant at 36 weeks — grasped the intended parent's outstretched hand as she looked confidently into the distance.

"What a powerful, beautiful picture," a commentator wrote on Wilson's Facebook page. "I love that the couple stand together. But woman to woman they hold hands. Stunning and emotional," they added.

Many commentators on Facebook said they were moved by the portrait because of their own issues with fertility

"This beautiful picture is truly a work of art," another commentator said, adding, "It tells such a meaningful story. So much feeling and emotion it felt."

Many of the comments were from people who recounted their own issues with fertility and described the photo as inspiring.

Wilson wrote in her post that it was the first time she'd done a maternity session "with a surrogate and expecting parents."

Calling the surrogate by the initial A, she went on, "What a special and amazing gift A is able to give this beautiful couple!"

She said that the couple and the surrogate had asked to remain anonymous.

The photographer said that she hadn't invented the striking pose herself

"They were delighted with the results of the photoshoot," Wilson told Insider, pointing out that they were happy for her to share this one image with others.

She said that she couldn't claim to have invented the pose, but had been keen to try it out. She said that she'd hoped it would convey optimism and empowerment.

"I had been thinking about it for a couple of weeks before the shoot," she went on.

The photographer said she'd originally planned to take the bold silhouette in front of a sunset, but the weather hadn't cooperated.

"I love to have the background of a golden yellow and orange sunset on the beach," she said, "But, the night we did the shoot, it was completely overcast and cloudy."

She said she suggested abandoning the session and rescheduling it for a "better night." But, she said, her subjects wanted to press on with the job.

"The surrogate was 36 weeks pregnant, so we decided not to wait," Wilson added. "I thought, 'I'm not going to get a sunset, but I am going to do this as a black and white anyway.'"

Wilson said that her picture had led to other inquiries from surrogates and intended parents

She said that she photographed the same pose in color, and the picture showed the trio's faces that time.

As for the women's dresses, Wilson said that she ordered them from the clothing website Baltic Born. She said that the drape of the fabric had added to the ethereal look.

She said she was flattered by the attention that the portrait had received from across the world. It got the biggest reaction on her Facebook page, garnering 600,000 reactions and 14,000 comments. It was shared more than 10,000 times.

"I have gotten a bunch of new inquiries, which is amazing," Wilson said. "Somebody emailed me from South Africa," she added. "I thought, 'If you want to get me on a plane, I'll do it!'"