Brennan’s grandmother called the studio asking to schedule a First Birthday session in the studio for him as a gift to his parents. They were going to be visiting Brennan over the holidays from California, and were so excited to find our website. We’ve had quite a few grandparents gift sessions around here, and we always think it’s so special!
After discussing potential dates, they chose one, and we sent over a few things. All clients receive our style guide and links to our Pinterest inspiration boards. First Birthday clients who are choosing to incorporate a cake into their session get a cake tips sheet! Believe it or not, the kind of icing you choose is important - so we make sure you know what to use. We have a preferred baker (she can even deliver the cake to the studio!) that we highly recommend, but Publix also does a pretty good job if you’re looking for something super simple. The studio has a Publix located very close by, so we provide our clients with the bakery phone number. Picking up from that Publix means you’re spending less time in the car trying to keep a cake from sliding around, and that you don’t forget your cake. (yep, it’s happened more than once!) If you’re not in to the idea of including a cake, no worries! Plenty of our clients opt to not include anything while others pick something non-traditional like a pie or donuts.
The day of Brennan’s session, the family arrived and we spent a little bit of time chatting and getting to know each other. Brennan was a cute little thing with a head of curly hair, and giant blue eyes. The family is a fan of plaid, and wanted their images to include that, so dad and Brennan were both in plaid shirts for the family portion. Brennan was such a happy little guy, and I had lots of fun photographing him alone and with his loving parents.
After we finished up with family and solo portraits, it was cake time! Most clients will either strip their baby down to a diaper with a cover or a onesie, and some will have a second outfit. Again, it’s a matter of personal preference! If your baby hates to be wiped down, choosing to have them wear clothes will definitely eliminate some of the surface area that will have to be wiped afterwards. ;) Just something to think about when deciding! In Brennan’s case, his family changed him to a cute long sleeved baseball T with the number “1” on it.
Brennan was immediately interested in the cake and needed no help or encouragement to explore it. He made some of the BEST expressions in reaction to how it tasted!!!
If your baby is apprehensive when it comes to their cake, don’t worry! I have a bag of tricks up my sleeve to help encourage them in a non-stressful way. I ask parents to be prepared to offer a taste of icing to them and eat some themselves. Even if your baby turns out to hate cake, their First Birthday session is NOT a “failure”. Someday you will look at the images and you will laugh! The whole point of the cake portion is to see how your baby reacts. You just can’t get a one year old to fake anything, and why would you want to? You’ll get to watch all the funny expressions and moments without being worried about documenting it, and it’s just as special regardless of whether they dive into the cake or huffily fling it off to the side. No matter how it goes , you’ll have authentic images that tell the real story of how everything unfolded that day!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
