After working with me for her maternity and newborn portraits, Kayla reached out to schedule her son’s First Birthday portraits in the studio. She let me know that she was opting to skip the cake smash portion because she wanted the session to focus solely on Malcolm. I gave her some suggestions for what he could wear for his session, and she was all set! While most clients do choose to incorporate a smash cake in their First Birthday sessions, it’s totally fine not to! Your session will be tailored to your vision and will capture your one year old just as they are.
Want to see the other sessions? You can view Kayla’s studio maternity session images by clicking here, and Malcom’s newborn session by clicking here. As a fun little note, Kayla’s maternity session was at our old Grant Park studio, and Malcolm was one of the first babies to be photographed in our current location!
THE SESSION PLANNING PROCESS
We discuss your vision for your session at length with you. This looks different for each client! While most ask for their session to be equally focused on whole family and solo baby photos, some request the focus to be entirely on their baby. My session flow is carefully designed with your requested outcome in mind..
I HIGHLY recommend at least one parent be ready to step into the photos, JUST IN CASE. There are times that I will need to start out photographing your child in your arms in order to win them over. If you show up wearing yoga pants and hair stuffed under a ball cap because you weren’t prepared to step into the photos, this won’t be possible. If your baby refuses to be put down, it becomes a problem.
If your baby is shy, I patiently work towards getting them comfortable enough with me that they are willing to be out of your arms for solo portraits. I don’t put any of the images taken during the trust-winning period (unless we have some amazing ones with big smiles or too-good-to-pass-up images ) in your proof gallery. If we can’t accomplish solo portraits because your baby isn’t ok with leaving your arms, then you will have images of them in your arms that will be just as gorgeous as the ones of them alone.
WHAT SHOULD MY BABY WEAR?
When you book a session with me, we’ll send you our studio style guide! It’s an easy read, and goes over best practices. I also have a list of great resources to shop at, and I gave Kayla a few suggestions of where to look! We do hav a limited baby wardrobe that can work in a pinch, but because most of our mamas prefer to dress their little ones on their own, it is not an extensive wardrobe. Our wardrobe for mamas is quite hefty (100+ pieces and counting as of this blog post), and you are more than welcome to borrow for yourself if you’re participating in the session!
SESSION FLOW
Malcolm was NOT a shy baby, so there was no need at all for Kayla to hold him while he got used to me. Kayla had dressed him in the most ADORABLE outfit complete with suspenders. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ll know how much I love baby boys in suspenders.
He was all about exploring the studio and super interested in what I was doing. We used a few of our studio chairs, and he showed off his super fast crawling skills! I asked Kayla if he was walking yet, and she told me he wasn’t quite there. MOST of our one year olds are NOT walking at the First Birthday session, so don’t feel like your baby is behind if that’s the case! I asked Kayla to step into one photo to assist Malcolm with taking a few steps, and she was happy to do so. It’s such a beautiful memory for mamas to have… you work so hard to take care of your little one and help them reach their milestones, and we have all had those chubby baby fingers earnestly gripping ours as they learn to walk. Your baby will never be this little again, and they will grow up entirely too fast right in front of your eyes. While I can’t freeze time, I can preserve these memories for you and it’s the greatest joy of my job.
Baby safety is the #1 consideration for me during sessions at the studio. I always have a parent to the side of baby acting as a spotter while I’m photographing your baby alone. Malcolm was what I call a “diver” and immediately tried to get down from the chair, but Kayla was right there to catch him! :)
One year olds don’t have a long attention span, and will tire out pretty quickly, so I keep my First Birthday moving efficiently and I change things up constantly to keep your baby engaged.
Enjoy a few of my favorites from Malcolm’s First Birthday portraits! I love his big brown eyes and curly hair, and can’t wait to see him again as he grows!
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 treasure for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
