I first worked with Saidie for her maternity session, and photographed her daughter’s newborn and six month milestone session as well. Shecontacted the studio to schedule a First Birthday session for her daughter, Lucia with the whole family included and asked for it to be OUTDOORS! Because Lucia’s birthday was in late summer, I suggested that we schedule the session to take place at sunrise. Sunrise sessions are only available at one of my park locations during late summer. If you have early risers who are happiest at that time and also want to avoid the heat, a sunrise session might be the perfect option for you! In Atlanta, you’re looking the temperature of about 25 degrees COOLER than sunset. While there might still be humidity and mosquitoes, it’s definitely an improvement. If you don’t want to deal with the outdoor elements at all, the studio is the perfect place to have your session.
We sent Saidie our studio style guide, Pinterest style inspiration boards, and our cake tips sheet for best practices. The information we send over are is super easy to read and implement. Our style guide is applicable to every session we offer, and I’m here to help you however I can! Some mamas want to run their choices by me for input, and it’s all part of the service. I can schedule a visit in the studio to go over your wardrobe (whether you are borrowing from the studio wardrobe or wearing your own) or we exchange a few emails in advance of your session with photos! I’ve even been known to provide specific shopping links for those who ask! I understand you may be a busy mom who doesn’t have the time to come in, so that’s why I offer virtual options as well. Please note that if you want to borrow from the client wardrobe you will need to some in so you can physically try on options beforehand.
THE BEST TIME TO DRESS FOR YOUR SESSION AND WHY
Some moms find it it easier dress their child beforehand because they’re in that fun (ha!) stage where a change instantly equals a temper tantrum, and it’s just not worth the hassle. You know your little one best, so I’ll yield to your judgment in that department! If you choose to dress your child(ren) before heading over, please put a bib on them to protect their clothing. You want this insurance just in case unexpected carsickness occurs, or they manage to find an old piece of candy lodged somewhere in the car seat. You may roll your eyes and think that’s ridiculous overthinking…but that actually happened to one of my clients with an old m&m. The mess that ONE melted m&m can make is almost unbelievable! Fortunately, they had NOT dressed their baby beforehand so the outfit was fortunately spared!
WHERE TO GET YOUR SMASH CAKE IF YOU’RE INCLUDING ONE
Not everyone chooses to include a smash cake, so don’t feel pressured to do that if that’s not your style. You don’t HAVE to choose a cake for your baby’s birthday treat: I’ve seen a plate of donuts, cupcakes, pie, macaroons, and even cookies used instead!
Saidie brought along a simple white cake with buttercream icing from Publix. Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods are all great options for your baby’s smash cake or cupcake. If your baby has egg/dairy allergies or you need a vegan option, I highly recommend She Takes the Cake! Christina is our preferred baker that we exclusively refer to our clients! If you don’t want to worry about picking up your cake on the day of the session, she offers a delivery service to the studio! It will be in perfect condition and waiting for you to arrive. Such a great way to take that extra unnecessary stress off your plate so you can truly enjoy your session day.
Over the past several years, I have personally worked with Christina to develop the perfect buttercream consistency for our babies. It’s soft enough to interact with and smash, but not so sticky that it gets everywhere which makes cleanup a nightmare for parents. Most babies do not enjoy being wiped down since it requires sitting still. The less elbow grease needed to get icing off their skin, the better.
Regardless of where you choose to source your baby’s smash cake, we’ll send our cake tips to you. We also list a popular place in the Atlanta area that we do NOT recommend getting your baby’s smash cake from because of the icing’s stickiness, I’m not kidding when I tell you that it is so sticky it’s like GLUE and is so awful! Below is a list of my top tips!
SIMPLE - the focus should always be on your baby, not the cake. Don’t decorate with fondant or tons of added objects for decor.
SMALL - your baby’s cake should be a 6 inch diameter size or less and no more than two layers at the max. If it’s too high, their face can be obscured in photos, which is not what you want.
SKIP PROPS - Real flowers are so pretty on cakes, but don’t work for long. You should plan to remove them after the first few photographs. Flowers will usually end up on your baby’s mouth! This goes for anything added to your cake - candles, decor, etc. Added elements become a distraction from the cake and can also obscure your baby’s adorable facial expressions during their session.
COLOR - Neutral icing color (off white, cream, or pastels) is best - steer clear of neons or super bright colors that may permanently stain clothing and cause color casts in your photos
NO COCUNUT - Don’t put shaved coconut on your cake - it’s has a gorgeous texture, but there there has not been a single baby in my studio that has liked it. It usually ends their exploration of the cake as soon as they put it in their mouth and feel the texture of the flakes.
BUTTERCREAM ICING ONLY - AVOID whipped icing and fondant like the plague. Whipped icing is slippery and greasy. It is resistant to being wiped off skin and results in a messy screaming baby . You will be on your fiftieth baby wipe and muttering under your breath, “For the love of all things, why won’t this stuff WIPE OFF?!?!?!.” Fondant is impossible for tiny fingers to break through with their fingers and eat and frustrates babies. How do I know this? Past experience with these situation!
NO WRITING - Skip a message on top of the cake (save it for their party cake instead) - it doesn’t photograph well at all, and you don’t need writing to know that it was their first birthday when you look at the photos.
FIRST BIRTHDAY SESSION FLOW
First Birthday sessions are the ultimate 3-in-1. You will have solo portraits of your little one, family portraits, and cake smash portraits all in one session gallery! I started the session photographing Lucia with her parents and sister, and she is just the CUTEST little baby girl. After we finished with those images, we moved on to photographing Lucia alone. Saidie had brought along a sweet little flower crown for Lucia which she shockingly kept on her head! Once we were done with this portion, we moved on to the cake smash! Outdoor cake smashes require a little more advance planning. You’ll need to bring a LOT of baby wipes, a trash bag, a few bottles of water, and a washcloth just to be prepared for the cleanup if babies get super messy since you won’t have access to running water like you would here in the studio.
THE CAKE SMASH
Saidie kept Lucia in the same outfit for the family photos and the cake smash. I had brought along one of our studio high chairs to use for her outdoor session. I demonstrate exactly how to present the cake to your baby (sounds silly, but how you do it does matter!) I physically model what I need clients throughout during my sessions as needed, so you never have to worry about what to do or how.
When Lucia saw her cake, she immediately dove right into it, and the rest of the family joined in on the fun too. If your baby isn’t super interested in their cake, parents getting into the photographs can help a lot. A lot of babies love to play the game of “feeding” their parents. When you model feeding each other cake, your little one will pick up on it quickly! Once they’ve become interested, parents can slowly back out of the frame and I’ll get those solo images of them enjoying their cake!
Enjoy a few of my favorites from Lucia’s First Birthday session! My clients receive their selected images in both color and black and white versions, and I’m sharing the black and white in this blog post just to change it up a little!
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.
