Allison contacted the studio to schedule a First Birthday session for her daughter, Harper with the whole family included as well. I first worked with this family for their daughter’s newborn session at our old Grant Park studio. I love to see my tiny newborn clients again and see how much they’ve changed. While some babies don’t look anything like they did as tiny ones, some retain all their features and look exactly the same. In this case, Harper looks SO much like she did as a newborn! You can see for yourself by checking out her newborn session images here.
Allison chose her date and sent over our simple and easy to read style guide, Pinterest inspiration board, and our cake tips sheet for her to have handy in the planning process.
OUR STYLE GUIDE: MAKING YOUR LIFE EASIER SINCE 2013
Our style guide is applicable to pretty much any type of session you book with us. If you find that you need or want more hands on assistance, I’m here for you! We can schedule a consult here in the studio to go through your wardrobe options (whether you are borrowing from the studio wardrobe or wearing your own) or we can do this virtually and exchange emails before your session. We believe that your portrait session should be enjoyable and as stress free of possible, and have thoughtfully designed our entire client experience on that foundation!
WHERE TO GET YOUR BABY’S SMASH CAKE IN ATLANTA
We highly recommend She Takes the Cake as our ONLY recommended baker and are happy to connect you with her! She can accommodate vegan requests as well for those who have a little one with dairy or egg allergies or just don’t want to introduce those foods to their baby just yet. I have worked closely with Christina with feedback over the years to create the optimal buttercream consistency for smash cakes: soft enough to interact with and smash, but not sticky like glue which makes cleanup a total nightmare. Pro tip: most babies don’t enjoy being wiped down, so the less elbow grease you have to apply to get icing off their skin, the better.
Allison had seen Christina’s work on IG and noticed how many of our clients work with her. She knew she didn’t want the hassle of coordinating pickup and transporting the cake to the studio beforehand, so it was a no brainer for her. She worked closely with Christina to coordinate the color of the cake to match Harper’s adorable embroidered romper.
Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods are all great options to pick up a simple smash cake or cupcake.
Regardless of where you choose to get your baby’s smash cake from, we’ll send our cake tips to you (We also a popular place in the Atlanta area that we do NOT recommend getting your baby’s smash cake from because of the icing’s incredibly sticky like tacky glue - it was absolutely horrible).
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR BABY’S FIRST BIRTHDAY SESSION
First Birthday sessions are what I the ultimate 3-in-1 session. I photograph solo portraits of your newly minted one year old, each parent with baby, whole family portraits, AND cake smash photos during our time together. Because babies are unpredictable and have short attention span, I move very quickly and efficiently, adapting to the personality and needs of your little one. If your baby has big energy, I’ll be more peppy. If they’re shy and quiet, I’ll match them in tone and be more reserved. If they need a break, they’ll get one. Your baby ultimately runs the show, and I roll with it however needed to get what we need.
HOW HARPER’S SESSION WENT
I started the session photographing Harper with her parents, and she was just the CUTEST little baby girl. I loved her bright yellow onesie that Allison had made especially for the photos. She was a tiny bit shy at first (not for long!) and gave me LOTS of smiles. Once she was comfortable with me, we moved to solo portraits of Harper using a variety of different things in the studio: the bed, the floor, chairs, etc. Then we pulled Dequan in for some daddy and daughter shots, and then the entire family together.
While many mamas choose to bring a separate outfit for the cake smash, Allison wanted Harper in the same outfit for all of it. So all we had to do was pull out the high chair that best worked with their color scheme (we have three in the studio!) and present Harper with her cake.
Allison had requested a yellow ombre rosette cake that was stunningly beautiful and matched Harper’s romper perfectly. I seriously don’t know how Christina does it, but she nails it every time!
Harper dove right into her cake and had lots of fun sharing with her daddy, ha! Some babies aren’t as interested in their cakes, and if that’s your baby - don’t worry! I have lots of tricks up my sleeve to get them there - and one of the most effective is for parents to join in on the fun and get in the photos. You can play games with your child and model feeding each other icing, asking your baby for a bite, and so on. Once your baby has become sufficiently interested, you can slowly exit out of the frame and I’ll get those images of them exploring their cake!
Enjoy a handful of my favorites from Harper’s First Birthday session!
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.
