I first photographed Sophia when she came in for her newborn session, which you can see by clicking here. After that, I photographed her sitting milestone at 9 months old which you can see by clicking here.
Her mom reached out to schedule her First Birthday portraits and let me know that she was opting to skip the cake smash portion. She wanted the session to focus on Sophia and have a few images of her big brother incorporated as well. I asked if she’d like to use our studio bathtub prop for a bubble bath in the studio since they weren’t doing the cake smash portion, and she absolutely loved the idea. Most babies love baths! We sanitize our tub prop well, and mamas bring their own bubble bath soap. Our studio kitchen has a huge sink with a pull down faucet, so it makes filling up the tub with mama’s preferred temperature for their little one a breeze! The tub can be incorporated in milestone sessions for sitters that are sitting very well (closer to the 8 month mark) or for First Birthday instead of a cake smash. If you know you want a cake smash as part of your baby’s First Birthday session, we recommend incorporating the splish splash option into your baby’s sitting milestone session.
a little bit about Session planning and our parent involvement “insurance policy”
We talk to every client at length and discuss their vision for their session. Every family is totally different - while most want the session to be equally focused on family and their baby, some prefer for the focus to be mainly on their baby with just a handful of family images. I craft my session flow around those expressed desires, and we go from there. I do STRONGLY encourage at least one parent to be photo ready with young babies or shy kids though, because there are times that I need to start out photographing your child in your arms in order to build trust. If you show up wearing yoga pants and a messy bun and don’t want to be in the photos, this will be problematic if your baby refuses to be put down. It serves as an insurance policy of sorts! Sometimes the biggest grins and cutest expressions have been captured while a baby is being held by their parent. With that being said, I always work towards getting to a place where your baby feels comfortable being put down to be photographed alone. If we get to that place, I simply don’t put any of those images (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 just won’t have it, then we’ll have images of them in your arms that will be just as beautiful as the ones of them by themselves.
Sophia was not a shy baby and was very interested in me. Her mom dressed her in the most gorgeous blue velvet dress with crochet lace detailing, and I couldn’t get over how adorable she looked! I started out with her seated in a chair - and her mom hovered right next to it just in case Sophia decided to try to get off. Baby safety is a big deal around here, and I always have a parent act as spotter while I’m photographing baby alone. After we finished with seated photos, I had Sophia show off her standing skills by holding on to the chair and an ottoman that we have in the studio. I have a collection of natural wooden toys (thoroughly sanitized after any child touches them!) that photograph beautifully, and handed one to Sophia since she was starting to lose interest. One year olds don’t stay interested in anything for very long, so my sessions with them move quickly and change up constantly to keep them engaged!
Sophia LOVES her big brother Tommy (look how she grabbed his hand to hold it!), so we finished up portraits in her velvet dress with some sibling images. He can make her laugh almost on command, and it’s so adorable to watch. I’ve loved watching him grow into being a big brother since his newborn session, and he’s just one of the best kids ever.
Sophia was getting a little fussy at this point, so Melissa gave her a bottle and a little bit of a snack before changing her into the second outfit for the session, which had the cutest equestrian theme. The family has several horses on a farm and dad plays polo, so it was perfectly fitting. I can’t wait to go out to the farm and photograph them there for a family session sometime later this year! After just a few shots in this outfit, Melissa and I started working on filling up the bathtub!
I have mamas decide on the best temperature of the water, and then we fill up the tub together. Mamas also bring their own bubble bath soap as well. Be sure that the soap you bring is NOT new to your baby’s skin. We don't want any unexpected skin reactions!
an Important Note About Advance Preparation for Baby Bubble Bath sessions:
If your baby has never had a bubble bath before, I strongly suggest introducing them to one in ADVANCE! Sophia was very concerned and started to get upset when she touched the bubbles, and we weren’t sure if she would warm up to them or not! Fortunately, she did - and we were able to finish up the session. If she had not, this wouldn’t have worked out as the bubble bath is always done at the very end, when your child will most likely be totally out of patience and getting tired.
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.
