Dani contacted the studio to inquire about scheduling her son’s First Birthday session. She wanted to include a cake smash in the session as well.
Fun fact: Dani had contacted us before to ask about scheduling a family session, but our schedule was completely full already. I first met Tommy at our Santa event, and was amazed at what a HAPPY little boy he was! Dani mentioned what a wonderful experience they’d had at the Santa event and that they were so excited to come back to the studio for a session. We scheduled his first birthday session and send along the style guide and cake tips.
Mom brought some of her own clothing following the style guide but spied some dresses on our wardrobe rack that caught her attention. She tried a few on and fell in love with a cream lace dress. The dress looked perfect with her husband’s outfit and Tommy’s adorable button down complete with a bow tie. SO CUTE!
We began their session with the family portion. I always start with babies in their parents’ arms so that they feel safe and secure with you. This allows them to gradually get used to me and the sound of the camera shutter. As you’ll see from the gallery, the family and parent portion involves a lot of smiles, interaction and baby snuggles. If you freeze up, aren’t sure what to do, or your baby starts protesting - don’t worry! I’ve got you covered and will give you simple prompts for natural interaction or distracting your baby.
After the family and parent portion we moved to Tommy’s solo images. We have a few studio chairs that we typically use for these and you’ll choose which one you’d like to use. Most parents choose what most closely resembles their home decor (modern vs. traditional). Tommy looked so adorable in our blue modern style linen chair, and we pulled in one of our traditional chairs also for a mix! Dad stood right next to him at the ready just in case he decided to dive forward. Most babies will sit still for the first couple of minutes as they get used to sitting in the chair, and then it’s play time! We captured a mix of sweet smiles and fun, giggly photos of Thomas. He was always smiling for me, and had the same happy personality that he did at his Santa session.
We ended his session with a cake smash in our antique studio highchair. Dani changed Tommy into jeans and a blue onesie. It’s completely optional to change outfits! Some parents like to strip down to just a diaper, a onesie, or into a special outfit. Birthday cake is an optional part of First Birthday sessions - it’s completely your preference on whether to include it! The highchair is used for for most studio cake smashes to keep baby in place. Sometimes a baby will refuse to sit in the chair, and that’s perfectly fine. We’ll default to the floor with a crate. Those are just as much fun, but a little more work for mom and dad who become the official baby herders! I always encourage parents to participate in the cake eating portion too. Sometimes a baby will be a little hesitant to dig in to their cake, but when they see mom and dad next to them they’ll get excited. Most babies also love to “feed” their parents. It’s always hilarious to see the end results of the baby’s generosity!
Here are my favorite photos from Tommy’s First Bithday session in the studio!
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 birth photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.