How to Plan a First Birthday Photo Session

A first birthday is a milestone that is often photographed. The first birthday session is a popular session in my studio. This is for good reasons. The first birthday is a time in your child’s life that is perfect for updated portraits and many families want photos to capture this stage of childhood.

There is not much that you need to do to prepare for a first birthday or cake smash photo session. However, I do have a few tips to help you properly book your photo session.

BOOK EARLY

First birthday photo sessions require a bit of thought and planning, so it is best to give you photographer some lead time for the session. Ideally, you should book at least three months in advance. You should schedule the session about 2-3 weeks prior to your child’s birthday. If you need the phtoos for the birthday party, scheduling the session 3 weeks prior to the party is ideal.

CHOOSE A THEME

My studio first birthday sessions include a themed set that you choose. The theme you choose can be anything, but it is important to note that my style is a minimalist one and I create clean and uncluttered sets. I start with a classic white backdrop and design the set based on your colors or theme. If you do not have a theme, I can help and suggest ideas. Sometimes, I ask clients to send over inspiration pics or a photo of the outfit the baby will be wearing, I can then suggest ideas based on those images. The theme should be finalized 2-3 weeks pror to the session date so I have plenty of time to order balloons and other decorations needed to design your set.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS

Studio sessions are scheduled in the morning or early afternoon.. It is best to schedule at a time your baby is generally happiest right after their morning nap is usually best, but it varies based on the child. Most of the time, I can accommodate any time you need so just let me know what time is best for you. If baby ends up changing their sleep schedule right before your session date, we can always change the time of your session if we need to.

I always advise clients to give their baby a first taste of icing prior to the session date. Believe it or not, not every baby likes cake or icing. Sometimes the sugar taste is too much for a child and some children don’t like the texture of the icing. You don’t have to do a trial run before the session, but just keep in mind there may be a possibility that your child wont eat the cake during the session. It happens all the time and I get a lot of disappointed parents when baby wants nothing to do with the cake at that point. If you want baby to eat the cake then I recommend giving them frosting at least once, if not more, before you come in. It doesn't have to be a lot, just a little spoon with some frosting on it so that they can get used to the taste. Another thing that happens a lot is baby will refuse to touch the cake if they aren't used to getting their hands messy/sticky. If you have a baby that doesn't like food on their hands you can always try to get them used to the feeling for a few weeks before you come in.

Lastly, most 1 year olds do pretty good for their sessions and we're able to get lots of smiles but some babies are a little more shy and hesitant to warm up. I have a bunch of things I can do to get them comfortable and smiling but sometimes it's only mom and dad that can get baby to smile. Don't be afraid to be silly and make weird noises if you know it gets smiles. Try to make a mental list of some things you can try if baby isn't interested in interacting with me. Musical and light up toys, noise makers, funny sounds, songs you can sing, and music you can play on your phone are all things we do to try to bring out smiles. Sometimes even these things don't work though so at that point we just go with it and embrace the serious side of your little one.

HOW TO BOOK YOUR SESSION

If you are interested in scheduling a first birthday session, contact me today and we can chat about making your child’s photoshoot memorable.