Just before I temporarily closed down the studio due to COVID-19, I had the pleasure of capturing a very special first birthday smash cake session!
The birthday girl, Lavente, was a dream to photograph. She was happy and joyous throughout her rainbow and clean white themed portraits. Sadly, Lavente’s grandparents were in Italy and unable to visit and celebrate with her due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I am hopeful that grandma and grandpa felt the joy of her birthday celebration when they saw these photographs and that the entire family will have happy memories of their daughter’s first birthday smash cake session when they look back at these images for years to come.
Including family in your first birthday smash cake session
As mamas, we rarely make it into the frame these days. It’s us behind the iPhone, snapping away, never actually IN the photographs.
Because of this, I always encourage my clients to pose for a few family portraits at the beginning of the sessions. Whether it’s a newborn shoot, baby milestone, or a first birthday smash cake session, like this one, I love capturing the whole family.
When your children look back at these images–these portraits that are telling the story of your family–they will want to see YOU in the photographs too.
If you feel shy in front of the camera, I can always capture more candid images, instead of posed portraits.
This is something that I’m excited about that allows me to deliver even BETTER photographs to my clients. I learned a new technique in Photoshop for retouching the glare on glasses! Pretty cool, right?
Lavente’s mom brought all of these cute props for our session! They included Levente’s favorite rainbow wooden toy and a rainbow banner to match. She said she will use these props to decorate her room, which I love! Mom even painted O.N.E. letters in pastel colors! Plus the balloon + artificial garland…yes, everything! And it all came together BEAUTIFULLY.
Delivering the portraits
Because my studio is closed until further notice due to COVID-19, I had to get a little creative with how to deliver the final portraits.
You see, giving my clients their photographs and seeing their reaction is one of my favorite parts of the entire process! Not being able to do this made me a little sad, but we have to adjust for the safety of everyone during this time.
I was able to leave the portraits out for pick-up, and was thrilled to receive a text right away that said, “Hi Cathy! Photos were received, thank you so much, they are gorgeous!”
It’s the little moments like this that allows me to feel grateful.
Celebrating your little one’s first birthday?
Celebrating your one-year old’s birthday is a fun and exciting time! Learn more about scheduling a first birthday smash cake session today.
I look forward to chatting with you and tentatively scheduling a photo session. The session date will be finalized as soon as the studio is reopened. I can’t wait to be back to work soon! Click here to get in touch.