Photography |

First birthday smash cake sessions are one of my favorite portrait sessions to photograph. I was super excited when client & friend Debbie reached out to me for her son Theo’s one-year-old photos. We promptly discussed all things Theo & shared ideas about his shoot until we had a solid plan in place. The day of his shoot couldn’t have gone any better. Theo took a couple of falls, but he got back up every single time like a champ! After some comfort from mommy and daddy, he was right back to his happy, smiley self.

First Birthday photos are so special to parents. It’s a celebration of the many milestones their little one has achieved throughout their first year of life! It’s amazing how much babies learn and grows in just one year. All my first birthday sessions begin with some nice portraits of the birthday boy or girl. I will also get some shots of the whole family interacting. I love to capture sweet candid moments of everyone just being themselves!

Blooming Baby

When I first met Theo he gave me the BIGGEST smile and I know we were already in for a great session. He started the shoot with lots of happy expressions! Mom was on the side waiving his favorite Mickey Mouse toy & dad was hiding in the bushes at his side! Just look at all those smiles 🙂 Theo loved being a little garden baby. When he wasn’t posing for pictures, he was busy collecting sticks & rocks. He was on his own little adventure & I loved capturing him interact with his surroundings. Mickey was definitely around for the first part of the shoot, you could tell it brought him comfort to have a little piece of home by his side.

Bubble Bridge

Now it was time to have some fun and burn off some energy! We headed to our next location, a beautiful bridge surrounded by lots of green spring foliage. I love how the rich and natural earth tones compliment my subject’s skin tones, eyes, and hair. Nature really brings out my creativity when photographing! It also makes for an effortlessly beautiful back drop. Theo needed to burn off some energy after posing so well for his birthday portraits, so we decided it was time to bring out bubbles! He loved running through them on the bridge. He was having a blast chasing the bubbles, sticks in hand of course!

In Daddy We Trust

Theo took a couple of stumbles on the bridge, he let out a couple of good cries but mom and dad were right there to comfort him. Theo’s dad Phil knew just what to do to bring back those baby smiles from Theo. It wasn’t long before Theo brushed it off and was back to smiling and laughing with mom and dad. What a fun family moment!

ONE

Saving the best for last, cake smash! It was time to celebrate Theo’s first birthday. Mom brought out the decorations & dad got Theo looking very handsome, right before he was about to get really messy! Debbie did a great job with the props for this shoot. The Mickey theme was adorable & totally Theo! He played with his balloons and then we brought out his yummy cake.

Theo was a little shy with his cake at first but Daddy helped get the cake smashin’ & eventually Theo went all in! He enjoyed his yummy cake and we loved celebrating with him! He was giving us the cutest expressions, what a happy baby boy. Even though he was getting a little tired, he ended it with a smile & a face full of frosting. Happy First Birthday Theo!

Shop Theo’s look & other Amazon Essentials from this photoshoot!

• Theo was looking very dapper in his baby suspenders.
• Mickey’s ears were a nice touch to his Mickey-themed photoshoot.
• A Mickey birthday banner added a nice touch.
• Wooden crates always come in handy.

Shop My Camera Bag!

• I used my Canon 80D for this photoshoot. A very precise and operable camera perfect to carry out any creative vision!
• My canon 85 mm 1.8 prime lens is my go-to lens, it produces the creamiest backgrounds. This is a lens you need in your camera bag!
• I consider my canon 24-70 mm 2.8 zoom lens to be my power house lens. Perfect for any situation!
• Every photographer should own a gray/white balance card. These help white balance and correct exposure.
• An external flash comes in handy whenever your in a low light or high sun situation!
• I always have extra SD cards in my bag, I prefer to use ones with high transfer speeds.
• Extra batteries for your flash are a necessity!
• I love a good camera back pack with a lot of compartments!