A dreamy cake smash at the beach with Cape Cod Baby Photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Back when my son was a baby, I did a cake smash on the beach for him the summer after he turned one. That turned out to be my first ever cake smash at the beach, and since then I’ve done many first birthday celebrations at the beach while visiting Cape Cod every summer. Our daughter celebrated her first birthday in June, which was perfect timing for a cake smash later in the summer during one of our trips to the Cape! I absolutely love creating this special memory with my babies. 

We went to my favorite beach right at sunset, and we set up right in the surf where the water was coming up in gentle waves onto the sand. I love the effect it had in the portraits – completely dreamy! Adelaide looked so precious in her pink dress and enjoyed her cake. She actually dug right into her cake, and her expression when she is leaning into it with both hands and her tongue out just cracks me up! Her big brother helped towards the end and I can’t express how it made my heart swell to see my two babies playing together in the surf and the sand. 

This was definitely the messiest cake smash I’ve ever done between the frosting and the wet sand, but it was so worth it! Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl!

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Sea, Sun, and CAKE! Holden's Cake Smash at the Beach with Cape Cod Baby Photographer

How is this sweet boy already ONE?!?!

It feels like we were just welcoming him to the studio for his newborn portraits. Then we blinked and it was time for his 6 month milestone session. And now suddenly this Baby Planner is one and we’re celebrating his first birthday with a cake smash at the same beach where we did his mama’s maternity portraits a year earlier!

This was my first cake smash in the sand at one of my favorite beaches on Cape Cod, and it was so much fun! This coastal family loves everything about the beach, and it was only fitting that we tie that into every single one of their son’s portrait sessions during the first year.

When I mentioned the idea of doing his cake smash at the beach, his mom was so excited and started envisioning her sweet boy smashing his birthday cake on the boardwalk where they had posed as a family of four a short year earlier. And now, can you even handle how much cuteness is packed into one portrait?!?!

These big brothers dote on their little brother, and Holden soaks it up! He is such a happy baby, and I love watching the ways that his family showers him in love!

When planning a cake smash at the beach, figuring out what to wear is simple — a swimsuit, of course! Holden looked adorable in his little swim trunks, and they showed off his cute belly and arm rolls to celebrate this stage of “babyhood on the brink of toddlerhood” that he is in right now!

This boy LOVED the frosting!!!

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Outfit ideas for your photo session at the beach

Our Cape Cod family sessions at the beach should be fun, relaxing, and sandy… just like a day spent dipping your toes in the water and collecting seashells!

However, one of the biggest worries that mamas always tell me is that they have NO IDEA WHAT TO WEAR. That’s where I come in. This might be your first time planning coordinating outfits for a family photo shoot, but lucky for you I have done this hundreds of times and I have a few simple tricks to make it easier for you.

Plus, once you have a few outfits in mind you can always email them to me to get a second opinion on which ones will photograph best together!

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White looks amazing in the summer.

Everyone looks a little more sun-kissed when they wear white, and it really pops against the scenery at the beach. When in doubt, wear white.

SHADES OF BLUE

Pull inspiration from the colors at the beach. Many shades of blue look incredible by the seashore. I especially love light blue, chambray blue, and other muted shades of blue. Navy blue is classic, too!

HINT: Avoid any overly saturated, super bright blues because it just looks a little unnatural at the beach. Notice how most of the blues in this blog post have a touch of gray in them. That’s perfect.

Use colors you would find in nature.

Think of a sunset at the beach, and plan your colors accordingly. Blues, beiges, white, light pink, lavender, mint green, aqua. These all look incredible at the beach. A faded red also looks really nice (like those classic Nantucket red shorts that are everywhere in New England in the summertime).

PLAID

It’s super classic, and very summery. Also, gingham is very in this year, too!

How to style lots of family members?

If you stick to the tips above, it’ll actually be really easy. When in doubt, tell everyone to wear shades of muted blue with neutrals like white, cream, and khaki. That’s the easiest option when working with extended family and trying to coordinate 3-4 households for a large group portrait.

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About Nicole Starr Photography 

Nicole Starr specializes in newborn, baby & family photography and has been serving families in New York and Massachusetts since 2012.  She has a portrait studio in Saratoga Springs, NY for families in the Capital Region, and she also works with families at her Attleboro, MA studio and on location in Boston and on Cape Cod. 

Having spent more than 20 summers on Cape Cod, this area truly feels like home when we get together for family photo sessions at the beach. Trust Nicole to capture your family beautifully while having fun out in the salt air!

When you Take a Toddler to the Beach - Cape Cod Family Portraits in Harwich

When you take a toddler to the beach, he’s going to want to run and play, jump and sing. He’s going to chase the birds, put his toes in the water, and climb the lifeguard chair. He’ll search for rocks, throw sand, and give you a dozen shells to put in your pocket….. which you’ll forget about until you pull them out of your dryer a few days later. ;o)

When you take a toddler to the beach, you are bound to have SO MUCH FUN. That’s what makes this family portrait session on Cape Cod so memorable — Holden was an absolute blast, and I loved playing with this little guy and watching him cuddle up with his mom and dad against the perfect backdrop of sea & sky.

One things that moms and dads always worry about before their portrait session is — “Oh my god, what if my kids misbehave?????”

And I always remind them that kids will be kids, and that’s exactly what we’re going to capture on camera! The running (sometimes the running away, haha!), the games, the smiles, the shy looks while they’re still warming up to a new person and a new place.

We are capturing their personality, and I never ever ever expect “perfect behavior”, whatever that is anyways! To me, perfect behavior for a kid is being perfectly yourself, and I will play lots of games and have a lot of tricks up my sleeve to get them to listen and guide them in a few of the family shots. But overall, we just have fun together!

And check out how much fun Holden had!! Just look at that smile!

While last weekend were our last beach sessions of the season, I am already missing those sandy toes and dreaming of next summer on Cape Cod. I can’t wait to capture more amazing family memories like these ones!

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Did you love this session? Check out more beach fun on the blog!

Family portraits at West Dennis Beach

A Low Tide Family Session at Corporation Beach

The Family Beach Session that had me Laughing the Whole Time!

Relaxed Family Portraits at Popponesset Beach in New Seabury | Cape Cod Family Photographer

I just love this family!  I've been following them on their journey of parenthood since before Lizzie was even born -- from maternity portraits to newborn sessions & cake smashes, we have captured so many memories together over the years!

This was our first time doing an outdoor session with the kids, and Lizzie & Gavin had so much fun running around Popponesset Beach and playing in the sand.  It was an overcast evening, which made for the perfect misty backdrop for this family's memory-making session.  Plus, the beach was almost empty and we had the entire stretch of sand to ourselves!

Our family sessions at the beach on Cape Cod are always playful and relaxed.  See a lifeguard chair?  Climb it!  Want to run on the board walk?  Go ahead!  Fan of collecting rocks?  Have at it!  Kids can be themselves -- curious explorers who can't help but laugh and chase each other, and we capture so many real memories for your family!

The first time I ever met Kate she had just gotten engaged, and now she's a mom of two amazing little kids with such big personalities!  I really do love getting to develop these amazing lasting relationships with the families that I work with while watching their kids (and families!) grow!

Gavin loved the sand, and of course he figured out that if he threw himself face-first into the sand we would all start laughing.  So it happened again and again, and we got the best smiles out of him!  Such a carefree and fearless kid!

As the weather cools off, I'm already feeling nostalgic for our beach sessions!  Thankfully we'll continue beach sessions on Cape Cod through October, so there is still time for some salt air memories!  Plus, beach portraits on your holiday cards are so refreshing.  Email us to book your session today!  

Breastfeeding Babies with Down Syndrome | Saratoga Springs and Boston Baby Photographer

Sometimes the stars align and you find yourself exactly where you were supposed to be, surrounded by people that are going to inspire you & change you.

That is exactly what happened when Ella Gray Cullen, the founder of the nonprofit Julia's Way, contacted me and together we organized this session on the beach with 10 strong mamas and 10 warrior babies.  

But here's the catch -- all of these babies rock an extra chromosome and happen to have Down syndrome, and we gathered on the beach to celebrate their journeys in nursing and their mamas' journeys in breastfeeding.

I loved every minute of this evening together -- cuddling the cutest babies, hearing their stories, and laughing together as the babies were just being their sweet little selves!  

From Ella Gray Cullen, enjoy a little peek into the heart behind the photo session that has since begun to inspire a movement to help others reimagine life with Down syndrome, and check out her full blog post here.....

"I was disheartened by hearing from women who had been told that their babies likely wouldn't nurse. Some were told by their doctors or other medical professionals that they shouldn't even bother. My breastfeeding relationship with my daughter is one of the greatest treasures I have and I felt sad to hear women say they felt they couldn't have that just because their child had Down syndrome.

Many, if not most, babies with DS can breastfeed and for those that can, and whose mothers would like to do it, the benefits are immeasurable. Feeding your child is always a personal choice, but some of these women didn't have a choice because of their medical professionals. Somehow, my vision of posting a photo of myself nursing my daughter on my personal Facebook page to create awareness spawned a non-profit dedicated to reimagining life with Down syndrome and suddenly we had 10 women who volunteered their time.

These women nursed their babies and children despite challenges most people could never have imagined including months' long NICU stays, heart failure, open heart surgery, pulmonary hypertension, duodenal atresia, leukemia, prematurity, and hypothyroidism. These women came together to give a gift to new and expectant moms, something many of them feel that they didn't have enough of: encouragement from real moms, like themselves, who struggled through the early and difficult days and eventually met success, usually when they least expected it. We want to say you can do it! We are here cheering you on! and go, mama, go! "

You know the most amazing thing that has come out of this evening on the beach?  

It's not that the story has started going viral online, but it's the reaction that so many mamas have had to our posts.  The comment sections have been filled with mothers sharing their own personal journeys, telling us about their little ones with Down syndrome, and giving a glimpse into their breastfeeding journey.  What we love the most is hearing other mothers tell us that they are advocating for their little ones and doing everything possible to open a whole world of possibilities for their babies.  Keep it up, mamas!  You're doing an amazing job!

A huge thank you for all of the shares on our posts, including:
La Leche League USA
Love What Matters
PopSugar Moms
Hanover Wicked Local

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JULIAS WAY has big plans to continue the momentum we've gained from the shoot, and part of this advocacy involves an informational video, publishing a book, and spreading the word in medical offices across the country.  Please consider donating to support this cause!

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A Seaside Family Portrait Session in Harwichport on Cape Cod

I love the beach.  Seriously, my dream home would be a beach house where I could look out at the water every single day and take a walk in the sand every single night.  So when families ask me to join them at the beach for a portrait session, the answer is always, "Yes!  See you at sunset!"

I had so much fun with Robyn, Pete, and their birthday boy Nicholas during our session together at Pleasant Road Beach in Harwich.  This beach is close to their home, and one that Pete spent his summers at growing up.  The rocks on the jetty, the shingled houses behind the tall seagrass -- they all mean so much more when they have a story to them, and it made for the perfect backdrop for this family's session.  Plus, it was a nice little piece of saltwater heaven that they introduced me to for the first time, and a new favorite spot on the Cape!

Isn't this little plaid romper just perfect for our session?  I love the styling on this session, and everyone's outfits came together perfectly for some modern family photos at the beach.

In addition to family photos of everyone playing together, I love to capture a few quiet moments with mom & dad alone with the baby.  These sweet little cuddles are always some of my favorite moments to capture!

We're now booking family sessions through October, and be sure to contact me now because they fill up early!  By the way, the beach in the fall is still an absolutely beautiful location for photos.  Sweaters, sand, and hazy skies.  Just sayin'.     ;o)