Timeless Milestone Portraits in our Saratoga Springs Studio

‌I’ve been photographing this family since before Carter was even born, and they are just the sweetest! Their son Bennett was born on the exact same day as my baby girl, and now we have an extra special connection with our littlest ones. I loved welcoming them into the studio for his milestone portraits, and we captured so many happy portraits of this smiley baby boy. 

Big brother Carter was incredibly interested in the session, and he asked to have his turn in front of the camera again and again, so we were able to capture plenty of individual portraits showing his spunky personality, too! I’m all about making sure your little ones feel included - and if it means a few extra portraits for mom and dad, even better! 

For Bennett’s setup, we chose to use the white studio floor, the bed, and some fun chunky blankets. I just LOVE how they photograph. They’re a great pop of color against all of the neutrals for your baby. Mom and dad also chose some super sweet outfits for Bennett - including the sweet grey sweater he wore at the end. He looked so grown up!! 

I hope that these portraits are well-loved in their home as both boys grow!

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Celebrating 6 Months | Lila's Floral & Hearts Milestone Session with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

Lila's mom & dad wanted to celebrate her first 6 months with a perfectly whimsical & girly session filled with pretty little details, soft colors, flowers, and hearts.  Of course, they came to just the right photographer because I LOVE creating sets like that here in our Saratoga Springs studio!

This sweet baby girl was so happy to show off her new sitting skills, and she loved playing with the hearts in our little Valentine's set-up.  We also created this set-up to honor CHD awareness and her personal medical victories, and I love that we were able to incorporate something so special that meant a lot to her parents during the session.

But the very best part of Lila's session?  These SMILES!  Only her mama was able to get her to laugh like this, and this beautiful baby girl couldn't take her eyes off of her mom.  She adores her, and that shows so clearly in her expressions in these portraits!

Our Baby Plan is the perfect way to celebrate your baby's milestones throughout the first year!  Come to the studio for the first smiles, tummy time, sitting up, crawling, the first tooth... there are truly so many possibilities!  

After the Cake Smash : 11 Ideas for what to do with your cake smash photos

12 months have flown by, and in the blink of an eye your baby is 365 days old.  You're going to celebrate with a first birthday portrait session, of course.  But what will you do with the images AFTER the session?  

The last thing you want is to let them sit on a USB in a drawer somewhere, to forget about these moments that you captured of your baby's big smile, excitement, and curiosity.  You want to remember the dimples on their finger, their first few teeth poking through, and those tentative first steps.  But maybe you don't want to fill every wall of your home with cake smash pictures.  Read on for 11 ideas on what you can do with your cake smash photos after the session!

1.  Design birthday party invitations.

This is a perfect option for families that plan their cake smash at least 1.5-2 months before the baby's first birthday party.  Most families do a theme for the party, and we can incorporate that theme into the invitations.  From the shoot, to the gallery reveal, to holding your artwork in your hands, the entire turnaround time is typically one month from start to finish.  So plan ahead and get those invites printed with your photographer!

2.  Or, use the images for thank you cards!

Most families plan the cake smash close to the baby's actual birthday, so it's not always possible to send them out on party invitations.  This is where thank you cards are the perfect alternative -- we'll even leave a little blank space on the back for a heartfelt handwritten note!

3.  Hang them up at your party!

Many families like to share a canvas or a fine art album with their family & friends that come to celebrate at their baby's first birthday party.  Bring a little easel and set it up on the gift table, or find a spot on the wall!  After the party, move the canvas into the nursery for a playful pop of color on the walls!

4. Create a keepsake album.

Our fine art albums are my absolute favorite product that we offer, and they are the perfect way to enjoy every single image from your cake smash session.  This will quickly become your child's favorite book, and you'll spend hours curled up on the couch telling the story of their first birthday while they point out "mama", "dada", and "baby".  Bring it out every year on their birthday for a new tradition!

5. Complete your baby's first year book.

No baby book is complete without a first birthday.  Use your cake smash images to end with a celebratory note!

6. Give the grandparents their favorite gift EVER.

Grandparents love photos of their grandbabies.  Print a few 8x10s, or give them a small album from the session.

7.  Enjoy an accordion album!

Speaking of albums, our accordion albums are wonderful grandparent gifts!  These pocket-sized books hold nearly a dozen photos, and they are available in sets of three so that you can give a few away and keep one for yourself!

8. Tell a story with a storyboard collage.

A cake smash is all about the story -- weave 9 images together in a 3x3 grid and share all of the sweetest moments from your baby's session!

9. Hang a gallery wall in the nursery.

These playful images are the perfect addition to your nursery, and they're going to put a big smile on your face every time you see them -- even on the sleepless nights!  Hang them in a spot in your home where you'll enjoy them every single day, and where they'll bring a little bit of joy to your day!

10.  Do a "Smash & Splash", and hang them in the bathroom!

I love finishing our cake smash sessions with a splash in our adorable white clawfoot bathtub that is the perfect size for one-year olds.  Most babies love water, and they have so much fun splashing around.  We capture so many smiles and excited laughs during this portion of the session!  This makes great wall art for your bathroom, and it's definitely a talking piece that all of your houseguests will ask you about, sure to put a smile on everyone's face!
 

11.  Create a keepsake you'll add to every year with mementoes and letters for your child.

Next to our fine art albums, the wooden keepsake box is my favorite interactive product and the perfect way for you to enjoy your child's birthday memories.  Frame the photos, or display them in the little wooden easels that are tucked inside of the box.  Keep the box, and every year add little mementoes from your child's birthday -- a photo of them blowing out their candles, their birthday party invitation, a special card that they received.  Or, have friends and family write them a letter each year on their birthday and tuck them away inside of the box for an extra sweet surprise to gift them with when they turn 18!

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Let's get real for a minute here -- who has time for all of this?  

Time to design albums, party invites, thank you cards, and keepsake boxes?  That's where hiring a professional photographer comes in.  Let me do all the work for you, and you can sit back and enjoy your baby's birthday celebration, knowing that I will create the wall art, the heirlooms, and the thank you cards so that you don't have to worry about a thing!

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday: Boston & Saratoga Cake Smash Photographer

Amalia Marie has been looking up at me with those sparkly blue eyes of hers since she was a newborn baby.  I first met Amalia's family last winter when they visited me for her newborn session, and then we got together last summer during a visit to Cape Cod for a family portrait session on the beach.  

When Amalia's mom started planning her birthday portraits months ago, I was so excited to help her bring her first birthday party ideas to life in a colorful portrait session!  

Amalia celebrated her first birthday with a Very Hungry Caterpillar cake smash inspired by Eric Carle's popular children's book.  This was definitely my most colorful cake smash to date, and I love how perfectly her outfit came together with our rainbow cake and banners.  Bringing together all of these creative elements is always my favorite part of preparing for our cake smash sessions, and of course watching our littlest clients taste their sugary treat is always a fun experience, too!

Just like with all of our birthday sessions in the studio, we made sure to capture some family portraits to celebrate Amalia's parents surviving their first year of parenthood.  Amalia's grandparents taught her how to throw her hands up when they exclaim, "TOUCHDOWN!", so of course we got an action shot of her and her daddy scoring a touchdown together.

I have loved capturing the three of them together this past year.  The walls of their home are now filled with so many beautiful memories from the past 12 months, and I'm certain that they're going to love adding many more memories to their walls as their daughter grows.  

Happy birthday, baby girl!

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Did you know that we often start planning a baby's birthday session when they are 7-10 months old to ensure a space on the calendar close to their first birthday?  I'd love to chat with you about your little one's cake smash this year!