Saratoga Springs Cake Smash Photographer: A Whimsical First Birthday Photo Session

Where to begin?  I loved everything about this cake smash session in the studio to celebrate Valentina's first birthday.  Every single thing was MAGICAL.  When her mom first contacted me and told me her dream for a whimsical, soft, and feminine cake smash, I knew that we would be the perfect fit to bring this dream to life in the perfect portrait session for her baby girl.  

Every flower on the backdrop was handcrafted by me, and though it took hours upon hours to create, I am so pleased with how it turned out.  When I first posted a sneak peek of this baby girl on social media, it got a lot of love in my baby photography groups.  

The biggest surprise of all was that an amazing opportunity came out of this session, and I am now designing a line of custom photography  backdrops for Baby Dream Backdrops to sell on their site, with this sweet floral design being the first one!  I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity, and it just goes to show you that hard work pays off and your dreams can really take on new directions when you do what you love.  You can purchase the backdrop here, and more designs will be coming soon! 

Now, back to Valentina Rose.  She is the sweetest little thing, and her infinite expressions made us laugh throughout her session.  She was so happy and playful, and I could seriously photograph babies like her all day long and never grow tired of it.  

Going back through her images, I had the hardest time narrowing them down because so much personality shines through in each and every one.  We got together on her exact birthday for her reveal session, and her parents fell in love with every single photo of their baby girl who was right on the brink of toddlerhood.  Though she wasn't walking yet at the time of our session, two weeks later she was taking solid steps around the kitchen while we oooooooh-ed and aaaaaaaaah-ed over her photos.  This baby girl amazes her parents more and more each and every day!

Now are you starting to see why I had such a difficult time choosing favorites from her session?  She is seriously the cutest!  On to the cake smash, my favorite part of these birthday portrait sessions.  Between her outfit, the floral crown, the whimsical backdrop, and the swirls on the cake... this might just be my new favorite cake smash!  I will definitely be making some large framed prints and canvases to hang in the new studio, that's for sure!

Looking to plan your baby's cake smash session?  The recommended age for these sessions is between 10 months and 12 months, and families book as early as 3 to 4 months in advance!  I would love to talk with you more to plan the perfect session for your baby's birthday!  I'm booking cake smash sessions in our new Saratoga Springs portrait studio starting in early July, and I will continue to return to my Boston clients for cake smash sessions after the move to New York.  Use the contact tab above and let's chat!  

A Where the Wild Things Are Cake Smash: Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

I truly love everything about our cake smash sessions -- cute babies & cakes & creative backdrops & photos... what more can a girl ask for?  Planning Maeve's "Where the Wild Things Are" cake smash was no exception, and I loved collaborating with her mom to plan the perfect outfit, a beautiful rustic cake, and a backdrop that would bring this Maurice Sendak's magical childhood story to life to celebrate this little girl's first birthday.

One of my favorite things about babies this age are the sweet, squishy little baby rolls on their arms & legs.  Maeve ROCKS those rolls, and her mom chose this little romper specifically to show those off.  Doesn't this just make you want to cuddle up with her?

Maeve might not have been so sure about her cake at first, daintily swiping at the frosting.  Before we knew it, she started what we called "the hulk smash".  Just picture this sweet little face scrunching up and hulk smashing her cake for a second... it's adorable!

And finally, let's finish up with a few images of a clean and sugar-free baby girl before her cake smash.  I just love this quilt series that we captured together!  Her mom brought this baby quilt, and Maeve brought her sassy personality.  Which is your favorite expression on that adorable little face of hers?

A Dr. Seuss Cake Smash | Boston & Albany Baby Photographer

JJ's cake smash was extra special. It wasn't just the Dr. Seuss theme that I created to match his nursery, or the sweet little outfit that his mom found on Etsy with the most adorable bow tie. It's the story behind what you see in these photos.

I first met JJ in October as a part of our gift sessions to local families for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. With his 1st birthday coming up, his mom knew she wanted to celebrate with a photo session in December. When we first talked about celebrating with a birthday session for JJ, I could tell how important this was to her to give her son this amazing and fun experience that is so typical for one-year olds.  

Though she did have one lingering question -- What about the cake?  JJ receives his nutrition through a feeding tube, and he is a healthy and happy little boy thanks to an amazing team of doctors and two loving parents.  Because he has Down syndrome, JJ may take a little longer to reach certain milestones such as sitting and eating on his own, but he is still their little baby who is turning one later this week, and it was so important that we document this milestone by adapting our cake smash to meet his needs.  His mom really wanted the cake, the messy frosting, the whole experience. So of course, we made it happen!

JJ's cake is actually filled with two pieces of styrofoam that I then decorated to look just like a giant cupcake. His frosting is extra squishy for those little fingers to explore.  I went out searching for the perfect vintage high chair to support him comfortably in a seated position, and I found it at a new antique & gift shop in Sudbury, Laurel Grove. These were two easy little tweaks that allowed this handsome baby to enjoy his cake smash.  JJ got to celebrate his first birthday with a birthday cake & a sugar high, just like his big sister did 5 years ago when she turned one.

So while the photos are oh-so-sweet, it's the story behind the images that truly speaks to my heart, and I hope to yours as well! Leave this birthday boy a little loving below in the comments, and tell us what you liked most about his session!

And of course, these photos of JJ pre-cake smash (and pre-blue frosting!) are too cute not to share.  I love how he is just chilling in the first one!  Such a cutie!

Would you like to see more photos of JJ?   Check out our post from Down Syndrome Awareness Month that features this little guy and so many other heart warming stories from local families.

Finally, want to learn more about Nicole Starr Photography's photo sessions in the Down syndrome community?  Read this amazing post about our collaboration with the National Down Syndrome Society for a series of rockin' photo shoots in NYC earlier this month!

A Personal Post: From Teacher to Photographer

You know what I loved about being a teacher?  The one thing that absolutely fired me up and never got old?  Bulletin boards. I was the first grade teacher that fell in love with bulletin boards long before I ever had my own classroom.  As a child, I loved the stacks of colored construction paper in my third grade teacher’s closet and the way they magically transformed into a beautiful scene on our walls overnight.  At 16 I started working at a preschool center, and it wasn’t long until the owner was paying my sister and I to come in extra and decorate the lobby with seasonal and thematic murals made from cut paper.  In college, our education professors actually graded us on our bulletin board creations, and by then they were these elaborate 3-D projects.

And then I had my own classroom, and I was the teacher that found pure bliss in having a room filled with 24 students, the floor covered in construction paper, and the children running to the hallway eager to place their creations on our bulletin board.  Whenever the week was feeling a little too long, you know what we did?  Art Day.

I was the teacher that found value in teaching my first graders how to cut, glue, trace, follow step-by-step directions, collaborate, and negotiate amongst themselves.  I loved the sense of pride that they developed when they marched into the hallway and pointed out their handiwork to their peers.  I loved the wonder and the exclamations of “WOW!” when they turned the corner and saw their hard work come together in a beautiful creation.  I loved the sense of ownership that was fostered, and the little community that grew from our Art Days.  I loved the way that from those bright squares of construction paper, a fun & whimsical scene was born that really pushed their imaginations while brightening up the bare cinder block walls of our school.

So, yeah.  Bulletin boards.

But what does that have to do with photography?

Well, yesterday I spent the entire day crafting.  The floor of the studio was covered in tiny paper hearts.  I was up and down a ladder, hanging fishing line from the ceiling for my next studio set up.  At one point I had to hang up the phone because of what can only be described as a “tissue paper explosion”.

The past two weeks have been spent hand-painting frames, giving a vintage high chair new life, creating a dreamy Christmas bed, drawing Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss’s books, and prepping for a cake smash.  I make more trips to AC Moore in one month than I do to the gas station, and my collection of upcoming projects for the winter months just keeps growing.

Pure bliss.

I feel so fortunate to enjoy a job that I can do with such passion, weaving together all of the things that I love:  creating, storytelling, and working with babies & children.

My husband came home from work yesterday and told me about this meeting and that meeting, these customers, this paperwork… And I told him about the floating hearts in our Valentine’s set up, the Dr. Seuss backdrop for the next baby boy’s cake smash, and the styrofoam cake I’ll be making tomorrow (more on that later) for one sweet little boy.

So while I may not be a teacher anymore, I’m happy to see that the one thing I have always loved is still a huge part of my day-to-day life.  After all, when you do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work.

Here’s to many more playful days spent crafting and creating.

A Musical First Birthday Cake Smash

Her name is Melody.  She loves music, singing, and dancing.  Of course we were going to do a musical themed cake smash for her first birthday photo session!

There are about a million and one reasons why I love cake smash sessions.  Cute babies, cake & creativity top the list.  I had this idea for a backdrop of floating hearts created from sheet music, and it came out just as beautiful as I had imagined it would.  I love when that happens!

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It wasn't long before Melody knocked the entire cake right off of the cake stand.  Let the smashing begin!  She really got into it -- just check out her toes in these next few photos!  I just love it when the babies get so into the smashing that it is all they can focus on.  So sweet!

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pink, teal and gray cake smash

pink and teal cake smash session

baby cake smash birthday photo session

The end of the smash always gives us the most comical reactions from the babies -- "What do you mean that cake's all gone?  And you want to wash me?  No way!!!"

music musical notes first birthday cake smash

Want to see the birthday girl in action?   Check out this adorable video clip!  I'm pretty certain that Melody LOVED her birthday cake!!

[video width="320" height="576" mp4="http://nicolestarrphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/30-3380-post/video-1446218810.mp4.mp4"][/video]

Happy birthday, baby girl!

View the rest of Melody's birthday session & family photos here.

A Sparkly Birthday Cake Smash {Maria}

There's something so magical about celebrating your little one's first birthday. I'm not talking about the parties, the decorations, the gifts.  I'm talking about reaching that monumental milestone that marks your first year as a family of three.  365 days of weathering the ups and downs while getting to know who this little baby of yours is.  12 months of parenting success.   Victory.

I love it when families come to me for their baby's first birthday session, and I always make it a point to snap some gorgeous memories of the whole family together.  Think about your little one's first year.  You have a million photos of your baby, a couple of your partner with the baby... and you're not in any of the pictures, right?  Jump in the frame and show your baby that you were there, that you were loving and happy and present.

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Doesn't Maria have the most amazing sparkling eyes?  I could photograph her sweet & soulful expression all day!  And this little blue romper of hers?  I'm in love with it!  It was the perfect outfit for her one-year session.

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Maria's mom wanted to celebrate her daughter's first year with a little *SPARKLE*.  Of course, I was thrilled about her pink and gold themed cake smash and was so excited to pull together the most gorgeous set up for her baby girl.  Sparkle and NSP go hand in hand, as you well know.  ;o)  Enjoy a few of my favorites from her sparkly cake smash session!

WM pink gold birthday cake smash set up

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

This little miss LOVED clapping her hands together, and I'm pretty certain that half of the photos from her session have her cheering herself on and looking to us to continue the applause.  Such a little cutie!

boston saratoga photographer

boston saratoga photographer

Happy Birthday, Miss Maria!  And congratulations to her amazing parents on their first victorious year as a family of three.

Did you love Maria's girly-girl session?  Check out another sparkly cake smash photo shoot here!

Want to learn more about our birthday sessions?  Read about our first year & cake smash sessions.

WM pink gold birthday cake

Surf's Up! A Birthday Cake Smash Session

When planning any photo session, I always love talking with my clients to learn about their lives, their interests, and what they REALLY want out of their session.  For Jason's 1st birthday, his mom knew one thing -- she wanted a pineapple cake.  Pineapple was what she craved most during her pregnancy, and she always joked that her baby boy was made of pineapple.

I loved the idea of a tropical cake for her little one, and we used a beachy vintage surfer theme for the backdrop.  This summer I have gotten into hand-painting backdrops for our sessions, and I am absolutely loving it!  This was a simpler set-up, and the photos were adorable.  Little Jason was more interested in the dots on the floor than his cake, though.  A few weeks later at his birthday party, his mom and dad learned that it's not that he doesn't LIKE cake.  Not at all.  He just LOVES chocolate cake.  (Ours was vanilla.)

First birthday sessions are more than just a cake smash.  They are a celebration of your first year together as a whole family, and I always love capturing this evolving love on camera with some gorgeous family shots.  Jason was such an active little boy, and he loved the camera.  He was absolutely fascinated by it, and constantly had his eyes on me to see what I was doing with that big black square in front of my eyes.  So much curiosity!

There are a few of my favorite family shots of Nancy and Fabricio with their little boy.  I love it when families can just play, laugh, and love in the park by my studio and we capture these amazing moments of them together.

Did you love this birthday session?  Click on the "Contact" tab above and let's plan your baby's first year session!

Want to see more like it?

Check out other recent cake smashes here and here.

A Whimsical Pink & Teal Birthday

Look who's turning one! I had such a fabulous time planning Anna's cake smash with her mom.  Some families come to me and say, "I'm not the creative type.  I trust you.  I'm sure you'll come up with an amazing set."  Other families come to me in the planning stages and tell me a few ideas, we share inspiration photos, bounce ideas off of each other, and then I finish the final details in planning their session!

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Anna's mom knew that she wanted to do a cake smash birthday session outdoors, which I was very excited about.  She wanted something girly, soft, and whimsical for her daughter.  She loved inspiration photos that I sent her with pinks and teals, and fell in love with these tissue paper balls upon first glance.  That plus the perfect location (Larz Anderson Park in Brookline) with the most incredible light sparkling through the trees in the distance meant that we had the set up for a STUNNING cake smash!

I love seeing the cute little outfits that parents find on Etsy for the children's sessions.  This ruffled and lacy teal diaper cover was no exception, and it was just perfect with those pearl beads!

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Anna was so full of personality and I loved capturing her at this age.  The first birthday is such a milestone, and your little baby is growing into quite the little person!  Those rolls on the legs, her excited new clapping skills, and those teeth poking through are just a few of the things you'll want to remember about this age.

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first birthday

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While a little dainty at first, Anna quickly got all into her cake and was loving every single frosting-covered bite!  Her big brother Mikey wasn't one to just sit on the sidelines and watch his sister enjoy that whole cake to herself, so he jumped in.  These next photos weave together perfectly to tell such a comical story of Anna realizing that Mikey loved her birthday cake...

And just like that, Anna is all done!

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pink and teal cake smash baby birthday session boston_0018

See the rest of this family's beautiful session at Larz Anderson Park by clicking here.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Did you love this cake smash?

Check out another sparkly cake smash session here.

Is your baby turning 1 soon?  Let's chat and plan their birthday session!  

Email me by clicking on the >>CONTACT<< tab above.

Baseball and Babies

In case you didn't get enough of the little birthday boy cutie here at his cake smash, check out the rest of his session pics!  It was the last of the outdoor fall photo shoots I took this season, and we were thrilled to be able to go outdoors for a few family shots.

Sox or Yankees?  It's a friendly battle in this house!

And mama smooches are the best.  Just look at his little face and the way his eyes light up!  So adorable.

And finally, one for just the boys.  Happy 1st Birthday, Stevie!

Stevie's 1st Cake Smash

Stevie is turning one!  Remember his sweet newborn photos from last winter?  It's hard to believe that this little December baby is a year old already.

When I met his mom a year ago for his newborn session, she excitedly asked me if I did cake smashes.  I love babies.  I love cake (like, I REALLY LOVE CAKE).  And of course, I love photography and capturing moments in time.  So back then, cake smashes were something that I was so excited to get into and I was thrilled that we were already planning a session a year out.  When chatting about the smash again over the summer, she asked me the most important question of all: "Is it good cake?"  I reassured her that of course, it was the most delicious cake ever provided by the talented Jacqui at Cakes by J&J.  Jacqui made us a gorgeous cupcake cake with a stunning chocolate base, and it was perfect.

I love the photos when the cake first piques the babies' curiosity.... "Just checking things out... What IS this thing?!?!...... For ME?!?!?!"

Stevie was a little hesitant at first...

But before long he was really into it, smashing away and busting out some dance moves to show how much he was enjoying his first birthday cake.  Mom, Dad, and I were dying laughing and enjoying the little show he was putting on for us.  That's the best thing about these smashes -- the curiosity and the laughter that comes with the babies' pure joy and elation!

SUCH a fun cake smash.  I love his little expressions in these photos.  What a great afternoon!

Happy Birthday, Stevie!

After the Cake Smash

After Ryan's first birthday cake smash, we had an adorable idea for his AFTER the cake smash session. What do you do with a baby covered in frosting who is most definitely on a sugar high after his cake smash?  Stick him in a tub, of course!  And then you snap away with the camera!

Can't you just tell how much he loved it?  :o)  Such a fun way to end our session.

This cake smash was so much fun.  I can't wait to schedule a few more!  There are so many creative options that we can do with this type of shoot -- what would YOU like to do for your child's first birthday cake smash?  The possibilities are truly endless.  Let's chat!

Ryan's 1st Birthday Cake Smash

This is my new FAVORITE type of session!  I'm so excited about all the opportunities that will come from this first birthday cake smash. I've been wanting to get into cake smashes for awhile, and when Kristi contacted me to schedule her little boy Ryan's 1st birthday cake smash, I was thrilled.  We exchanged so many emails before the session, planning it right down to the colors so that everything would coordinate with Ryan's little birthday outfit.  Check out his cute tie, hat, and diaper cover from Etsy!  I made the ribbon streamer backdrop to match!

We met at Hanson's Farm in Framingham, a gorgeous location that was very special to the family.  I happen to have an affinity for farms and barns, so I was in love with this location for our shoot!

After our gorgeous family pics....... out came the cake!  Kristi ordered the cake from the talented Jacqui over at Cakes by J & J in Framingham, MA.  Jacqui and I are now partnering up for future cake smashes and events!  So thrilled at this networking opportunity!

Ryan was all over this cake.  At first he was a little hesitant, but once he realized that you could eat it... wow, he went wild!

Ryan was absolutely adorable!  He really got into it, and Kristi and I were just laughing so hard watching him.  When your own two hands aren't enough, what's a boy to do?  Use his foot to hold the cake in place!  Limbs were flailing everywhere -- so sweet!

I loved capturing his amusement and wonder on camera.   :)

Just wait till you see what we did for Ryan's AFTER the cake smash portion of the session... check back tomorrow for more!  You're going to LOVE this!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ryan!

This cake smash was so much fun.  I can't wait to schedule a few more!  There are so many creative options that we can do with this type of shoot -- what would YOU like to do for your child's first birthday cake smash?  The possibilities are truly endless.  Let's chat!

One and Wonder

Happy 1st Birthday, Genevieve!

One year ago, Genevieve was the first newborn that I had ever photographed. She was also in my much-liked photo of the Christmas lights baby.  I've learned a lot since then, though it's hard to believe that a year has gone by already!  Genevieve's first birthday was on May 18th, the same day that two of my other baby clients also turned one!  A popular day for first birthdays, that's for sure!

So when she was 366 days old, I went to her home and photographed her in the same sunroom where we had been a year earlier with baskets, quilts, and a newborn who wondered what in the world was going on around her!  This time was a bit different -- Genevieve is so curious and inquisitive, and I loved being able to capture that on camera!

She was wearing a handmade sweater that had been her mother's when she was a baby.  When her mom was planning the shoot, the only thing she knew she wanted for sure was for this sweater to be on her little girl.  We joked that it didn't matter what the temperature was, and it didn't matter if she'd have to squeeze into it -- she was going to wear that sweater!  And it came out so adorable and precious in the photos of her with the same handmade quilt from her newborn photos.  I love when you can use heirlooms like that to tell the story through your family's portraits!

It's a big untraditional, but this is definitely my favorite image I captured of Genevieve's little family.  Such a sweet moment capturing a one-year old's wonder.