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 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.