Plan your little man’s 1st birthday photo shoot with these great ideas and helpful tips. May contain a few helpful affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
This tiny bundle of cuteness just turned ONE! And his sweet, mischievous little personality is really started to shine. It seemed like just yesterday I shared with you our funny gender reveal photo and now baby is walking!
Since we just had these pictures taken, I wanted to share with you a few things I learned along the way.
But I’ll be honest with you, I have regrets…
I regret that I didn’t get professional photos taken of all my boys first birthdays!
Because these pictures turned out so incredibly adorable! I took my own photos of the other three when they each turned one and even staged a little birthday set up. The pictures were pretty cute but not nearly as precious as the most recent ones taken by a talented professional photographer.
So if you are sitting on the fence about getting pictures taken – get them taken! You won’t regret it!
#1 Not all professional photographers are created equal
And just because they may take AMAZING wedding photos, doesn’t necessarily mean they specialize in taking the same caliber of newborn photos. So you will want to do a little research on whose services to hire.
I reached out to my neighborhood community Facebook group asking for photographer referrals. I then looked up the photographer’s webpage and social media accounts. After observing their work, I was able to decide which photography style I liked best.
Cost of course is a big factor! But remember you get what you pay. So make sure you like the photographer’s work. It’s no use getting pictures taken if you end up hating them!
And if they’ve been in the profession for awhile, they most likely will have props to use. My photographer was happy to bring some along, all I had to do was ask!
And that little yellow vintage car even kept my three year old content long enough to snap a few pics with him in it.
#2 It’s all in the outfit
You can have the most talented photographer ever but if your child’s in mishap clothing (unless you are going for that look) they aren’t going to turn out nearly as cute.
Deciding on the outfits is seriously the most stressful and overwhelming part for me. I really don’t understand why, it’s just clothes. But regardless, it is.
So peruse your favorite social media platform if you are in need of ideas. I bought little man’s outfit here.
#3 Include the siblings
I know right, more outfit overwhelm! But you won’t regret having all your favorite cute faces gathered around your youngest little one. And if you are bringing your entire tribe along, don’t forget bribery! Aka candy. You want everyone to be the best of spirits. So if you have to pass them a little sweet something to brighten their spirits, it will definitely be worth it!
We took the sibling’s photos first (while everyone was in a good attitude) and then took the baby’s photos.
#4 YOU be in the picture
This is a hard one for me because I am ever so judgmental of pictures that I am in. But you are bound to get one or two that you like.
#5 Poses that say them
Little man loves hanging from my fingers so I made sure to get it captured in his 1st birthday photo shoot.
#6 The classic smash cake pics
And of course you have to take the popular smash cake photos!
I have made healthy smash cakes in the past. They worked great but are not as pleasing to the eye, so we went full on sugar this time. To save me the headache of finding someone and spending the money, I baked my own simple smash cake. It turned out great and the “one” topper was the perfect finishing touch.
If your baby is wearing a special outfit, you may want to change his clothing before the smash cake part.
I actually didn’t have to worry about this at all because after he had one lick of the frosting, he wouldn’t take another bite! Ha! I think he didn’t like the texture. He kept sticking out his tongue as if trying to get it off. The photographer took a tad of frosting off the cake to plant it on his nose for sake of the picture.
#7 Frame and Enjoy
You went through ALL that work to capture your child’s first birthday milestone, don’t keep the photos buried on your computer/iphone/email!
To avoid the hassle of printing and then finding frames, I went with the company SmallWoods and they took care of everything for me! They shipped my framed portraits right to my door. And I ADORE them!
Our 1st birthday photo shoot was a success!
And I am so glad it is over and that I can now enjoy the fruits of our labors. Do you take professional pictures of your littles first birthday? What tips do you have?
A very special thanks to Anne Marie Photography for capturing these beautiful moments! If you are in the South Carolina area, I definitely recommend her services.
Great birthday boy photography….