There’s nothing that warms my heart more than seeing a child develop and learn over the course of a year, and First Birthday sessions are always the best time to show off some special milestones, like standing with little assistance and simple smiles of joy. 

Isabelle’s always been a calm and happy baby, so we expected little issues when selecting posing choices, wardrobe, and set setup. We all know babies have their occasional diva moments, but we work through them easily.

First, we got some coordinating blue outfits from our Client Closet for our family of four, and took some pictures of everyone together. 

We used a few more simple minimalist props to celebrate, like our O-N-E letters, teddy bear with wooden cake, and our crib. Sometimes we need to soothe or distract children during shoots so we may use snacks as an incentive, which we did while using the crib (nobody puts baby in the corner!). Other times, we use squeaky toys and rubber chickens to get the attention of babies, and let me tell you, they work like a charm.

We originally planned to do a cake smash with little Isabelle, but the Auxt family had already celebrated messily about a week before, so we opted for the bubble bath instead. While not especially interested in the water, Isabelle was clearly interested in our fake bubble decor and the real bubbles flowing out of our bubble fan. 

We usually encourage parents to let their children nap before a session so they’re in a more cooperative mood when shoot time comes around, but every child has their limits, and we aren’t looking to push them very far.