First Birthday Photo Sessions
A Milestone to Celebrate You and Your Child
Meet long-time clients the VanBenthems! After shooting Bria’s newborn session last year, it was a beautiful afternoon celebrating her growth at her one-year milestone photo session. Mom (Rebecca) took some time to step back and see it all happen from my perspective, while we captured Bria and her brother Wyatt having fun in the studio!
What can you expect during your child’s one-year photo session? Here are a few of the adorable moments I can offer your little one during your time at the Reflections of Life studio:
A cake smash
A bubble bath
Standing, sitting and movement photos
Sibling play photos
Minimalist toys
Family snuggle photos
Beautiful Wardrobe
I’ll get into more detail on these as you read on. In this blog, we’ll talk about why you don’t want to miss your child’s first-year milestone photos. I have thoughtfully curated a photo experience for you and your family that matches the quality of the photos I provide you at the end of it.
Your Baby’s First Birthday:
One year old? Oh baby! Where did the time go?
But what an incredible stage. Your baby has just spent 365 days growing immensely. You’ve seen them in every season of the year now, snuggled up in their winter gear, and rosy-cheeked in the summer. They have a defined personality that makes you laugh (....and sometimes want to cry). You know what makes them laugh and cry, and they’re starting to babble their way through the day. And I truly pray for your sake that they have a really solid sleep schedule now … but if not yet, I promise you will get a full night’s sleep again someday Mama, and it will be glorious.
Yes, there is so much to celebrate! One of my favourite past times is scrolling through photos of first birthday parties to see how families like to celebrate their child’s first year of life. From Peter Rabbit-themed garden parties to barnyard-themed animal parties, there are so many creative birthday party ideas out there to help you throw a fun, beautiful birthday bash!
But with your child’s first-year milestone photos, I want to celebrate you too, and all the things you’ve carried along with your baby over the last year.
A Mother’s First Birthday:
Let’s be honest, through every new stage of your baby’s development, you’ve changed too. You’ve never loved so much and slept so little. That changes a person. You’ve stepped steadfastly into motherhood knowing that your child’s every need depended on you:
You feel in tune with their natural rhythms
You can hear the slightest noises from their crib at any hour of the day, from anywhere in the house
You’ve sharpened your reflexes to catch them before they even finish thinking about pulling the cat’s tail.
For the first year of their life, it can feel a lot like your baby is an extension of you. And some days, they are so attached to you – physically and emotionally – that it’s easy to forget that you are separate people.
Having worked with many Mamas in the last 15 years, and having four children myself, I know that the transition from year 1 to year 2 can be a tricky one for a lot of moms, as their babies begin walking around more freely, and become less dependent on you. You’re so proud of them and also – why don’t they want to snuggle as much as they used to?
You know it’s good for them to have a rhythm and start experiencing things on their own, but big decisions around breastfeeding, your mat leave, and daycare have you feeling overwhelmed, and maybe even a little sad. Part of you just wants the 3 a.m. feeding snuggles back.
Myself included, I’ve talked to so many mothers who are surprised to experience a sense of grief around this one-year stage, mixed in with the excitement.
I think, especially as mothers, it’s important to experience the full range of emotions we’re capable of. But I also love helping my clients see that at the end of Baby’s first year, they are at the beginning of an exciting new chapter, for both of you!
First-Year Photo Sessions to Celebrate Both of You:
This is why I absolutely adore first-year photos as an important piece of your milestone photo collection for you and your baby. On one hand, you are celebrating the first year of your baby’s life and their journey into a new chapter. It’s so incredible to hold these first-year photos up to other milestone photos and behold the immense change they’ve undergone.
You are celebrating their journey so far, and also the journey to come in the next year.
But there is also you Mama. There is always you, no matter how old they get. Even when you feel like no one notices you. The time you spent an hour trying to match socks in the laundry. The mornings you woke up and tried again after being utterly defeated the day before. Throughout every page of the 27 times you read Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? Every Cheerio thrown on the floor. Every bath, every playdate you’ve organized, every outfit changed, every uneaten meal … your precious fingerprints are all over your child’s life, and each one is helping them grow into the loved, confident, valuable people they are.
You are always there, showing up every early morning and late night.
When you book your child’s first-year photoshoot, I will show up as your family’s memory keeper, to help you enjoy the moment by being in it with your child, or by creating space for you to stand back and see your child from a new perspective.
The important thing to remember is that I’ll plan this session from start to finish, you don’t have to lift a finger! I’ll coordinate the wardrobe for your whole family, my stylists will take care of hair and makeup and I can even come and install your gallery wall when you’ve chosen your prints! This is how I make sure you feel as loved as much as your little one.
Come as You Are:
Here is why I love taking your family’s photos: I love being able to help you remember the good days on the days that bring you to your knees. We need to live with the memory of the good times, and hold on to the real feeling that good days have happened, good moments can spring out in the middle of bad days, and there will always be good days coming our way again.
Photos on your walls will be constant reminders of this.
Some moments of life with a one-year old are right out of a movie. Everything smells like sweet-pea bubble baths. There’s a jazz band crooning in the background as you wear your matching Mama-Daughter outfits for an afternoon out on the town, or you watch your son’s eyes follow a butterfly beside you while you garden or you notice them discovering something for the first time like a bird chirping or something glittery. You wonder, how did I get so lucky?
And then some days will be hard. Welcome aboard the hot-mess express! Ear-piercing screams, siblings fighting, people staring at you in the grocery store, splitting headaches, food on the floor and somehow the wall.
I know both these visions well, and everything in between.
Whether you arrive at the studio feeling put together and calm, or totally frazzled, I am here to ease you and your child into a session that will unfold with grace and beauty. Having four children of my own, I am well-versed in gentle patience and knowing how to bring out the inner joy in your one-year-old.
With an open, minimalist photo studio, your children will have a safe, roomy place to move around freely and be themselves. Not only do the neutral tones of my studio lend themselves to bright and airy photography, but they help promote a relaxed atmosphere without over-stimulating your littles. And you don’t even have to worry about packing multiple bags of distractions – I have a lovely assortment of toys and books for your kids to use in the photos!
I love helping you enjoy meltdown-free family photo sessions, where we don’t ever need to force smiles – I’m an expert at creating real, irresistible joy and capturing it!
I’ve put a lot of thought into curating the toys in my studio to help with this.
Toys That Teach Our Kids To Play:
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
Welcome to My Kid-Friendly Natural Light Studio:
And in fact, play is the most natural form to capture our children in photos. That’s why I’ve been really mindful about what toys I bring into my studio: wooden blocks and cars, big soft pillows, a magnifying glass, an X and O block board, white feathers, bubbles, neutral-coloured bath toys, and delightful children’s books (of course including Beatrix Potter’s classic Peter Rabbit). The simplicity of these toys allow your children to use their imaginations and practice playing
Here are my criteria for curating toys in my studio:
Neutral
Natural
Minimal
By choosing toys, furnishings and decor made from natural materials like wood, cotton, linen and rattan, I’ve created an environment that’s fit for all the hard work you do to keep your children and household cared for naturally. I’m a big believer in simplicity – giving children the gift of minimalism has been really helpful in creating calm, playful photo sessions with one-year-olds and their older siblings (fewer decisions + less pressure = less stress on everyone!)
The biggest delights come in the simplest packages (there’s a reason our kids always want to play with the box the new toy came in).
Giving them a couple of items to feel welcome and have fun with (like toy blocks or a wooden camera) gives them a way to feel into the situation at their own pace without overstimulating them. When they’re ready, they’ll get a little more adventurous – move around, stand up, play with the sheer curtains. Over the course of growing my own family, I have mastered patience, and I truly enjoy watching each child open up at their own pace.
Wardrobe They Feel Good In:
You don’t have to worry about spending hours searching online for the perfect one-year-old outfit, then buying multiple options and having to return half of them. I will take care of coordinating clothes and accessories for your baby. I’ve chosen clothing items that bring all the cuteness you want for your baby, while also not distracting from their natural one-year-old beauty - their dimpled cheeks, their rolly polly legs, their round little bellies and those big doughy eyes …
And obviously those cute little baby bums!
(My little one-year clients just love running around naked after their bath time).
What a First-Year Session Looks Like:
We begin your child’s one-year milestone session with them in an adorable outfit that suits their personality and the feel you want in your photos. We encourage playing with the toys, snuggling with their siblings, sitting on the furniture … just being their adorable little selves!
From there, we transition into the cake smash! Kids absolutely adore this – many one-year-olds are starting to master picking things up with their hands, so getting to smash that cake, well, let’s just say they get to have the cake and eat it too! (Plus, I bake it fresh! Because you and your baby deserve only the best.)
Next stop – bath time! Now that your birthday babe is covered in delicious cake, a sweet little bubble bath is in order! We’ll fill it up with soft suds (I use bubbles from The Honest Company) and a couple special bath toys so we can capture them splashing in the water and squeezing soap suds in their hands. Not every child has a fun-loving relationship with the bathtub, so if your child doesn’t enjoy the bath - not to worry! We’ll let them splash the water and play with the bubbles from outside the tub.
Either way, we’ll end it with some precious photos of your one-year-old clean as a whistle, swaddled up in a soft, fresh towel.
And oh boy, if only someone told us before we bought a closet full of baby clothes that all kids really want to do is run around naked all day …
We’ll let them be in their glory as they waddle bare bummed through the studio so they can just be themselves and feel the freedom of being in their adorable little bodies that they are moving more and more every day.
From start to finish, I’ll make sure you and your family have a lovely time at my studio because great times always result in great memories and stunning photos.
Conclusion:
The one-year milestone in your baby’s story is a can’t miss event to capture in keepsake photos. While you are busy planning a first-year birthday party, I want to make sure you have time to celebrate too. I invite you into my studio to be taken care of, pampered and supported with gorgeous photos as you work every day to write a beautiful story for your family. With you as the author, and me as the illustrator, we can tell your amazing story in the most beautiful way so you can pass it down for generations to come.
About This Beautiful Family
The VanBenthems have been beloved clients of mine for four years now. They’ve come to me for photos during big brother Wyatt’s newborn session, a family session, a maternity session and also Bria’s newborn session. It has been such a blessing to walk with Rebecca and Brian through each exciting new stage of their unfolding family story.
View Their Finished Artwork
–How they made their house feel more like home–
Client Testimonial
“We have been using Karen for years now and we are continually blown away at the quality of work she produces for us. One of the things we greatly appreciate about Karen is her ability to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere during your sessions. There have been times where we have arrived well-rested and prepared and other times where it felt like we arrived via the hot mess express, but as soon as we all get together, the energy shifts to a comfortable atmosphere where you can really focus on getting some great moments with your family. Some of my favourite photos that Karen has captured for us are so organic in nature where we are just being ourselves and each individual’s personality can be seen.
Karen takes the time to ensure that each family member is recognized and heard. She is also incredibly patient and understanding when working with children, which is greatly appreciated as it can be a bit stressful as a parent when your child decides they’re done and would really just like to play with the toys over in the corner.
I truly never realized the importance of using a professional photographer until we had children - I am so incredibly grateful that I have so many beautiful images that document our journey together as a little family and that I can continually show my children as they grow up!” - Rebecca VanBenthem
If you’re expecting a new baby, connect with me. I highly recommend that you book your portrait session in advance to save your spot. 😊
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Hi there, I'm Karen! I am obsessed with newborn baby yawns, giggling kids, and jumpsuits. I'm a mama of four who understands the busyness of everyday life. I've learned to love and enjoy it through lifestyle photography. I know what it’s like to look back on my children’s first years and feel like they flew by so quickly. I don’t want any other mamas to forget what their baby’s little fingers and toes looked like all curled up. My hope is that I can help you create albums and prints to serve as physical reminders of these sweet times throughout your baby’s early years. Contact me for info.
