Nothing is as special as when your child turns a year old! 🥳 It only happens once and there are so many ways to celebrate! I love when parents schedule a photo session to document this important moment, especially when they are repeat clients. Mackenzie had a great time at her first birthday smash cake session! In addition to the cute outfit changes, she also had a purple monster cake! 🎂

I have been taking photos of the King family for a long time now. Five grown boys (and all of their own families) and A TON of photo sessions over the years….I have been fortunate to watch the family grow up. 🥰 I’ve had the privilege to shoot big brother Zach’s first birthday smash cake session in the spring of 2021. (You can read his blog post here!) Mackenzie’s mom, Vern, is always great to work with! She sends me photos of the outfits she has in mind and brings (some) props in to use during the session. I coordinate my backdrops with what her child is going to wear, and she trusts me when I tell her my ideas. 😍

Mackenzie recently had a “little monster” themed birthday party, so Vern brought some of the party decorations. I highly encourage all of my families to save some things from birthday parties – that way you can reuse the decorations for a photo session. Some parents want something completely different, and that is OK! I always communicate with my clients ahead of time to plan the photo session that they want. 😊 Vern ordered a smash cake from Ideal Bakery here in Fremont, Ohio. They always make amazing cakes, and several of my clients have used them for photo sessions.

Because I’ve photographed several families over the years, I’ve built a strong relationship with my clients. They trust me, in that I can just “play” and have fun with those creative ideas in my head. Knowing that my clients will be well taken care of. With any indoor smash cake session, I use multiple types of vinyl backdrops for the floor and the walls. These make it easy to clean when including cake, and I have enough colors to match any photo session. 😍 If you’re a photographer, I encourage you to invest in some of these for your studio.

Happy (late 🤪) First Birthday Mackenzie! You’re such a sweet little girl and I can’t wait to see you grow up! I photograph smash cake sessions anytime of the year, whether it’s indoors or outside. Schedule a photo shoot with me to celebrate your child’s birthday! 🎈