Tip #1: Get Ready to Move

The newborn session was your chance to relax on the purple couch.....the one year session is the complete opposite. Wear your coolest, most comfortable clothes....you're about to work up a sweat. You'll be going from kneeling/sitting on the floor to hopping up almost continuously, sometimes every few seconds.

Tip #2: Sensory Overload

At this point in their development, babies are acutely aware of their surroundings.....every sight, sound, and movement grabs their attention.....toward the camera if that's where the sound/motion is coming from, or away from the camera at whatever is happening off to the side or up in the air. Our goal is maximum eye contact with the camera, as few images of their neck and the side of their face as possible. It's every parent's natural instinct to try to coax big cheesy smiles for photos, and for the most part that's fine. You know your child and you know what usually gets a smile at home. Here's what we encourage you to do for the session, particularly at the beginning.....resist the urge to try and get baby’s attention. Everything inside you will be telling you to say their name and tell them to smile. When you do that, they will look at you instead of the camera....and probably not smile....and they may even want to go to you. Since your main role this time is to physically place them in the setup....and often keep re-placing them each time they crawl away.....you’ll typically need to be kneeling at the right corner of the setup, ready to jump up to bring them back to the cake, adjust their clothes, be the spotter to keep them safe in the splash tub, turn them toward the light, seat them in the middle of the setup, etc. While you are off to the side, far from the camera, try to be as silent and motionless as possible. (It's soooo hard, we know. It goes against everything your gut is feeling.) 😏 Any sound or motion needs to be directly behind and low at the level of the camera.

*The difference your position/sound/motion makes*

Tip #3: The Cake

Reinforcing the suggestions from the Milestones page when you booked: Try not to wait for the session to be the baby's first experience with cake. (All it takes is a small frosted cupcake as a test.) Every child is different.....you could be setting yourself up for disappointment if your child, like the majority of one year olds, doesn't like the taste or feel of it. Usually it's the frosting that might send them over the edge. Whether it is a "naked" cake with a thin sheer coating or a fully frosted cake, they generally have more of a negative reaction to thick buttercream frosting.....you may want to request a whipped frosting from your baker, for a lighter less sticky texture.

We recommend letting your baby do whatever they want with the cake, even if all they want to do is look at it, play with the topper, remove little bits of decoration, etc. Pressuring them to touch it and eat it can sometimes be too much for them. For the hesitant ones, we will often put some little puff snacks on the back side for the illusion of them digging into the cake and putting it in their mouth. If there is a small snack item that your baby enjoys, bring it. A sippy cup of water or milk is also a good idea.

Tip #4: Familiarity

If there are particular songs/music that get a happy reaction from your baby.....makes them smile, dance, clap......have them downloaded on your phone for us to play the audio (unseen) behind the camera. (Unfortunately with the metal building, a decent signal for internet is practically non-existent.) If there is a favorite toy that is either a very neutral color or a color that coordinates with the color scheme of the setup, bring it. Tell us if your baby likes peek-a-boo or fake sneezes or some other silly sound or sayings.

Tip #5: Divide and conquer

If there's a second person attending......dad, grandma, aunt, whoever.....split the responsibilities. Have one on silent/still "chase and put back" duty and the other one, the "guaranteed smile getter", seated....not standing....right next to the camera (on the left side, between the camera and the light.)

Tip #6: Overall good feeling

If your baby has recently been or is currently teething, give a little Tylenol before heading to the studio, or whatever pain reliever/fever reducer you find helpful in those situations. Milestone sessions are usually scheduled for 10:30, but if that conflicts with your baby's normal sleep routine, please let us know several days in advance....the time can be adjusted slightly to accommodate the nap and travel time to the studio. If starting at 10:00, 11:00, or 11:30 makes it easier to have a happy baby, let us know. The session lasts no more than 50-60 minutes.....we'd love to have their happiest hour of the morning.....fresh from a good rest.

Tip #7: Realistic expectations

Human nature being what it is, every parent wants huge smiles from their child in every image, it's what we imagine in our minds. As much as we hate to burst your bubble, that might not.....probably won't.....happen. It would be rare and surprising. Some babies are just plain serious and prefer to simply observe, particularly in the strange surroundings of the studio. Non-smiling, non-cake eating images are just as beautiful indeed.....because your child is beautiful. Whatever their reactions are during the session, it is an accurate reflection of their emotions at that particular stage that you will be able to remember through these photos as they get older. Allowing them to be themselves is highly recommended. (That's personal experience talking....our Emma was one of those serious babies.....and then came the awkward frozen "cheese" years during childhood.....and now we get genuine natural relaxed smiles all the time as a teenager. Who knew?)

One final note:

We never want mom to be "banished" behind the light, hidden from sight without a view of the activity in front of the camera. That's not fun.....for mom or for us. We don't want anyone to miss out on the full experience of the session. We have had some moms, however, who realized that it was impossible to get any images because all the baby wanted to do was attach to mom every time they saw/heard her. Please don't be upset if you find yourself in that scenario and decide it's necessary to remove the distraction for the sake of achieving the images.