Dream Come True Photo: baby girl turning oneDream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday First birthday? You made it! This is a milestone like no other. Milestone for a baby - in just one year your adorable little peanut went from a helpless tiny bundle, who had to learn how to eat, breath, and (most challenging!) sleep… to this giggly, plum cuteness, noisily toddling towards something they just shouldn’t touch… and will certainly do so. Touch, lick, and throw, if they get lucky ;)

And a milestone for you. For Mom. For Dad. You become parents with the first (and sweetest ever!) hug that you give your tiny newborn… but you really feel that you deserve those honorable titles once you get through this first year. With siblings or without, with grandma’s help (and advice) or without. You made it.

Both, all three, four, five or seven deserve to capture, commemorate and cherish this special birthday together. And I am thrilled to share a few tips how to make this experience the more enjoyable, less stressful, the most memorable!

Dream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthdayDream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday

1. “Divide and Conquer”.
   Julius Caesar, one of the best strategic minds of the humanity, had the right idea in mind: as tempting as it is to try to combine the first birthday party and the first birthday photoshoot… don’t. First birthday parties are yours’ to enjoy, and stressful in itself, so removing extra sources of anxiety would make the party more fun… and the images you’ll get from your photoshoot a ton more memorable and personal.
2. Pick the “Golden Hour”.
   Dream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - artistic image of an adorable little boy in a hat with suitcaseDream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - artistic image of an adorable little boy in a hat with suitcase The “Golden Hour” for photographers is usually the time of the day when the light looks its best, most flattering: morning and evening. The “Golden Hour” for your kid - is when he feels the most cooperative, positive, happy: right after a nap. Ideally - the moment she awakes and finishes her breakfast. Babies usually feel their best in the mornings, so coordinating your photoshoot around your baby’s schedule maximizes your chances of success exponentially. I am usually willing to arrive while the baby is still sleeping and wait for them to wake up, warm up and be ready to enjoy the best time of their day.
3. Dress for success!
   First year olds are both unlike the newborns, who don’t need any outfits at all and look naky-naky their best; and unlike their older sister, who would be happy to pack a ton of outfits and switch it every second. While birthday suit is still the most adorable - those chubby feet, those naked soft arms, are just heart-melting!, - you can definitely enjoy some cute little outfits. Some things to keep in mind:

   Dream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - boy with a hat and vest in a hot air balloonDream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - boy with a hat and vest in a hot air balloon Outfit Do’s

   Do pick solid colors! Do pick those adorable dressy suits for boys with formal pants, vests, bow-ties, regular ties! Do pick those sweet fluffy dresses girls go nuts about at every age! Do grab those knit little special somethings that grandma gave you - knit textures look amazing in photographs. Do enjoy the accessories: hats, ties, bonnets, beads Don’t worry about it too much - leave some room for those naky-naky shots, bare chest ones with rows of beads for girls or ties for the boys

   Outfit Don’ts

   Avoid logos, stripes, patterns - our eyes go straight to them, missing the baby! Avoid too bright or contrasty colors - all those things are distracting from your little one’s face. Skip the shoes! Naked baby feet are super adorable and make outfit changes faster and easier. If brothers or sisters (or you!) going to be in the shot, pick some neutral, solid color clothes for them, coordinating with your little photoshoot star. No need to be matchy-matchy, just something from the same color family. When it comes to family clothes, vary textures, not colors, and get more tips Best Kept Designer Secrets For Styling a Photo-shoot: Clothing Do’s and Don’ts

   
   Dream Come True Photo: baby girl detail during smash cake photo session in honor of her first birthdayDream Come True Photo: baby girl detail during smash cake photo session in honor of her first birthday
4. Smash those cakeS!!!
   Dream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday - cake smashDream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday This is not a typo. I do mean cakes. Babies usually are very cautious around things that are new, and most of the ones who never had cake before are absolutely adamantly against this experience. If you plan to do a cake-smash session, please,please, please, save yourself some aggravation and practice. I’d be rich, if I’d be getting a dollar for every time that I hear “my baby loves playing with his food or getting her hands dirty, he wouldn’t have a problem with a cake”, and then I get a baby who is completely terrified of the weird colorful monstrosity in front of him. Even worse - DIRTY HANDS.
   Dream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - baby boy crying on a first birthday cake smash sessionDream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - baby boy crying on a first birthday cake smash session I had a youngster whose mom decided to ask her pediatrician’s advice if it was normal, how much her little munchkin wanted to eat dirt, rocks, chicken poo, anything he could find in a park… and he was in hysterics every time a drop of his morning cereal ended up on his little chubby finger! Well, he deemed the cake completely inedible. For the first 40 minutes. And by the time he figured out how much he actually enjoys this sweet weird thing… it was a nap time already. We still got lots of wonderful shots… but save yourself some aggravation.
   
   If you want the baby to smash the cake, do-do-do let him discover what a fun activity it is a few times before the photoshoot: encouraging some exploration with a few cupcakes with cream or even cookies topped by whipped cream will do the trick! Dream Come True Photo: baby boy clapping during smash cake photo session in honor of his first birthdayDream Come True Photo: baby boy clapping during smash cake photo session in honor of his first birthday
5. Get the right cake.
   There are a few things to keep in mind when you are ordering a cake: color and texture. Texture: that’s easy - get a buttercream cake and leave it out on the counter overnight to be the softest. Skip the fondant (too hard for baby to break), and the mousse filling (could go sour on a counter, needs to be refrigerated overnight). Color: pick a light colored pink, blue or green. Just like with clothing - avoid bright colors - bright white cake will distract from your baby’ face, bright green will make the baby look like he got some mold, bright blue - will be just depressing, and bright red - like the baby just carnaged some prey.
6. Get ready to be messy!
   It is a great idea to pick an area of the house for a photoshoot, where do you don’t mind getting messy. I usually bring my seamless paper to make the cleanup easier, and keep an assistant close by to catch any runaway cake-smashers to prevent the sofas and chairs to take part in this fun experience.
   Dream Come True Photo: baby girl knocking cake over and creating mess during smash cake photo session in honor of his first birthdayDream Come True Photo: baby girl knocking cake over and creating mess during smash cake photo session in honor of his first birthday
7. Prepare some supplies:
   You need baby wipes, some bounty, a spoon (to help move/rotate/pick up the cake when it will be dropped on the floor - and it most certainly will - part of the fun!) and a sippy cup with water - the sweet cake gets somebody thirsty!
8. Dream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday - baby bathDream Come True Photo: baby girl photoshoot in honor of first birthday - baby bath after a cake smash are terrific ideas! Preparer a bath
   I really love to incorporate a bath into a photoshoot: even tired babies usually really appreciate some splashing, it gets you some very cute images, and offers another fun experience for everybody involved. I usually bring a bubble gun and ask the parents to prepare a soft fluffy towel. And, extra paper towels, of course, though seamless paper is a blessing in this one as well - it really speeds up the cleanup!
9. Grab some favorite blankie shots!
   Almost every one year old at that age has a favorite blanket or a special toy. Wrapping them for a last minute shot to commemorate this special friend - is another step in commemorating what they love right now!
10. Enjoy!
    Whether the baby loves the cake and dives right in, whether he starts out cautiously or right out in tears - it is a hilariously funny and irresistibly cute experience! With some good prep work and someone at the camera whom you can trust to capture these adorable experience the best - you’ll have both a memorable experience and some images to commemorate this special moment in both your baby’s and your own lives!

Dream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - adorable red head baby boy angelDream Come True Photo: first birthday cake smash photoshoot - adorable red head baby boy angel