Family portraits during our first birthday sessions are always some of my FAVORITE portraits to take in a baby’s first year. This is when parents have just gotten through their first year of parenthood. There have been so many new and exciting moments, a lot of ups and downs, and plenty of victories as they get to know this tiny human they created.

These sessions are always filled with laughter and awe as they look at their little one’s budding personality, and when Barratt’s parents joined me in the studio for his first birthday session it was no different. They were so in love with their little guy, and these cuddly portraits are some of my favorites this winter!

Nicole Starr Photography | Saratoga Springs Cake Smash Photographer | Boston Cake Smash Photographer | Saratoga Springs Family Photographer | Boston Family Photographer Delmar NY Cake Smash Photographer | Loudonville NY Cake Smash Photographer

The cream sofa in the studio is one of my favorite spots for timeless images that really let your family and their personalities shine. I always love placing a one year old on the sofa by himself and letting him sit, laugh, crawl, stand, and explore. These make for the cutest portraits of your baby right on the brink of becoming a toddler!

We did a simple white and rustic cake smash for Barratt, and his mama requested that the only decor be our shiplap backdrop and bottle brush trees on the cake. Done!

Barratt, of course, wanted to make the trees go “timberrrrrr” right away!

Such a fun session with this sweet boy! Click here to see how much he has grown in the past 12 month for a peek into his lifestyle newborn session last winter.

12 months have flown by, and in the blink of an eye your baby is 365 days old. You're going to celebrate with a first birthday portrait session, of course. But what will you do with the images AFTER the session?

The last thing you want is to let them sit on a USB in a drawer somewhere, to forget about these moments that you captured of your baby's big smile, excitement, and curiosity. You want to remember the dimples on their finger, their first few teeth poking through, and those tentative first steps. But maybe you don't want to fill every wall of your home with cake smash pictures. Read on for 11 ideas on what you can do with your cake smash photos after the session!

1. Design birthday party invitations.

This is a perfect option for families that plan their cake smash at least 1.5-2 months before the baby's first birthday party. Most families do a theme for the party, and we can incorporate that theme into the invitations. From the shoot, to the gallery reveal, to holding your artwork in your hands, the entire turnaround time is typically one month from start to finish. So plan ahead and get those invites printed with your photographer!

2. Or, use the images for thank you cards!

Most families plan the cake smash close to the baby's actual birthday, so it's not always possible to send them out on party invitations. This is where thank you cards are the perfect alternative -- we'll even leave a little blank space on the back for a heartfelt handwritten note!

3. Hang them up at your party!

Many families like to share a canvas or a fine art album with their family & friends that come to celebrate at their baby's first birthday party. Bring a little easel and set it up on the gift table, or find a spot on the wall! After the party, move the canvas into the nursery for a playful pop of color on the walls!

4. Create a keepsake album.

Our fine art albums are my absolute favorite product that we offer, and they are the perfect way to enjoy every single image from your cake smash session. This will quickly become your child's favorite book, and you'll spend hours curled up on the couch telling the story of their first birthday while they point out "mama", "dada", and "baby". Bring it out every year on their birthday for a new tradition!

5. Complete your baby's first year book.

No baby book is complete without a first birthday. Use your cake smash images to end with a celebratory note!

6. Give the grandparents their favorite gift EVER.

Grandparents love photos of their grandbabies. Print a few 8x10s, or give them a small album from the session.

7. Enjoy an accordion album!

Speaking of albums, our accordion albums are wonderful grandparent gifts! These pocket-sized books hold nearly a dozen photos, and they are available in sets of three so that you can give a few away and keep one for yourself!

8. Tell a story with a storyboard collage.

A cake smash is all about the story -- weave 9 images together in a 3x3 grid and share all of the sweetest moments from your baby's session!

9. Hang a gallery wall in the nursery.

These playful images are the perfect addition to your nursery, and they're going to put a big smile on your face every time you see them -- even on the sleepless nights! Hang them in a spot in your home where you'll enjoy them every single day, and where they'll bring a little bit of joy to your day!

10. Do a "Smash & Splash", and hang them in the bathroom!

I love finishing our cake smash sessions with a splash in our adorable white clawfoot bathtub that is the perfect size for one-year olds. Most babies love water, and they have so much fun splashing around. We capture so many smiles and excited laughs during this portion of the session! This makes great wall art for your bathroom, and it's definitely a talking piece that all of your houseguests will ask you about, sure to put a smile on everyone's face!

11. Create a keepsake you'll add to every year with mementoes and letters for your child.

Next to our fine art albums, the wooden keepsake box is my favorite interactive product and the perfect way for you to enjoy your child's birthday memories. Frame the photos, or display them in the little wooden easels that are tucked inside of the box. Keep the box, and every year add little mementoes from your child's birthday -- a photo of them blowing out their candles, their birthday party invitation, a special card that they received. Or, have friends and family write them a letter each year on their birthday and tuck them away inside of the box for an extra sweet surprise to gift them with when they turn 18!

Let's get real for a minute here -- who has time for all of this?

Time to design albums, party invites, thank you cards, and keepsake boxes? That's where hiring a professional photographer comes in. Let me do all the work for you, and you can sit back and enjoy your baby's birthday celebration, knowing that I will create the wall art, the heirlooms, and the thank you cards so that you don't have to worry about a thing!

Book your cake smash session today!