Timeless First Birthday Portraits with a Cake Smash

Baby Kennedy isn’t such a baby anymore! This little girl is now a year old! We celebrated with timeless first birthday portraits in my Saratoga Springs studio. Mom wanted a simple and classic session and to keep the focus on her birthday baby, which I totally get. With that in mind, we wanted to create really timeless portraits. I think we did it - and I hope you’ll think so too. Kennedy’s session really reminded me that sometimes less is more when it comes to a cake smash setup! 

We chose to do a simple backdrop of super white seamless paper, and let this baby girl be the star of the show! I’m a huge fan of simplicity, and I loved how timeless these portraits turned out. For some of the session, she got to sit in my favorite white highchair for her cake smash - with my infamous wooden birthday cake. Afterwards, we got her down and in her sparkly blue dress, she dove into the simple white cake we had for her. Kennedy was absolutely adorable and I LOVED watching her figure out how to get into the cake.  

It was also important to capture new portraits of her and her parents in the studio. Honestly, family portraits in the studio at this age are always so much fun! There’s also lots of laughs, big smiles, showing off their personality and new milestones achieved. Look at the big personality in the photo of Kennedy walking! Love it!!

Happy birthday, Kennedy! I loved planning and capturing your stunning timeless birthday photos. Enjoy this next year!

Save this post for later!

Classic neutral cake smash with balloon letters

Happy birthday, Bennett! This classic neutral cake smash was super special to me because Bennett has the same exact birthday as our little girl Adelaide! I have been photographing this family’s milestones ever since they were pregnant with their first baby, and it’s such a joy welcoming them back into the studio and seeing their family grow and change. Bennett was the happiest little birthday boy and his session was a great time for all of us! 

Katie, Bennett’s mom, asked for a setup that was soft, neutral, and classic. We did a neutral “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” setup when her son Carter turned one, and I wanted to use colors that would complement his portraits. With that in mind, we stuck with whites, creams, and gold. I can already imagine the portraits being displayed together in their home! They’re going to be so pretty hanging together on the wall or in an album the boys will flip through together for years to come. 

For Bennett’s session, I picked up these gorgeous gold ONE letters. They’re my newest prop in the studio for our cake smash sessions, and I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a prop since I bought the tiny clawfoot tub six years ago! These handmade letter sculptures shipped all the way from the Ukraine, and I am already dreaming up all the different things we can “fill” them with for our birthday babies! Balloons, florals… the options truly are endless! I think the neutral ivory and peach balloons that we chose for Bennett’s portraits turned out to be the perfect option! 

Happy birthday, Bennett! I can’t wait to watch you grow! 

---

Save this post for later:

A First Trip Around the Sun Cake Smash

Happy birthday, Brandon! This little astronaut came to my Saratoga Springs NY studio for his first birthday cake smash - complete with an outer space theme. When Brandon’s parents inquired and began planning their portraits with me, I was super excited about the theme they mentioned. As we dove further into possible colors and ideas, we settled on some blues and oranges, with silver accents. Everything felt super space-y and was the perfect fit for their little birthday boy! Brandon was an absolute joy to photograph. He loved the spotlight and was excited to dig into his cake from Kelly Skitchenny! I don’t blame him… it looked delicious!

We rounded out his first birthday portraits with family portraits on the sofa in my studio. I love the classic and simple feel to these portraits - just these three and lots of smiles! What a perfect way to celebrate a first birthday!!

---

Save this for later:

A Colorful and Playful Dragon Cake Smash - Saratoga Springs Cake Smash Photographer

Can we stop and appreciate my super creative clients that completely ROCK IT when choosing a theme for their baby’s cake smash?!?!

This sweet boy’s middle name is Draco, so we incorporated a dragon into his newborn session and also did a dragon cake smash with hints of their favorite color — green!

I loved how the whole setup came together with the fluffy cotton clouds, the twinkly lights, their little dragon stuffed animals from home, and the fire-breathing dragon decal on the wall. Just perfect!

Tips for choosing a theme for your baby’s cake smash!

The birthday boy loved his cake, and he dug right into it! There are a few things that make a cake extra-smashable and extra-photogenic for a cake smash.

• the type of frosting

• the flavor of the cake

• the color of the frosting

• how many layers

Want to learn all my secrets for choosing the perfect cake for your cake smash? Check out this super helpful blog post and jot down some notes so you’re ready to order your smash cake soon, too!

---

Save it for later:

A Simple Woodland Cake Smash for Baby Boy

I loved this cake smash session so much! Johnathan’s mama reached out and we talked about a simple woodland cake smash for her birthday boy, complete with birch trees, greenery, and tree stumps from their backyard. It all came together so beautifully, and the twinkle lights added a touch of magic!

Johnathan loved his cake, and he really dug into it! Now that he has watched his dad cutting down trees at home, he is obsessed with chainsaws and has a toy chainsaw that just so happens to be his favorite toy. Of course they brought it to his session, and it was so funny to watch him with his chainsaw and his cake!

But the biggest smiles came when he got into the tub! This birthday boy loved his bubble bath!

Every birthday session starts with family portraits, and we captured beautiful fall family portraits with bright and colorful foliage. We found the perfect tree-lined path covered in fallen leaves, and it photographed so beautifully.

---

Love this simple woodland cake smash? Pin this image or any from the post above!

An Ice Cream Cone Cake Smash for Ella's First Birthday

The first solid food Ella ever tried was ice cream, so naturally we chose an ice cream cone theme for her cake smash session! This sweet girl’s first birthday portraits were delayed due to covid closures, but we got her in the studio as soon as we could to celebrate the start of the toddler years. This little cutie pie LOVED the camera, and I can’t get over how adorable her little pigtails are!

Ella dug right into her cake, and kept looking at her big brother and sister to see if they were going to sneak in there for a bite! We let them join in at the end, and it was so cute watching the three of them together enjoying the birthday girl’s cake.

Her little dress was from our studio wardrobe. Isn’t it the perfect color on her?

All of our cake smash sessions begin with family portraits, and in the warmer months we’re lucky enough to head outside to nearby parks for family photos! We captured a good mix of portraits of the whole family, letting each child’s personality shine. These are going to look amazing on a new gallery wall above their sofa!

---

Inspired by this pastel ice cream cone cake smash? Pin this image or any from the post above!

A Tea Party Cake Smash for Mia's First Birthday

Oh, baby! Look how you’ve grown! The last time I saw Mia was for her tummy time milestone session, and now she’s ONE and back at our Saratoga Springs studio for a cake smash!

We wanted her first birthday portraits to complement her milestone portraits, so we used similar greenery and mauve peonies with twinkle lights for this adorable little birthday girl. We did a subtle “tea for one” tea party theme with a little ceramic tea set and a cake topper. Mia looked absolutely adorable in her fluffy white tutu, tying it all together for a perfectly whimsical and feminine look!

Such a beautiful baby! Look at those big eyes and how they just light up!

Mia dug right into her cake and really enjoyed smashing it! She especially loved using her spoon to bang on the cake stand and feed herself!

---

Inspired by this tea party cake smash? Save this image or any from the post above to plan your own studio cake smash!

A Georgia Peach Cake Smash and Family Portraits on a Porch Swing

Wondering how to choose a theme for your baby’s cake smash photo shoot? While we have a whole blog post filled with tips that you should check out, the first thing I always recommend to families is that you look at your baby and your family and find something meaningful or symbolic to you. That’s what we did with this session!

Meet Baby Georgia. Her cake smash theme was GEORGIA PEACH, and it was perfect for this August baby who was born in peach season!

We started talking about a cake smash theme for this sweet girl during her newborn session last summer, and when her first birthday rolled around we knew that we simply had to do a peach theme for their little girl!

We chose to do it in a similar style to the greenery and florals that I so often do in my studio sessions — all white, simple, whimsical, and classic. It came together so beautifully! I added a “Sweet as a Peach” cutout in the background and it tied everything together perfectly. The best part? Georgia LOVED playing with the peaches in the setup, and she looked so sweet in her peach romper!

But truly my FAVORITE part of this entire session was the beginning. We met at the family’s house for family portraits on the front porch. The same front porch where we did their lifestyle newborn portraits. It was incredible to see this family one year later in the exact same spot with their little girl, one year stronger, one year more connected, one year happier.

---

Love this peach cake smash and family photos on the front porch? Pin this image or any from the post to save this post!

A Summertime Family Portrait Session in Saratoga Springs with an Outdoor Cake Smash

What a cute family!  This mama was excited to capture some summertime portraits for a mommy & me session, and she dressed her little ones in coordinating nautical outfits to match the dress that she found for her daughter.  We had a blast running around Spa State Park for their portrait session, and the kids were all smiles.

I always love capturing a few extra special mom & baby portraits, and I love how cuddly Ronan was with his mama!  Just look at his adorable little smile, and those cute baby teeth!

We celebrated Ronan’s first birthday with an outdoor cake smash! We typically do our cake smash sessions in our Saratoga Springs studio, but due to the reopening restrictions after covid and the timeline of this session, we opted for an outdoor session for everyone’s health & safety. It did not disappoint! We did a fun little beachy theme for the birthday boy, and he loved digging into his cake!

---

Love this summertime portrait session? Pin this image or any from the post above to save the inspiration!

Family Portraits at SPAC and First Birthday Portraits

Ahhhh, it’s outdoor family portrait season again! I love our outdoor family sessions, and one of my favorite portrait locations in Saratoga Springs is in Spa State Park near SPAC and the Hall of Springs. There are so many gorgeous areas filled with beautiful greenery, pretty textures, and curvy pathways that photograph so beautifully.

I was excited to see this family of five for their portrait session. Their littlest, David, recently turned one and we did a cute little birthday setup at the end with a vintage wooden high chair and a mess-free wooden cake!

This family has been coming to me for years for their portrait sessions (ever since little miss Julia turned one!), and I love seeing how comfortable the kids are with me and the camera now. They had so much fun laughing and running around, and we captured some of their favorite-ever family portraits that I know they are going to enjoy for many, many years!

The wooden cake! How adorable is this?!?!

---

Inspired by this fun session? Pin this photo or any from the post above to save!

How to Choose a Cake Smash Theme for Your Baby's First Birthday Portraits

When my son turned one I had the hardest time deciding what to do for his cake smash theme. I mean, seriously, I’m a cake smash photographer so you’d think this would be easy for me! But no.

I went back and forth with so many ideas and finally settled on one that tied into our family’s story. My husband and I spotted a llama in downtown Saratoga Springs on our very first date, and over the years it became a lucky find for us whenever we spotted a llama. So llamas were kind of our thing years before they became “trendy”, and we settled on a llama theme for our little boy! It worked out perfectly because he had so many llama books and toys, and it was now his thing, too!

So if you’re like me and you’re wondering how in the world to pick a theme or an idea for your child’s first birthday portrait session, don’t worry! This blog post is filled with ideas to inspire you!

---

Just pick a color - no theme!

I love working with just a few colors and incorporating them into a festive setup with balloons, confetti, garlands, and cutouts.

PRO TIP: Choose the nursery colors and you’ll have the perfect spot to hang your portraits!

Pick a favorite song or book.

Baby Shark, Oh the Places You’ll Go (travel theme), Peter Rabbit, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are just a few that we’ve done based on books and songs!

Special Holidays

Was your baby born on a special holiday or in a particular season? Incorporate that into the cake smash! Christmas, New Year’s, Winter Wonderland, Fourth of July, Spring, Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving (with a pumpkin pie smash). These are all a few fun ideas!

Nautical - always a popular theme!

This is definitely one of the most popular requests I get for boys, and I love customizing it for each baby!

Florals - another popular request!

Blush pink florals and peonies are always a popular request for little girls, and I love coming up with new ways to design the cake smash setups so that each one is unique. Here are a few favorites!

Favorite toys

Maybe your child has a favorite stuffed animal and you’re planning his birthday party to match. That’s how we came up with this panda bear theme!

Favorite family activities

Does your family love to go camping? Bake cookies? Have pool parties? Travel? Visit the farmer’s market? Make that a theme for a very unique session!

Still not sure what to choose? That’s why I’m here! I love helping families come up with the perfect idea for their baby’s cake smash, and I’m happy to help you, too!

But if you need more inspiration, here are a few on my wish list this year:

• Ice cream shop

• Farmer’s Market/Flower Market

• Cookies & Cream/Oreos

• New Year’s Eve

• Little aviator

• Pastel balloon wall

• Ballerinas

• White & Gold

---

Love these cake smash ideas? Pin this image or any from the post above!

A Snoopy Inspired Cake Smash with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

Now this was definitely a unique theme for a studio cake smash this year — SNOOPY! This family loves Snoopy, and they even did this as a baby shower theme before their son was born! So when it came time to plan his first year cake smash, they knew right away what they wanted to do for his portraits.

First we started with family portraits at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs. It’s only 2 miles from the studio, and it’s one of the most versatile locations for family portraits, especially when we’re going to head back to the studio afterwards for the cake smash!

The birthday boy LOVED the camera, and he had so much fun playing and showing off his blossoming personality! I love all of the smiles that we captured!

And now, it’s time for SNOOPY! We pulled it all together with a beautiful balloon garland in colors to match his nursery.

He dug right into his cake, and he gave us the most adorable expressions throughout his cake smash!

---

Inspired by this Snoopy inspired cake smash? Pin this image or any from the post above!