Saratoga Springs Cake Smash Photographer: A Whimsical First Birthday Photo Session

Where to begin?  I loved everything about this cake smash session in the studio to celebrate Valentina's first birthday.  Every single thing was MAGICAL.  When her mom first contacted me and told me her dream for a whimsical, soft, and feminine cake smash, I knew that we would be the perfect fit to bring this dream to life in the perfect portrait session for her baby girl.  

Every flower on the backdrop was handcrafted by me, and though it took hours upon hours to create, I am so pleased with how it turned out.  When I first posted a sneak peek of this baby girl on social media, it got a lot of love in my baby photography groups.  

The biggest surprise of all was that an amazing opportunity came out of this session, and I am now designing a line of custom photography  backdrops for Baby Dream Backdrops to sell on their site, with this sweet floral design being the first one!  I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity, and it just goes to show you that hard work pays off and your dreams can really take on new directions when you do what you love.  You can purchase the backdrop here, and more designs will be coming soon! 

Now, back to Valentina Rose.  She is the sweetest little thing, and her infinite expressions made us laugh throughout her session.  She was so happy and playful, and I could seriously photograph babies like her all day long and never grow tired of it.  

Going back through her images, I had the hardest time narrowing them down because so much personality shines through in each and every one.  We got together on her exact birthday for her reveal session, and her parents fell in love with every single photo of their baby girl who was right on the brink of toddlerhood.  Though she wasn't walking yet at the time of our session, two weeks later she was taking solid steps around the kitchen while we oooooooh-ed and aaaaaaaaah-ed over her photos.  This baby girl amazes her parents more and more each and every day!

Now are you starting to see why I had such a difficult time choosing favorites from her session?  She is seriously the cutest!  On to the cake smash, my favorite part of these birthday portrait sessions.  Between her outfit, the floral crown, the whimsical backdrop, and the swirls on the cake... this might just be my new favorite cake smash!  I will definitely be making some large framed prints and canvases to hang in the new studio, that's for sure!

Looking to plan your baby's cake smash session?  The recommended age for these sessions is between 10 months and 12 months, and families book as early as 3 to 4 months in advance!  I would love to talk with you more to plan the perfect session for your baby's birthday!  I'm booking cake smash sessions in our new Saratoga Springs portrait studio starting in early July, and I will continue to return to my Boston clients for cake smash sessions after the move to New York.  Use the contact tab above and let's chat!  

A Pastel Springtime Portrait Session with Sisters: Albany & Saratoga Family Photographer

Last week I shared a tutorial on how to create this amazing floral backdrop with paper, scissors, and a hot glue gun.  You can find the tutorial here!

With each session, I get more and more excited about creating unique sets for our clients!  I love simple colors and classic styles, and anything 3-D makes my heart beat a little faster as it comes off of the backdrop and brings your images to life.  Creating this floral backdrop was certainly a labor of love and it took many, many hours of cutting and gluing petals together with Netflix playing in the background.  I love it so much that I can't bring myself to toss the flowers, so I look forward to mixing and matching them in new ways for upcoming sessions.  (Just wait until you see the cake smash that will use these for a sweet baby girl!)

When sisters Lily and Evvie came to the studio for their springtime portrait session, I was excited to capture some sweet photos of the girls together with their frilly dresses, pastel colors, and our paper flower backdrop.  These girls were a dream to photograph, and we had so much fun together during their session.  This session embodies everything that I love to incorporate into my photography -- a little whimsy, a little sparkle, and the sweetest moments shared between family.

Love the look of these girly-girl dresses?  Me, too!  I have been adding to our collection of ruffled and sparkly outfits in the studio.  More info and a look book will be coming soon!