It's Time to Celebrate!!

First birthdays are one of my favorites to shoot and if I am being honest, it is what really got me started in photography. For my oldest I decided to tackle the cake smash session on my own (with the help of my husband and of course our pup was on cleanup crew). Yes, I was already taking pictures of my son and had already posed him when he was really tiny but this was the first time I attempted a full on prop filled set. You should have seen the setup! I have a background in film and video so of course I needed lighting. This consisted of a floor lamp with a sheet to help diffuse the light. I know I have a picture of it somewhere and I know you would laugh! The end result wasn't bad (the first picture below is my handsome little guy) but it was just the first of many times I would force my kids into picture setups!

Now that you know a little bit of how it all began, let me tell you why I love first birthdays so much...other than they got me started on the photography path! I love them because it's a celebration not only for your baby that is turning into a toddler but also a celebration for the entire family. Whether you are a first time parent or a parent that is bringing other children along for the ride, you have all made it through a year of huge change. You have grown into a new family unit. There are days and nights that you wonder how you would get through a certain phase or if you would even sleep a full night again. This can be true for older kids as well but your tiny baby came with so much unpredictability and there was definitely not a handbook given out at the hospital! You powered through and made it through those sleepless nights, the colic, the never ending battle with teething, sleep training and all of the other hurdles the first year brings and you came out on the other side somehow loving that little one even more than the first day you laid eyes on them. When you do your first year session, soak up the year you had and celebrate the family you have become!

"The days are long, but the years are short" - Gretchen Rubin