Getting Ready for your First Birthday Baby Photographs!

At 12 months, your baby will be either standing with assistance while holding on to a stationary object, or taking first steps. We get great results with both scenarios. Some clients choose to schedule the session to be as close as possible to the actual birthday, while other clients prefer to wait until their baby is starting first steps and is able to stand independently. 

The timing for planning a 12 month session can be a challenge for getting the first steps milestone just right. While ideally we want a baby to have their walking legs, we may not want them to be so proficient that they run off on us! A fast walker (aka a running toddler) is one of the hardest ages to capture in photographs. The ideal stage is when the baby is just learning to walk, and might just actually stand in one place and not go anywhere. 

First birthday sessions at 12 months of age take place on weekdays and select Saturday mornings in my studio in Lynn, MA. Mornings are always best. Here, I have all the props, lighting, supplies and resources necessary to capture amazing portraits for you. 

I set aside 90 minutes for the 12 month session to make sure we have enough time for the 12 month baby portraits, possibly some family portraits, and the cake smash, too. 

I have recently relocated to a lovely studio in Lynn, MA, easily found along Route 107, just south of the Salem line. Be sure to see the directions page for how to find me.

The 12 Month portrait session has the most number of clothing changes of all the baby sessions! It's time to dress your child as a little person, with both formal and casual attire. Come with several clothing styles and colors, and together we'll sort them out and decide which order to use them. We generally start with the most loved outfit to make sure we've got it, and then prioritize the rest. And we close out the portrait session with the cake smash, so we dress your baby accordingly. Feel free to bring more than you need, and I can help you choose. 

If you have a special handmade blanket, that would be great to bring with you to add to the portraits of your baby. Or you may bring a special stuffed plush toy that you would like to incorporate into a portrait. Simple is best. Bring a binkie or pacifier (if the baby uses one), extra diapers, extra supplies for feedings (if you are not breast feeding). You can pack a snack for yourself, or pick up a a bite to eat down the hall at the Uncommon Feasts cafe (if you’ve forgotten to eat before you come!).

For girls, bring a range of outfits, including dresses and casual clothes. It's best to choose dresses that flair out at the bottom, so that the dress does not hike up when the baby is seated. Casual clothes like jeans, shorts and pullover shirts or sweaters are great. Shoes are not necessary, unless the outfit works best with them. You can even bring a bathing suit, as that can be adorable!

For boys, bring a range of outfits, including collared shirts as well as casual clothes. A classic button down oxford shirt is adorable on little boys. Casual clothes like jeans, shorts, jerseys, sweaters or sweater vests are great. Shoes are not really necessary, unless the outfit really calls for it. I have an assortment of bow ties at the studio, or bring your own. It's adorable on little boys. You can even bring a bathing suit, as that can be super fun, too. 

Depending on the outfit, shoes may or may not be needed. Most babies at the first year are so new to walking, that shoes feel very foreign to them. 12 month babies just learning to walk may prefer bare feet. Often, the most formal outfit might work best with shoes, but once we move on to the more casual clothes, they might get tired of standing and prefer to sit or crawl, and we'd rather see the bottoms of their feet than the bottoms of the shoes. 

Yes! I have found it is simplest to pick one up the day before the session and be prepared for you. It's one less thing for you to bring. I pick up a simple personal sized 6" cake with white frosting and vanilla center. A cake any larger is just too big. Of course, if your child is lactose intolerant, gluten free or has allergies, we will arrange another plan. 

Yes, if you prefer. Most clients love that I take that responsibility off their to do list. I prefer simple yellow cakes with white frosting. If you bring your own, I recommend avoiding bright colored frosting, as it honestly gets really messy, and the smeared colored frosting can almost look like a bloodbath in the aftermath. 

The cake is the most favorite prop to use in the 12 month portrait session, but I also love to use the wooden and classic chairs I have at the studio. Babies feel so grown up when they sit in a chair. I also use classic wooden blocks a great deal, as a way to keep the attention of an active crawler from taking off. And stuffed animals! Love the stuffed animals in the portraits with babies. 

At the studio, there are a number of useful props to help with the session. Wooden and upholstered chairs, wooden blocks, children's picture books, stuffed animals and a fishbowl (filled with fresh water... the fish is photoshopped in!). 

Yes, if you would like, it's a great time for a family portrait. While we focus most of the attention on the baby, the 12 month session is a wonderful time for a parent to jump in for a few portraits, if you desire. It's completely optional, as not all parents are feeling camera-ready and are happy to have us capture the little one alone. Siblings are welcome, too. Keep in mind, we keep the family portrait time fairly brief, as there is plenty to cover in this final milestone session! 

Depending on the colors you have chosen for your baby to wear, it is nice to coordinate in the same family of colors. While it's not necessary to match, it is nice to wear clothes in the same color palette. Generally speaking, solid colors work well, and are much more easily retouched if drool happens, too!

The 12 Month session is a great time for a family portrait or a sibling portrait. Often I will cover these images first, before the sibling loses interest. Additionally, it can be fun for the sibling to join in at the very end for the cake smash for some more candid portraits, too. Keep in mind, we keep the sibling portrait time fairly brief, as there is plenty to cover in this final milestone session! 

Approximately one week following your session, we invite you into the studio to review all of your images, assist you in making your selections and to place your order. We recommend that all of the decision makers are present at the time of the ordering appointment. I’m happy to accommodate you in the early evening for these appointments as well. This final ordering appointment is also when we design the album! You won't want to miss this one. 

While I may photograph dozens of captures in a given session, however not all are keepers. I’ll capture as many images as necessary in order to present you with a strong body of images. Typically, I’ll present you with the best 25-35 images in order to simplify your selection process. Sometimes we end up with about 40 images, as the cake smash will have a fun sequence of images. 

A baby portrait session in the studio is $200. However, most clients take advantage of the Baby Plan special ($200), and enroll in the year long plan to get three sessions for the price of one. Included in your initial investment is Bobbie’s time and talent during the session and a personalized follow up consultation to assist you in making your portrait order selections. The session does not include portraits.  

It’s entirely up to you how much you decide to invest in from your session, choosing from our gift portraits, framed wall art pieces, canvas wraps or custom hardcover books & albums. We offer personal, gift & desk sized portraits which range from $65 to $195. Our signature hand-finished wall art pieces range from $325 all the way up to life-size. In general, most clients spend in the range of $900-1500 or more per session. Most clients enrolled in the Baby Plan choose from our packages that span all three sessions, which start at $1995. 

We understand that personal emergencies, illness or inclement weather sometimes require sessions to be rescheduled. We kindly ask that you provide as much notice as possible in order to make the time available to other clients.

Generally speaking, we prefer that you refrain from any picture-taking during your session…. after all, we take the time and care to set everything up for that perfect portrait using our special props and years of experience! However, that being said, we understand that social media is a big part of our lives and if an opportunity were to arise where you were able to capture a fun behind-the-scenes shot, we are all for that. And if you do, we’d LOVE it if you tagged us in the post!

No worries — we see this all the time. Every portrait you select as part of your order will be individually enhanced for lovely skin tones. We will smooth and soften blemishes or boo-boos or dry skin (and drool, too!) so not to worry!

Of course! In fact, we encourage you to come visit the studio in advance of your session, to preplan your session and to get to know us. This is such an exciting time for you and we invite you to see our work and discuss your wishes for a successful baby portraits. We recommend that you schedule a specific date and time with us so that we are able to give you our fullest attention.

We’ve created a simple booklet to assist with a checklist of what to bring and sample images of what to expect. Be sure to download our 12 Month Getting Ready Guide.