The JOY. Baby’s first year is such a whirlwind, and that first birthday milestone is full of such much joy. Often clients weren’t able to schedule a newborn session for one reason or another, and before they know it baby’s first birthday is approaching; this is the perfect time to visit our New Jersey photography studio for first birthday portraits.

This lovely mama was excited to create an album to celebrate baby Maverick’s first birthday, as well as starting the process of designing a growing gallery wall to install once renovations on their new home were complete. We all agreed the studio was the perfect place for portraits that would look gorgeous on their walls.

Mom loved the bright, clean style of my portraits on the white backdrop, as well as the more contrasty black and white portraits that I like to create on my hand-painted canvas backdrop. Prior to our session, she looked through my blog posts and saw Winter’s session. She mentioned that she loved the portraits of Winter in black and white on the darker backdrop.

During our pre-session planning appointment, we discussed the wardrobe and various portrait styles we could use for the session. Mom showed me photos of her home so that we could decide what would look best when she created her gallery wall. I recommended dressing with texture for the black and white images on the canvas backdrop and had the perfect 12-month knit sweater for the birthday boy, as well as coordinating ribbed pants. Mom said that she had a darker camel chunky sweater and a lighter one, too, which I thought would look so sweet together. Mom tried on a number of dresses from the studio wardrobe, and honestly, every option looked amazing on her. We finally settled on a beautiful tan sheer-sleeved dress. We did need a pin to ensure the perfect fit, but you would never be able to tell by the images. We carry dresses in many sizes and can usually accommodate an even broader range of sizes by making these types of little tweaks.

On the day of the session, Mom loved the option of having her hair and makeup done at home before coming into the studio. This allows the children to run around at home while mom is being pampered. I am so excited to work with this little family again and put together a beautiful album that they can look back on and enjoy for years to come.