Children's portraits don't need a lot of fan fare, decorations, or props to be beautiful. The purpose of my lifestyle portrait sessions is to focus on your child: who they are, how they behave, their personality. Don't get me wrong. Decorations can be lovely and create a scene for photos, but they are not necessary. So if you don't know what to bring for your child's milestone session, don't sweat it. Your child is the only thing necessary. But when in doubt, a cake helps.
This family proved that all you need for fun photos is a simple cake, blocks and a hat to mark the occasion.
We met at the Historic Pearl District on a rainy weekday morning. Weekday mornings are perfect for this very popular spot in San Antonio because you don't have to fight the weekend crowd (from farmers market attendees to families playing in the park to brunch buddies) or the evening night life. It's also a popular area for photography. Even on this rainy morning there were 5 other photographers walking around with their senior grads in search for dry land.
If it wasn't such a gloomy, wet morning we likely would have set up at any number of beautiful spots along the river. But with the rain, we settled for a very industrial backdrop instead. And I love how they turned out! The contrast of this cute kid eating ice cream against metal works from an old brewery is perfect. The soft lighting from the overcast sky is magical.
Before we began we squeezed in a few family photos. The parents were all dressed up so why not take a few minutes to grab a photo with their birthday boy? It's a big day, so I encourage at least one photo with the parents. Though I may have gotten a little trigger happy and took way more than a few.
He is definitely a momma's boy. Until there was a cake in front of him, all he wanted to do was be held by his mom. And there's photos to prove his attempts to stay in her arms. He got to spend extra time with mom, too, while Dad had to go get the cake from the car. Woops.
There are a few reactions kids have when presented with their first cake. Indifference. They couldn't care less about what is in front of them and takes some encouragement from parents until they discover the true joy that is cake. Bewilderment. They know exactly what is in front of them and they are look around like "really? this is for me? I can eat this?". And then there's this little guy who had no hesitation whatsoever. before his parents were even out of the shot his hand was in the icing.
His facial expressions as he enjoyed all that sugary goodness were hilarious.
My favorite part is when his parents joined in on the fun. There were a few times he had this look on his face like "why are you eating MY cake?"
And with any cake smash, it's all fun and games until the clean up. Always bring extra wipes, paper towels, a towel, change of clothes, and a trash bag to your baby's cake smash session. They inevitably sit on or step on their cake. It's just not messy faces and hands you'll be cleaning. I also help with cleanup, too. We made sure there wasn't any remnants of cake left on the ground, because that would not be good for all the animals and critters in the area, or for other guests to the Pearl. Always leave no trace :)
Is your child celebrating a milestone soon? A birthday? A new year at school? have they accomplished something? Are they now walking on their own? Commemorate the occasion with a photo session devoted to them!
Click here to learn more about my Children's Portrait Sessions and book yours today!
Please note. Yes, this was a children's portrait session, not a family session. I don't mind taking 2 or 3 photos of you with your child at the beginning of their session. However, a children's portrait session is meant for the kid, not for a mini family session. The remaining 25 minutes of this session focused on the kid which is why the few family photos were okay.