Birthdays go fast. (Extremely fast. You blink and the baby who couldn’t hold his own head up is now on his way to being taller than you.) Whether it’s the first birthday or the tenth, each one has something specific about it that’s worth documenting before it’s gone. At my studio in Farmington, CT, birthday photo sessions are some of the most fun ones I do, and they look very different depending on the age of your child and what you’re trying to capture.
This is a guide to all the birthday session options at Kelli Dease Photography: cake smashes, first birthday portraits, and milestone sessions for older kids throughout Connecticut.
What Is a Birthday Photo Session?
A birthday photo session is a portrait session built around a child’s birthday milestone. Simple enough. But the format changes a lot depending on the age of your child and what you’re after.
On one end, you have cake smashes: the gloriously messy sessions where a baby gets to interact with (and eventually destroy) a small cake with zero consequences. On the other end, you have portrait sessions for older kids, focused on capturing who they are at this particular age before they look completely different by next year. In between, there’s a lot of flexibility.
First birthday sessions can include a smash, formal portraits, or both. Birthday sessions for toddlers and school-age kids are essentially personality portrait sessions timed around a birthday. The goal in every case is the same: a set of photos that looks like your actual kid, at this specific age, right now.
Clients come to me for birthday photo sessions from across Connecticut, including West Hartford, Avon, Simsbury, and the surrounding Farmington Valley.
Cake Smash Sessions: When Mess Is the Point
Cake smash sessions are typically booked around a baby’s first birthday, somewhere in the 9-to-14-month window. The format is simple: baby in a cute outfit, a small smash cake, and a lot of “let’s see what happens.”
What actually happens is almost always entertaining. Some babies dive straight in. Some babies are more hesitant, wondering what this object in front of them is and whether or not it’s edible. Some babies are deeply suspicious of everyone in the room. All of those reactions make great photos.
A cake smash session usually starts with clean portraits before the cake arrives, so you get the sweet shots while the outfit is still intact. Then the cake comes out, and we see what your kid does with it. By the end, everyone is a little sticky and you have a gallery that ranges from genuinely sweet to completely chaotic (in the best possible way).
Cake smashes are booked as their own session option within the first birthday experience. They’re not automatically included if you book first birthday portraits. Rather, it’s an option you choose because you want the mess, the fun, and the ridiculous photos that come with it.
For a closer look at what these sessions look like, visit the cake smash and first birthday gallery.
First Birthday Portraits: The Milestone Without the Smash
Not every family wants a cake smash. That’s completely fine. A first birthday portrait session is meaningful on its own, even without anyone getting frosting in their ear.
The first birthday is a milestone that hits differently for parents. It’s the end of the newborn phase, the infant phase, the whole “we kept them alive for a year and somehow they got more interesting” phase. It’s worth marking with more than an iPhone photo at the party.
A first birthday portrait session without a cake smash focuses on your child as they are right now, capturing their emerging personality and the expressions that are already uniquely them. If you’ve done a newborn session or a sitter session with me, first birthday portraits complete the arc of the first year in a way that’s remarkable to look back on.
For families enrolled in the First Year Membership, the first birthday session is the final milestone in the package. It’s the bookend to the newborn session, and the before-and-after is something families consistently say is their favorite thing to look at.
You can also combine first birthday portraits with a cake smash if you want both. Most families who want a cake smash do portraits first while things are clean, and then bring out the cake. Both options are available, and we’ll talk through what makes sense for your child when you book.
Birthday Sessions for Kids Ages 2 and Up
The first birthday gets a lot of attention. But there’s no rule that says portraits stop being meaningful after that.
A third birthday is a surprisingly good milestone to document. Kids at that age have strong opinions, huge personalities, and expressions that are genuinely impossible to replicate later. The same goes for five, which feels like a real kid milestone, and ten, which might as well be a rite of passage. Every age has something specific about it that’s worth capturing before it shifts.
Birthday sessions for older kids run the same way as a standard children’s portrait session and a simple birthday prop is optional but always encouraged. Instead of booking a random date in the fall, you’re building in a rhythm: one session per year, around their birthday, creating a visual record of who they are year over year.
Some families make it a tradition from the start. Some parents use birthday sessions as a way to get individual portraits of each child without the sibling chaos of a full family session.
For school-age kids and tweens, personality portrait sessions are the format that captures this age best. Relaxed, low-key, and focused on the kid in front of the camera.
What to Expect at a Birthday Session in Farmington, CT
All birthday sessions happen at my studio at 29 Mill Street in Farmington (Unionville), CT. The space is calm, well-lit, and set up to make portrait sessions easy and relaxed, without elaborate themed backdrops or prop overload.
For babies and younger toddlers, we’ll build the session around nap schedules as much as possible. The best cake smash photos come from a baby who’s fed, rested, and in a reasonable mood. (Or a baby who’s in a slightly unreasonable mood and directing that energy at the cake. That also works.) We’ll talk through timing when you book so your session is set up for success.
The studio wardrobe is available at no extra charge for birthday sessions. I have options for babies, toddlers, and older kids that photograph well, and you’re also welcome to bring your own. I send wardrobe guidance to every client before their session so you know what to expect.
The session itself is low-key by design. If your kid needs a few minutes to warm up to me and the space, that’s normal. That’s most kids! We have time for that, and the photos are better when nobody’s rushing. Birthday sessions should feel fun, not stressful. That’s the whole point.
You can also add family portraits to any birthday session if you want to get some shots of the whole group while you’re already there. Just let me know when you book and we’ll plan for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best age for a cake smash session?
Somewhere between 9 and 14 months is ideal. You want a baby who can sit up independently and interact with the cake, but you don’t need to be locked into the exact birthday date. If logistics make it easier to schedule a few weeks before or after, that works fine.
Do we have to do a cake smash if we book a first birthday session?
No. The smash is a separate option you choose, not something that’s automatically included. You can book portraits only, smash only, or both. Most families who want the smash do portraits first while things are clean, and then bring out the cake.
Can I bring a cake from a bakery I love?
Yes, absolutely. You’re welcome to provide your own smash cake. Simple, clean designs with white buttercream tend to photograph best. Kelli will send guidance on what works well before your session so you can make an informed choice.
What should my child wear for their birthday session?
Whatever feels like them. For babies, something soft and simple usually photographs best. For older kids, solid neutrals or muted tones work better than anything with large logos or bright patterns. The studio wardrobe is available at no extra charge if you’d rather borrow than shop.
Can we add family photos to a birthday session?
Yes, that’s an easy addition. Let Kelli know when you book and she’ll build it into the plan.
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Kelli Dease is a Farmington, Connecticut newborn and family photographer specializing in timeless, light-filled maternity and newborn portraits, baby and children’s photography, and family portraits. She offers a relaxed, full-service experience for growing families, creating in-studio and outdoor portraits with a focus on simplicity and ease. Clients receive access to a curated studio wardrobe, thoughtful guidance throughout the planning and session process, and digital images, with the option to add fine art prints and albums. Please contact Kelli Dease Photography today to find out about session availability.
Kelli Dease Photography serves families throughout Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton, West Hartford, Burlington, Granby, and the surrounding Farmington Valley, Hartford County, and central Connecticut areas.
To see more of Kelli’s photos, please follow her on Instagram.
