Ada’s First Birthday Cake Smash and Family Photos

“Being a dad is the best job in the world,” Roff told me as he gazed adoringly at little Ada, sat mesmerised by Roff’s phone.

September 2020 update: The above portrait has just been awarded a Highly Commended Rosette by the Master Photographers Association (MPA). Ray Lowe, Chairman of the MPA, commented, “That’s what I call the grandparent shot – if I was their grandparent, this is the picture I would want. You forget your troubles. You look at that picture and it’s an absolute delight… happiness personified; absolutely beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… Sheer beauty in terms of a fabulous family portrait… I’m sure [the family] absolutely loved it… Just a delightful image. This is the portrait that the grandparents will cry over. [It] would look fabulous on the wall.”

“She’s the centre of our family and of our lives,” Brandi added, “Before we had her I didn’t realise that we lacked a centre, but now everything we do and say revolves around her.”

Ada is definitely a mama’s girl, as she particularly adores her mum. The feeling is mutual, and that one to one affection – being Ada’s favourite person in the world – has been the best thing about parenthood for Brandi.

This couple’s story starts in a different continent – America – 15 years ago. Both were studying at Georgia Southern University; Roff for his Masters in Accounting and Brandi for her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. Roff was working in the library when Brandi walked in to meet her roommate. He thought he recognised her, so went over to say hello. As they were speaking, he remembered where he’d seen her before: she worked at the Longhorn steakhouse, a place he’d been to on a couple of dates previously.

They chatted awhile and exchanged numbers, and then dated through college. Getting free appetisers at the Longhorn was an added date bonus!

Since then, they’ve been trying out a whole host of different places and lifestyles, as Roff’s job has taken them around the United States, and now internationally, too, to the UK.

In fact, if Brandi and Roff had to pick one word to describe their family, it would be versatile. 

“Our family is constantly in the midst of change.,” Brandi told me, “Within seven years, we’ve moved seven times! There always seems to be a new job, a new move, a new chapter. I would say we were ready for a rest, but if life dared slow down, I’m not sure we would know what to do with ourselves!”

There’s no chance of life slowing down now, however, as their beautiful daughter has learned to crawl and stand up. In no time at all, she’ll be walking and running.

High temperatures are a daily occurrence in their previous hometown of Atlanta, where air conditioning comes as standard in every building. It’s been a shock for the family to move here to Oxfordshire and experience the recent heatwave without the benefit of a cooling system. They eventually decided to get a domestic unit to help them feel more comfortable, and ensure Ada’s room doesn’t get too warm.

Ada’s First Birthday and Cake Smash photoshoot with me was on one of the hottest days of the year. We brought the timing of the shoot earlier in the day to avoid the worst of the heat and I placed some ice pack in front of a fan to provide slightly cooler air, which helped a little. Nevertheless I’m sure the family will be switching on that air con as soon as they get home!

COVID-19 has put a stop to their International travels for the moment. However, they are hoping to head off on staycation instead, taking in the beautiful town of Edinburgh shortly after Ada’s birthday.

In the meantime, they are quite content just watching her, interacting with her, and spinning their days around her routine, with Ada always at the centre, where she belongs 🙂

After our shoot, Brandi said:

“High quality experience! Sarah exuded the upmost degree of professionalism from the initial booking, to the planning and guidance, and throughout the photo-shoot in her comfortably accommodating studio. Sarah’s expertise was repeatedly apparent in her recommendations of colour palate and poses. The final images were truly works of art! I was fearful that my one-year old had been too moody and squirmy to capture good photos, but I was wrong! Sarah knew how to negotiate the little one’s mood and capture great shots of my baby and family. The packages were a bit expensive, but “you get what you pay for”, and what I got was GREAT images of my family that I can cherish for a lifetime!!”

Brandi, First Birthday & Cake Smash Photoshoot client from Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire

If you’d like to book your child’s first birthday cake smash photoshoot, or if you have any questions about family photography with me, please get in contact.

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning, qualified, professional family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).