First birthday and cake smash photography in Bicester, Oxfordshire
First steps, toothy grins and chubby cheeks covered in icing: all of a sudden your baby is one year old! It’s time to celebrate with a first birthday photoshoot at my Bicester studio – book in quickly before you blink and another year is gone!
“First smash cake. Sarah is very professional photographer who meets all our expectations. The photo session was perfect because of her organization, experience and the tricks she has to make you smile. All we have received was more than we expected. Pictures looks clean and beautiful thank you.”
Piotr, first birthday cake smash photoshoot client from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
What are first birthday shoots like?
Like all my photoshoots, first birthday sessions are fun, relaxed and baby-led:
- Fun: We’ll make funny noises and play loads of games with your baby to generate those big grins and giggles that you adore. I’ve got a whole drawer full of puppets, whistles and bubbles, and you can always bring your baby’s favourite toys, too!
- Relaxed: You don’t need to worry about a thing. I’ll guide you through everything you need to do, from what to wear on the day to how to sit or stand in a way that looks great in your family photos. There’s no set end time for my shoots, so we can stop for breaks whenever your baby needs a feed, cuddle or nappy change.
- Baby-led: Babies all have their own preferences and timetables. Some need a little time to adjust to a new person in a new environment. Others want to explore the studio straight away. Some have endless energy, while others prefer lots of short bursts of activity with downtime in between. I’ll work around your baby to ensure we get the very best from our time together.
“Sarah worked with us on a first birthday photoshoot. Neither me nor my husband particularly like having our photo taken, and our 15 month old daughter never stays still – so it’s almost impossible to get a good picture of the 3 of us normally. Sarah was such a pleasure to work with, she gave us plenty of guidance before the shoot and gave me a lot of advice about outfits for the day. On the day she was so great with Ava, made us all feel very welcome and comfortable in the studio and when we saw the final photos, just one week later – wow! It was actually quite emotional seeing them, Sarah did such a great job of capturing our personalities and the photos are also so natural which was very important to me. I’m sure we’ll be back for future photography, I’d recommend Sarah to anyone.”
Talitha, first birthday cake smash photoshoot client from Buckingham, Buckinghamshire
Can we include family or sibling photos during our first birthday shoot?
Yes, absolutely! As well as capturing your baby on his or her own, I strongly recommend that we include mum, dad and any older brothers and sisters in at least some of the shots, too. That’s because your baby’s first birthday is a milestone for the whole family!
Please don’t be put off if you don’t normally like photos of yourself, or hate being in front of the camera. I specialise in posing and lighting people to ensure they look their best.
And after all, there’s no risk – if you don’t like the family portraits when you see them, you don’t have to keep them. But if we don’t capture them, you won’t get the choice!
“We were gifted a family photo shoot with Sarah from close friends, we decided to use it to celebrate our sons first birthday. From the very first contact Sarah was a real pleasure to deal with, so thoughtful, professional and kind. She gave us lots of advice as to how to get the most out of the photoshoot as well as offering comforting words to myself (feeling not so body confident after having a baby!). When we arrived she was so welcoming and really made us feel at ease and spoilt with refreshments. She was great with my son and extremely patient not pressuring us into getting the shoot done in a set time, she just worked with what my son was happy to do. We received our proofs the following week and were blown away with how fantastic they were, in fact I can’t stop looking at them! We cannot recommend Sarah enough, she’s a real talent!”
Emma, first birthday photography shoot client from Cambridge
Can I bring props?
Yes, absolutely! Previous clients have brought along the following items to include in their baby’s first birthday photos:
- Baby’s favourite toys like trains and wooden blocks
- Baby’s favourite books or soft animal toys
- A framed image from baby’s newborn photoshoot
- A humorous or seasonal outfit, such as a Disney outfit, classic outfit or Christmas outfit
- Personal items, such as Beads of Courage
You can also bring multiple different outfits to achieve lots of variety across your session images, as there’s plenty of time and space to get changed. About 3-5 outfits for your baby is perfect, and 1-3 outfits for mum, dad and older siblings.
“We had such a wonderful experience with Sarah and she was very patient with us, this was our first family photo shoot my little boy had missed a morning nap so was a bit grouchy. Sarah was so great and told us that if we needed to take a break and let him nap then it would be absolutely fine and didn’t rush us throughout the whole shoot. My partner was so nervous about having his picture taken but Sarah made us feel so comfortable we completely forgot that she was taking our picture, it all felt so natural. We will definitely be going back for future family shoots and we can’t wait to receive our photos!!”
Tyisha, First Birthday Photoshoot client from Brackley, Northamptonshire
Can we include a cake smash during our baby’s first birthday photoshoot?
Yes, of course! After creating a series of timeless portraits of your baby with you as well as on their own, we can finish with a fun cake smash.
These always take place at the end of a first birthday photoshoot session as they get MESSY! You’ll get a whole series of images capturing your baby’s reaction to having a whole cake to enjoy by themselves, from tentative first tastes to a full face of icing 🙂
I provide a simple, timeless cake free-of-charge for first birthday shoots on request. Let me know if you’d like something more bespoke or if you’d prefer to make/bring your own special cake.
Please remember to declare any known allergies when requesting a cake smash as part of your shoot.
“We got Sarah to do our daughters first birthday photos and cake smash and it was an absolute pleasure. She made such an effort to find out things about us all before hand, as well any favourite toys etc that Belle liked to make the whole experience so much easier for us. Her studios are lovely and she made us feel at ease straight away with keeping our daughter entertained in between all the different shoots and outfit changes. The photos are absolutely stunning and have captured memories that will last a life time. I would definitely go back to Sarah again and would certainly recommend her to anyone.”
Lauren, first birthday photography shoot client from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
How to book
If you’d like to get booked in, or if you have any questions about first birthday photoshoots with me, please get in contact.
Let me know when you’d like to have the shoot, and ask any initial questions you may have. I’ll check availability, answer your questions and send you my price list and shoot Ts&Cs. If you’d like to go ahead, I’ll send over an invoice for the £75 session fee which reserves your first birthday shoot at my Bicester studio.
We can then book in a convenient time for your pre-shoot consultation. This is our chance to get to know each other and start planning your shoot. Normally this is via a phone call but if it’s more convenient to plan everything by email, or if you’d prefer to pop over to my studio for an in-person chat, just say!
“We had a family photo shoot with Sarah and she was so fantastic. Our 1 year old daughter did not want to sit for the photos but Sarah was so patient and had so many ideas to entertain her and get just the right shot. The whole process was relaxed and fun. Consequently our finished photos are outstanding – we love them! We would recommend Sarah to anyone.”
Mark, first birthday photography shoot client from Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire
About Sarah Plater Photography
Sarah Plater AMPA is a multi-award-winning qualified, certified professional portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 and Young Families Photographer of the Year 2022 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).
