A birthday photoshoot works best as either a short standalone session — the outfit, the cake, a calm ten minutes before the chaos starts — or as coverage woven into the actual party, catching the parts a phone camera always misses: the blown-out candles before anyone’s eyes are closed, the grandparent watching from the side, the exact second frosting goes everywhere.
First birthdays and cake smashes
These run on the child’s schedule, not the clock. I direct enough to get the frame — the outfit before the mess, the first bite, the full-on smash — and get out of the way for the parts that cannot be redone. Most families want this as a short standalone session rather than full party coverage, and that works well: twenty to thirty minutes is usually enough.
Milestone birthdays, any age
Fifth birthdays, thirteenth birthdays, fiftieth birthdays — any birthday your family wants marked properly rather than left to whoever remembers to take a phone photo. I can cover the party itself, a short portrait session around it, or both.
Booking it with the first two years
If this is a first birthday, the Milestone bundle covers it alongside maternity, newborn and an early milestone session for $575 against $700 booked separately. Worth asking about if you have not booked a photographer yet this year.
What to tell me
The birthday person’s age, whether you want a standalone session or coverage during the party, the venue, and roughly how many guests, so I know what to expect walking in.