I finally know how my clients feel when they tell me they have been thinking about their cakesmash ever since their newborn session.  There is something so special about a first birthday.  It is a time when the end of babyhood is palpable.  You feel proud of the little person your child has become while longing for the baby they used to be.

I wanted Grace’s cakesmash to be extra special for her to look back upon.  Let’s be honest, her cakesmash was for me as much as it was for her.  It was a way for my photography to pause and celebrate a time that was so full of emotion for me!

I started brainstorming ideas after the rush of the Holidays.  First, I got busy on Pinterest!  You can see my inspiration board below.

I kept thinking “how can I do a set that no one has ever seen anything like?!”  So, I decided I would paint her a backdrop.  I had been picking up the brushes here and there for custom sets for my clients.  The only way to create a complete original… was to do just that!  I painted her drop more quickly than I thought.  In about two hours, acrylics mixed with charcoal to create spring time in Paris.  I felt really good about it.  I almost cried.  Mariah did cry!  It felt amazing to create something for my daughter from my heart.  A teeny tiny little reflection of my love for her.

We spent hours here and there in the weeks before the shoot preparing the branches and stars that filled our background with touches of spring sparkle.  Next came the outfit.  I ordered this adorable onesie from Tutu DuMonde.  I waited until two days before the shoot to try it on Grace.  It had been sitting in the box for over a month.  It was too big for my tiny girl AND it was the same color as her fair skin.  It was not going to work.  I panicked a little.  “Why do I always do this to myself?!”  Always last minute!  Of course my schedule for the next 6 weeks was insanely busy.  I was fully booked at the studio, planning a commercial clothing shoot, banging out 3 written interviews for blog features, flying to Seattle to teach at the Chic Retreat (another blog post coming soon!), and had a first birthday party to throw, all before heading to Maine for a family vacation.  Definitely no time to reschedule and wait for a new outfit to come in.

I called my friend Ashley at Framboozled Accessories and she saved the day.  She went to the craft store that night to buy supplies and had 2 beautiful tutus for me to choose from in the morning!  Add to that a gorgeous custom headband from my friend Bethany at Blossom Bands and the stunning cake by the always AMAZING Sweet Indulgence and my friend Kerri, and we had a cakesmash that made me smile inside!  I have some pretty fabulous friends!  Grace loved every moment of it.  The whole studio team and Kerri Cupcake watched, and Mariah quietly captured some behind the scenes video that has me crying every time I watch it.  Thank you so much to everyone who made Grace’s first birthday cakesmash so memorable.  It meant so much to me.  I never wanted it to end.

So here it is, Grace’s Cakesmash, Behind the Scene’s Video, and in the tradition of this blog being my only baby books for the girls, my birthday letter to Grace.

Grace’s First Birthday Cake Smash! from Heidi Hope Photography on Vimeo.

Grace Isabel. Our joy. You make every day a little lighter. You wear a smile when you wake up in the morning, pointing at the photos of our family on your nursery wall. You always attempt to say everyone’s names as if you’re saying good morning to each of us. When I lay you in the crib at night, you give me one more smile as you pull your blankie up over your eyes. You are our happy, go-with-the-flow baby girl. Easygoing is an understatement! Where did we get you? You are a social butterfly who loves commotion and a good party. You’ll gladly crawl into anyone’s arms and giggle at the attention. Singing, dancing and music make you so happy. We adore your silliness, the sweet way you scrunch up your button nose just to get a smile from of us. We call you our little peanut, Graciebelle. That’s because you’re so tiny, which makes me feel like you’ll still be our baby a little longer. I’m happy about that, because in my head, you’re somehow still the sweet newborn we brought home from the hospital. When I’m working in the kitchen, I can usually find you right under my feet. You’re so quiet and quick in the way that you explore your world. The best part of my day is walking through the door after work. You get so excited, you can’t catch your breath. You scoot towards me as fast as you can for your hug. A laugh escapes me every time. There is no better feeling. You love dada (gaga) and your sister (who you call jeej for GiGi). You think they are pretty hysterical and they certainly love to make you giggle. If there were just one thing I would want you to know about your first year, it is that from the day you were placed into our arms, you have brought so much happiness and laughter to our family. We love you Grace, Happy Birthday!

When mom showed me the adorable silver tutu she brought along, I died.  I said, “I have this really sparkly background that would look amazing with, want to try it?!”  Mom was all for it.  It was perfect!  Baby J was so teeny tiny and she slept right through our whole session.  She had the most perfect little doll features.  She snoozed in our pretty spring garden full of brightly colored hydrangeas.  She curled right up into the arms of her adoring mom and dad.  I could have photographed her all day!  And isn’t her mom one of the most gorgeous new moms on the planet?!  They were such a beautiful family and we had a great morning together.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

In just a few short weeks I’ll be flying across the country to teach at the Chic Retreat in Seattle, Washington!  I’m super excited to spend a few days immersed in photography with some amazing ladies.  Workshops are so inspiring, whether I’m teaching or attending, I always learn so much and leave feeling completely renewed.  Just last year I hadn’t ever flown alone, and now here I am, feeling like a real jet-setter!  One thing I’ve learned in the past few years from traveling with kids is that the more you plan, the lighter you pack, and the easier your whole trip will be.  For my upcoming travels, half of my suitcase will be full of props for my live newborn session, so I’m really thinking about how to reduce the other items I need.  Making everything coordinate is the perfect way to mix and match different outfits.  Wardrobe staples like skinny jeans and a blazer can be used throughout the trip and easily paired with colorful accessories.  Here are some of my top travel picks, in my favorite color … now I just need to convince Shaun that these are a reasonable travel expense!  ~ Heidi

Scarf:  Liberty London

Jeans: True Religion Stella Skinny Jeans, Nordstrom

Watch and Sunglasses: Kate Spade, Bloomingdales

Blazer, Tshirt, and Shoes: Jcrew 

Tablet Clutch: Brahmin (Meg’s new home!)

Last week ended on the sweetest note with gorgeous 6 month old B and family visiting our studio.  I last got to photograph her back in the fall as a newborn, and was so excited to see the beautiful baby she’s grown into!  She was a natural in front of the camera and the session flew by.  We started with an adorable tea party with her favorite teddies, and then decided B might want a turn on the swing too!  These swing pictures are a little bit of photoshop magic because baby is always safely supported by plenty of helping hands at the studio.  B was a perfect little breath of spring!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Wow!  Baby C is so completely gorgeous, it is hard to choose favorites!  She was so fun and sweet to photograph and I loved visiting with her family again.  They visited us just 6 months ago for newborn portraits.  I can’t believe how fast she’s grown!  6 months is my absolute favorite age to photograph.  The giggles, the smiles, the baby chub!  I love it!  Enjoy your preview G family, and your beautiful baby girl.  It was a pleasure as always :0)

I began this business out of an all-consuming love for photography.  Then the demands of running a successful business took over as it grew in leaps and bounds.  When Shaun and I took it a step further and began working together, we made an effort to leave work at work every day.  So I kept my word and, much to my relief at the time, left my camera at the studio each time we locked up.  It gave me some space from my professional life and probably kept me from becoming burnt out at our busiest.  Now that we have our amazing team in place and I’m not totally buried in work (thanks girls!) I find myself missing the camera at home more and more.  I’ll see the way the light illuminates a small detail of my home, or stare down at my daughter’s lashes when she’s laying on my lap, and wish I could capture it some how.  What is photography to me?  Work?  Play?  Love affair?  All I know is that once again I want my camera by my side to record all of the beautiful little details of my life.

This past weekend I brought my camera home and enjoyed a warm Saturday morning outside with G.  She still doesn’t like to look at the camera, so instead of trying to get her attention,  I let her run and play and enjoy herself as much as I was.  She grabbed one of Yia Yia’s hula hoops and took off!  My favorite image is the first.  She twirls her hair and sucks her finger like that when we cuddle… and I never want to forget it.

This sweet little girl and her parents came in last week for a newborn shoot and I had so much fun working with them all.  She was a little peanut and only a week old, so I thought for sure she would sleep.  Not her.  She wanted to stay up and enjoy her first modeling gig!  And what a model she was!  She stared straight into the camera with her big blue eyes.  She did sleep the first 15 minutes or so, and then the other 2 1/2 hours, we had to get creative.  I planted a new white garden which I think really brought out her stunning eyes.  I think we got some amazing shots at this session!  Enjoy your preview mom and dad.

I had so much fun with the family who came to visit the studio today that I couldn’t wait to share their preview with you! Sweet baby M was nice and sleepy and her big sister S was a fabulous model and helper. Toddlers can be very unpredictable in their reactions to their new siblings and often the attention showered on a new baby during a newborn shoot can exaggerate this. At 2 1/2 years old, S was so sweet to her sister, so helpful around the studio, and a total ham for the camera. We did the whole shoot in just two hours! I just adore the portraits we got. Here is a little sneak peak:

I seriously wanted to share this ENTIRE session as a preview. I could barely contain myself when I was editing. I must have called Shaun over to the computer 10 times to say “Isn’t this baby GORGEOUS!” And that was just for the first photo! Baby O was just as sweet as she was beautiful. I sure do love 6 month olds! Enjoy your preview mom and dad. I loved seeing you again and after you left Shaun said “We could have talked to them all day!”