What is a Baby-Led Photography Session?

Your child gets to be in charge. 

If your child is nearing their first birthday, a lot of growing and learning is happening. Whether your child has taken their first steps or is a master crawler, they are likely on the move. You may wonder how it’s possible to capture the perfect first-year portrait of your sweet baby when they’re constantly moving and exploring. I’m here to share that it’s not only possible, but it’s actually a pretty fun experience for your baby (and me!). 

I’d love to share more about baby-led photography and what to expect during your baby-led first-year portrait session.

What Does Baby-Led Photography Mean?

After getting to know your family, I head into the session prepped with a few ideas. During the shoot, it’s ultimately up to your baby what we end up doing. Instead of posing him, we’ll simply encourage him to have fun and explore. For example, we’ll have your child play with a simple wooden toy to capture their expressions of curiosity and delight. 

What Can You Expect During a Baby-Led Photography Session?

If you’ve never experienced a baby-led photography session before, I’d love to share more about what you can expect during a baby-led session. Before the session, we’ll chat through some options that we’d like to have at the session. We can have a smash cake for your little one followed by a bath. We can have a few simple toys to bring out those sweet expressions (and maybe to keep them occupied).

I’ll have everything ready for your family at the studio on the day of the session. So, what happens if your baby isn’t in the mood to play with a specific toy? We pivot! We simply move on to whatever he’s in the mood to do. What happens if he doesn’t smash the cake “perfectly” and it gets knocked over first? We just encourage him to play and see what this yummy cake is all about.

Some of my favourite moments to capture are when baby plays with mom and dad. I love being able to document the joy on you and your baby’s faces. These images radiate love, don’t you think? Being able to hand mom a portrait of her with her precious child is such a gift.

Of course, throughout all the fun, I’m able to capture those treasured portraits that you get to display in your home and look back on for the years to come.

Niagara First-Year Portrait Photographer 

Not only should you celebrate your child turning one, but you should also celebrate parenthood. No matter if this is your first child or your fourth, the first year with your baby is special and goes by way too fast. Your baby-led portrait session is a beautiful opportunity to pause and document these memories that you can hold onto forever. 

If you have any questions or wish to schedule your portrait session with me, please send me a message here.

“Being in photos has never really been my thing so when we found Karen we couldn’t believe the amount of effort and love she puts into her work.

Karen took all our stress away by being the “one-stop shop” for photography. She had beautiful colour scheme ideas for our clothing. It was so nice not having to stress and find something just for photos, and she had the impossible task of dressing my significant other who normally only wears work clothing.

When it finally came to the day of the shoot I was nervous and excited. Karen was so professional and knew exactly how to get us to laugh and smile for the perfect photos. She eased my nerves within minutes of being with her, and the shoot was so much fun and a great memory Stephen and I will share forever.

The best part was that her hard work doesn’t just stop at the photo shoot. She helped us pick frames that best fit our home decor and the photos that will be placed on my walls for years to come.

Reflections is not just a photographer. It is an experience that I highly suggest to everyone.”

- Kylee Robbins

How They Chose To Enjoy Their Portraits