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Hello, I'm Karen Kahn. Welcome to the Looking Up Photography blog, showcasing highlights of  client sessions celebrating baby's first year, useful information for your next session, and other helpful resources. Stay a while and enjoy!

Baby's First Year and Beyond

Austin – Classic and Minimal 1st Birthday Cake Smash – Greenwich, Connecticut

Cake Smash

Browse Austin’s Newborn Session

While I’m primarily a newborn photographer, I completely love documenting milestones, especially in my amazing studio. And photographing this effervescent one year-old was so very special.

You may remember that Austin’s dad Peter is a dear friend of mine. Mom Natalia has so much poise and is a classic beauty. Clearly, she has passed on those fabulous genes to her boys.

One of my favorite things about this family is their desire to capture individual personalities in the images I create for them. Their family’s love shines through – even in solo portraits like Austin’s cake smash photos. You can tell that Peter and Natalia lift up their boys and enjoy family life together. They also wanted a “naked” cake for Austin’s cake smash and I loved that! Austin was full of energy during our time together, running around the studio and being playful. In the shots below, you can see that Austin is a funny child. His eyes carry a distinct twinkle, and those cheeks are perfectly smooshable. Everything a little kid should be.

One thing I always encourage during a baby’s milestone session is not to worry about it at all. My clients trust me to keep it casual and to do everything I can to create a light, fun environment for their children. Especially when you book milestone sessions at the studio, you can even bring a change of clothes for your baby – in the event you want to switch things up or include milestone portraits on a birthday party invitation.

As I said though, I loved Peter and Natalia’s decision to keep things simple for Austin, with a preppy pair of chinos. This speaks to our home state of Connecticut quite well, as well as classic style, which Natalia is all about. I thought it best to stick to minimal portrait accents with the soft white and translucent balloons, and the soft light we had in the studio that day.

A one year old boy with sandy colored hair sits in a light gray overstuffed chair that is just his size. He holds a translucent balloon in his hands and the white background also has a few balloons on the ground.
A one year old little boy with big brown eyes looks into the camera with a slight smile on his face, his little hand reaching up toward his chin. He is pictured in a light gray, comfortable chair sized for toddlers.
Baby boy Austin is photographed on his first birthday, sitting in a white studio setting, holding a clear balloon in his hands. Translucent and white balloons of different sizes cover the studio floor and Austin smiles, looking slightly off camera.
A one year old little boy looks down at his hands, which are covered in cake frosting, as if he's wondering what to do about the mess. In front of him sits a naked cake on the floor of the Looking Up Photography studio in Greenwich, Connecticut.
A one year old little boy with a slightly protruding belly looks down at his smash cake and smiles. He has icing on his hands, chino pants, and feet, and the floor of the studio is peppered with clear and soft white balloons.
Baby boy Austin is photographed for his first birthday cake smash by Karen Kahn, of Looking Up Photography, Greenwich, Connecticut
A series of three portraits with different letter accents spell out the word "ONE" for a baby boy's first birthday milestone session. The little boy sits in different positions, with different expressions on his face, for each of the three unique portraits that make up the picture series.

What a celebration your first year has been, Austin! Many wishes for love, happiness, and all things good in every year to follow.

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