They’re only one once. Let’s remember who they really were.
Your baby’s first birthday is full of little things you already know are disappearing too quickly … the way they laugh, the way they cling to you, those brand-new wobbly steps, and the personality that somehow got SO big in just one year.
At Cloud 9 Studios, our First Birthday portrait experience is designed to celebrate all of it. We’ll start with your family, create a few timeless portraits of your baby, bring out coordinating balloons for some birthday fun, let them loose on their smash cake, and finish with our playful little bathtub scene.
You choose the colors and tell us about your baby. We’ll help you plan the rest.
There’s a reason we say they’re only one once. Here’s what that really means →
Your Baby’s First Birthday Experience
Every baby walks into our studio with their own personality and we don’t expect them to suddenly become a tiny professional model just because it’s picture day. 😂
Some babies are walking. Some are running. Some want nothing to do with sitting down while others are completely content to never take a step and be carried their entire life. Some need a little extra Mom time before they’re ready to explore. That’s all part of the story.
We’ve been photographing babies and children for 20 years, so instead of expecting your baby to fit into our session, we let the session unfold around your baby.
1. We Start With Your Family
A few family portraits give your baby time to settle into the studio with the people they love most. Parents and siblings are welcome and those first few snuggly photographs often become some of our favorites.
Wondering why we always encourage Mom and Dad to get in the picture? Read Why this First Year was yours, too.
2. The Classic Baby Portraits
Before the birthday craziness begins, we’ll create a few simple, timeless portraits of your baby. A cute outfit, a clean white background, and that little face exactly as it is right now.
3. Bring On the Balloons!
You choose the colors to coordinate with your baby’s outfit or birthday theme, and then we let them play. They squeeze them. Chase them. Play peek-a-boo behind them. Occasionally attempt an escape with one. We follow their lead.
4. The Cake Smash
We’ll work with you to plan the colors and theme and provide a simple smash cake for your baby. And if your baby looks at the cake like what am I supposed to do with that? That’s okay too. We always recommend bringing a favorite snack. You’d be amazed how many “cake eating” portraits have a strategically hidden puff involved.
5. The Little Bathtub Finale
Once the cake fun is over, we’ll finish with our playful little bathtub scene and bubbles … one last chance for those giant smiles before we’re done. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure your baby is cleaned up before you head home!
And if your baby has a completely different plan for the day? We follow that story instead.
Worried Your Baby Won’t Cooperate? Good News: They Don’t Have To.
One of the things we hear most from parents before a first birthday session is, “But my baby won’t sit still!”
Perfect. Most one-year-olds don’t. 😂
If your baby just learned to walk, chances are sitting quietly for portraits is pretty low on their priority list. We give them something interesting to do, photograph them for the thirty seconds they’re fascinated by it, chase them when they escape, bring them back with something new … and repeat.
We’ve been photographing babies and children for 20 years. We know how to photograph moving babies and we don’t need your baby to behave a certain way to create beautiful portraits.
What if my baby cries or won’t leave me?
Then we slow down.
Sometimes a baby who doesn’t want to leave Mom simply shouldn’t leave Mom. We’ve photographed first birthday sessions where Mom was part of almost every portrait, and we don’t see that as something going wrong.
If your baby is clinging to you at this stage of their life, that’s part of who they are right now. Someday you may give anything to have them cling to you like that again.
So we’ll photograph that story, too.
What if my baby doesn’t like the cake?
No problem! We recommend bringing one of your baby’s favorite snacks with you. Puffs, crackers, little cookies … whatever they love.
We may or may not have taken quite a few cake smash portraits where the baby is secretly eating a puff instead of cake. We’ll never tell. 😂
What if my baby is shy or needs time to warm up?
That’s exactly why we don’t rush straight into the cake smash. We start with family and give your baby time to look around, play and figure us out.
Some babies are ready to party the second they arrive. Others need a little more time. Both are completely normal.
Your baby doesn’t need to perform for us. Our job is to meet them exactly where they are and tell the story they give us.
What Does a First Birthday Session Cost?
Our First Birthday Experience is $75 to reserve your session and includes up to one hour in the studio, your baby’s smash cake, coordinating balloons in the colors or theme you choose, and a $50 portrait credit to use toward the purchase of your artwork.
Portraits are purchased separately after your session. You’ll stay with us for your ordering appointment in our media room, where we’ll help you choose your favorite images and decide how you’d like to enjoy them in your home.
Print collections begin at $375, digital collections begin at $695, and albums and wall art begin at $895.
Curious why we’re so passionate about creating something tangible? Read more about Why First Birthday Artwork Matters.
There is no required portrait collection included with the session fee. What you purchase is completely up to you.
Not sure what you might want yet? That’s completely okay. Most families aren’t. We’ll walk you through everything.
First Birthday Portraits Should Feel Like Your Baby
There is no “right” way for a one-year-old to behave at their portrait session.
They can laugh. Cry. Run away. Refuse the cake. Cling to you. Throw a balloon across the room. Decide the one thing they absolutely MUST have is the puff we were hiding behind the cake.
We have been photographing babies and children for 20 years. We know how to slow down when your baby needs more time, change directions when something isn’t working, and follow their lead when they have a completely different idea than we did.
Because the goal isn’t to create somebody else’s perfect first birthday pictures.
It’s to create portraits that feel like your baby.
Photographing Children
We’ve photographed just about every personality imaginable. Walking, running, shy, silly, serious, clingy — they’re all welcome here.
Designed Around Your Baby
We have a plan for every session, but your baby gets the final vote. We slow down, change directions and follow their lead.
Artwork Made to Be Lived With
We’ll help you choose your favorite portraits and create artwork your child can grow up seeing in your home.
What First Birthday Moms Say:
“Many times I’ve taken my little ones in convinced due to their age and attitudes that no one would be able to capture any good pictures. Jeanine proves me wrong again and again. Her photos are worth every dime because I will treasure them forever.”
“Easiest 5 stars EVER! Our 1 year old photos are simply amazing and capture our son’s personality perfectly! The entire experience has been incredible and we plan to make this a yearly tradition for photos!”
“I look at my daughter’s one-year album almost every day—it’s become part of our daily rhythm. She loves pointing out her photos and saying, ‘Baby!’ It reminds me how quickly she’s growing and how grateful I am that we captured that stage so beautifully.”
It’s Easy to Get Started
Schedule Your Discovery Call
Choose a time that works for you. We’ll talk about your baby, your ideas, and what you’d love to remember from this stage.
Celebrate Your Baby
We’ll help plan the details and guide you through a relaxed one-hour First Birthday session designed around your baby.
Choose What You Love
After your session, we’ll help you choose your favorite portraits and decide how you’d like to enjoy them in your home.
Watch this video below to see behind the scenes of a First Birthday Portrait Experience! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
🎂 First Birthday Portraits — Frequently Asked Questions
When should I schedule my baby’s First Birthday portraits?
There really isn’t one perfect time! Some families choose to have their baby’s portraits taken before their first birthday, especially if they’d like to have portraits or artwork ready for the birthday celebration. Others schedule right around the birthday or shortly afterward.
We recommend reaching out as soon as you know you’d like a First Birthday session so you’ll have the best choice of dates and plenty of time for us to plan your colors, theme, cake and clothing.
If you’re working toward a specific birthday or party date, let us know during your Discovery Call and we’ll help you decide when your session should take place.
How long is a First Birthday session?
Our First Birthday portrait sessions are up to one hour. That gives us time for family portraits, classic portraits of your baby, balloons, the cake smash and our little bathtub finale without expecting your one-year-old to cooperate nonstop for an hour.
We follow your baby’s pace and change things up throughout the session to keep it fun.
Are parents and siblings included in the session?
Absolutely! We actually love to start with family portraits. Being with Mom, Dad and siblings gives your baby a chance to get comfortable in the studio before we ask them to venture out on their own.
And years from now, those photographs of you holding your one-year-old may mean even more than you realize today.
Do you provide the smash cake?
Yes. Cloud 9 Studios provides a simple smash cake that coordinates with the colors or theme we’ve planned for your session.
If your baby has food allergies or dietary restrictions, please tell us during your Discovery Call so we can discuss the best option for your baby.
Do you provide the balloons and decorations?
Yes! We provide coordinating balloons for your session, and you’ll choose the colors or theme you’d like us to work with.
You don’t need to arrive carrying an entire Pinterest board worth of decorations. 😂 We’ll talk through your ideas before the session and help you plan something that photographs beautifully.
What should my baby wear for First Birthday pictures?
Most babies wear a few different looks throughout their session — something for family portraits, a favorite or special outfit for their classic portraits, and an outfit for the birthday and cake-smash portion.
Don’t worry about figuring it all out yourself. We’ll talk about clothing, colors and your ideas while we’re planning your session.
What if my baby just started walking and won’t sit still?
That’s completely normal! Walking one-year-olds rarely have much interest in sitting still.
We use toys, balloons, games and lots of little distractions to keep them engaged for short periods. When they wander away, we reset, introduce something new and try again. Your baby does not need to sit perfectly for us to create beautiful portraits.
What if my baby doesn’t like the cake?
No problem. Some babies dive right in. Some delicately poke it with one finger. Some look at us as though we’ve made a terrible mistake. 😂
We recommend bringing one of your baby’s favorite small snacks, such as puffs or little cookies. We can hide a favorite treat in or around the cake to keep them interested.
Whatever your baby actually does becomes part of their story.
What does a First Birthday portrait session cost?
Our First Birthday Experience is $75 to reserve your session and includes up to one hour in the studio, your baby’s smash cake, coordinating balloons in the colors or theme you choose, and a $50 portrait credit to use toward the purchase of your artwork.
Portraits are purchased separately after your session. You’ll stay with us for your ordering appointment in our media room, where we’ll help you choose your favorite images and decide how you’d like to enjoy them in your home.
Print collections begin at $375, digital collections begin at $695, and albums and wall art begin at $895.
There is no required portrait collection included with the session fee. What you purchase is completely up to you.
Our goal isn’t simply to send you home with a folder of pictures. We want to help you create something your child can grow up seeing — portraits on the wall, an album they can pull off the shelf, tangible reminders of who they were at one and how very loved they have always been.
Not sure what you might want yet? That’s completely okay. Most families aren’t. We’ll walk you through everything.
Are digital images included with the $75 session fee?
No. The $75 session fee reserves your session and includes the session experience, smash cake, coordinating balloons and a $50 portrait credit.
Portraits and digital images are purchased separately during your ordering appointment. Digital collections currently begin at $695.
When will we see our First Birthday portraits?
You don’t have to wait weeks to find out what we captured! After your session, you’ll meet with us in our media room for your ordering appointment.
We’ll show you your portraits, help you choose your favorites and walk you through the available print, digital, album and wall-art options.
Where is Cloud 9 Studios located?
Cloud 9 Studios is located in Wesley Chapel, Florida, and families visit us for First Birthday portraits from throughout the surrounding North Tampa Bay area, including Land O’ Lakes, Lutz, New Tampa, Zephyrhills, Trinity and Brooksville.
How do I book a First Birthday session?
The first step is to schedule a Discovery Call.
Choose a time that works for you and we’ll talk about your baby, your ideas, timing, colors or theme, pricing and any questions you have. From there, we’ll help you plan everything you need for your baby’s First Birthday portrait experience.
Ready to celebrate your baby’s first birthday?
Let’s talk about your baby and start planning a First Birthday experience designed around them.
Cloud 9 Studios is located in Wesley Chapel, Florida (just north of Tampa!)
27340 Cashford Circle #101, Wesley Chapel, Florida | 813-994-4552
