You can book you cake smash or first birthday session any time within your baby's first year, however, my diary does get full quite quickly and I only book in a certain amount of studio sessions per month so to avoid disappointment I'd say book your session in with a deposit as soon as you can (this guarantees your session). At the very latest I need around 4-6 weeks notice to make sure I have everything ready for your personalised set up; backdrops, outfits, and cake design (if needed) etc, and that you receive their images back before their birthday.

For a simple baby milestone session, you can get in touch whenever your baby achieves a milestone you want to photograph.

Usually, I recommend booking their session for around four weeks before their actual birthday. That way I can send over your preview gallery, edit your final images choices, order any prints or products if necessary, and get everything back to you in time for their big day.

Although, some do choose to have the cake smash or first birthday session on their little one's actual birthday as part of the day's celebrations. In this case, I always try to send one sneak peek over by the end of the day for you in case you wanted to do a social media post.

I split my cake smash sessions into four parts; the birthday portraits in their best party clothes, "baking" the cake using cake mix and child-friendly utensils, the cake smash itself, and then the bubbly bath at the end to clean up. These sessions usually last an hour but if we need snack, water, or Peppa Pig breaks in between each set up - that's totally fine. My sessions are always relaxed and led by your little one's mood.

My sitter milestone sessions are only around 45 minutes long (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, depending on baby's mood on the day) as I'm sure you're aware babies of this age don't like to sit still for long periods of time. I usually take a few photos on a darker backdrop, and a few photos on a lighter one so there's lots of variation in your final gallery. During this session I mainly focus on baby themseves, keeping it nice and simple. However, I may also use a few props for some of the images, such as a bed/basket/bowl for them to sit in or vintage crates and flowers in the background, to keep your images varied.

For cake smash sessions, try to give your child little bits of sponge cake in the weeks and days leading up to their smash. You'd be surprised how many parents have forgotten this important step which nearly always results in baby being too scared to touch or taste the cake.

Make sure to let me know roughly want time they like to nap and snack during the day so we can find the best time for our session so they're at their happiest when they come into the studio.

I provide all of the backdrops, props, outfits unless you wanted to bring your own. The outfits in my studio range in sizes from 3 months to 12 months so there will likely be the right size for your little one. For my outfits, I tend to stick to neutral-coloured rompers (both short- and long-sleeved) in browns, beiges, cremes, whites and greys. If you'd like a particular colour which I haven't mentioned, please let me know in advance so I can make sure I have the outfit in stock for your session.

I do also have a selected few coloured romper suits, nappy covers, bow ties, braces, and crowns, but if you wanted to bring any of your own items from the above list, that's not a problem - just let me know beforehand so I know you’re covered.

I also provide the bubble bath and the cake itself.

Yes, I will provide an allergy form to fill out prior to our session, on the form please let me know if your child has any allergies that you know of and I will work with my baker to check if they are able to cater to your needs. If they are not able to safely guarantee your cake will be allergy-free, I will kindly ask that you supply your own cake.

I'd suggest bringing some other (healthier) snacks and water or juice for your little one, sometimes all that sugar can be too much!

Also, bring a smart outfit for the first part of the portrait shoot, and maybe a change of clothes for yourself and your child in case things get a bit messy. If you've opted to bring any clothes or nappy covers for the smash, your own cake, or any personal items for the backdrop's theme (i.e. toys) make sure to pack those too.

For a simple baby milestone session, I recommend bringing a couple of options for both a light and dark backdrop.

You are more than welcome to take a few behind the scenes shots (as I love to see and post those on my social media too!), but make sure those BTS photos do not impede on the shots I am being paid to take for you.

Yes absolutely! I love to include parents and siblings during the birthday portraits part at the beginning of the session, as they can provide a great variety of images for your final gallery. Please let me know beforehand whether you'd like to incorporate others into your cake smash or baby milestone session.

It is always best to stick to neutral colours without any big patterns, prints or logos. When we are discussing your session I can point you in the direction of my Pinterest which has plenty of inspiration for your family outfits. It might also be a good idea to coordinate with your child's smart outfit, or the general colour scheme of their set up too.

After your session I will choose the best 20 or so images with some basic editing to the colours and background etc, but no full skin retouching yet. Around a week after your session I will upload your images to a private online gallery for you to have a look through and choose which final images you'd like to purchase.

Your final edits should take around 1-2 weeks. During this time I will be retouching any skin blemishes and fixing and backgrounds by hand myself to make sure everything is perfect for your final images. I will also order your products and wall art which takes up to 10 working days to be delivered. If your child is being photographed by me on their actual first birthday, your sneak peak image will be ready by 7pm on the day of your session.