Last month, Piper turned one! It’s been a crazy year, but we made it! We were all excited to celebrate our little girl. In this post, I’m sharing a one year update, but I am also sharing some tips for first birthday photos!

Piper’s First Birthday Photos

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I have really made it a point the last couple years to invest in photography and Piper turning one was a moment I wanted to capture! Our friend Brittany, who runs her own photography company as Bushel And Peck Photography, invited us to her house to take photos. It was beautiful. Brittany does an amazing job capturing babies and kids. And Piper was the best little model ever.

The Stats

Piper is 28 inches tall and 16 pounds 6 ounces. She is growing slow just like her brother, but hitting every milestone (and then some) like a champ. At 11 months, Piper started walking instead of crawling and now at one year she is basically running. Piper is also crazy about her brother and wants to do everything that he does.

Her favorite things are Rowan’s cars, cuddling with the dog, food, (enchiladas especially), water play, and when daddy comes home from work.

Piper is spunky, independent, sweet, and everything we didn’t know we needed.

Tips for First Birthday Photos

I have wrote a few posts on taking photos with photographers. If you want to read more check out Tips for Amazing Family Photos and Tips for Amazing Maternity Photos, but I’ll just summarize a few that apply to First Birthday Photos

tip number one, Have Low Expectations. 

Having low expectations is probably my number one tip for all photos with kids included. I feel like the kids can feel the pressure and that my negatively affect their behavior during the shoot.

Tip two, Hire a Great Photographer 

I talk about this in my family photos post, but before I hire a photographer I stalk their work on Instagram. I used the hashtag #fresnophotographer to find photographers in my area. Brittany has become a friend of mine, but before I asked her to take Piper’s 6 month and one year photos, I did my research to make sure her style fit mine.

Tip three, Set the Baby up for Success 

Well fed and well rested babies make really good models.

Tip 4, Let Baby Run and Play

I am a lifestyle photo junkie. My favorite photos are the ones were my kids aren’t looking at the camera straight on, but you can still see the joy in their faces. I would rather have that, then force them to look at the camera. If you want bring small toys, let them walk and move and explore. Side note: Piper actually looked at the camera for her photo shoot –  I did not expect that. But girl loves taking photos.

Tip 5, Get in those photos Mama (or Dada) 

This is an opportunity to get in some photos with your baby. Take it.  Get a little dressed up and have the photographer take a few of you too. We ended up taking some photos of Piper nursing and it is something that I didn’t plan on, but those photos are the sweetest.

Tip 6, Ask for Money Towards Photos for Their Birthday

I struggled when people would ask me what Piper wanted. We kept so many toys from Rowan that she plays with, our outside toys are overflowing, and we just don’t need more stuff. Asking for photos is a gift for everyone involved because the gifter can have photos of your little babe too!

Outfit Details

I bought Piper’s outfit from local small shops. Her dress is from Cavelle Kids and her flower crown is from Secret Garden Props.

My outfit is from Amazon and I have linked it below: