It’s exciting to watch our children grow and see how much they change from year to year, which is why scheduling a birthday photoshoot is such a good idea. 

Prepare Early

If you’re planning a birthday photo session for your child, start looking for a photographer several months ahead of time, and try to have it scheduled at least 1-2 months in advance. If you want to have a cake smash, make sure you give us a call and have your cake smash photoshoot in Dubai booked so we can have your cake ordered well ahead of time.

Make Sure your Goals are in Sync

One of the benefits of starting your planning early is that you can get a good sense of the type of photographer you want to hire. Each photographer has their own strengths and areas of expertise, so investing an hour or two in research will save you time in the long run by contacting fewer photographers. Specifically look for Photographers that are certified to handle kids and toddlers.

Take an afternoon to peruse the social media profiles and websites of a few local photographers; most will maintain current portfolios of the types of work they accept and enjoy. This helps you weed out photographers who don’t specialize in the type of photography you want. Following that, make contact with photographers who specialize in the same style and settings as what you’re looking for.

Prepare your Children in Advance

If your children are old enough, sit down with them ahead of time and go over the details of the photo shoot. Going through old family albums and showing them photos of their parents and grandparents when they were younger has proven to be particularly beneficial. 

Kids are fascinated by photos of their parents when they were their age, which can lead to interesting discussions about how much we change year to year and why we try to document these changes with a photo session. Explain that it’s important to take both serious and silly photos to capture their personality at this age.

For Outfit Suggestions, Consult your Photographer.

Even if you already have outfits in mind, telling your photographer about them is always a good idea. Not only will this assist them in visualizing your session, but many photographers may choose locations based on your outfits or make recommendations for what types of outfits will work best for your setting. Color, fabric, and texture all play a role in the final images, and your photographer should be able to offer advice if necessary. Also, choose outfits that are both photogenic and appropriate for children. Your child will not cooperate if their outfit is uncomfortable or itchy, no matter how cute it is.

Consider What you’d Like to Remember

Finally, keep the big picture in mind as you begin your session. While we all want to leave with beautiful, picture-perfect portraits of our kids smiling and looking at the camera, these sessions can be much more. Take a moment to reflect on your child’s last year: What were your favorite moments? What new abilities have they acquired? What small details will you miss the most as they grow older? Make a list of these big-picture ideas and tell your photographer about them ahead of time.