Celebrate Baby’s First Birthday with Special Baby Photo sessions


Welcome to Light & Grace Photography, your go-to baby photographer that offers milestone, first birthday and cake smash photoshoot in Virginia Beach, VA. We are dedicated to capturing the delightful and messy moments of your little one’s milestone and first birthday celebration. As your baby reaches this significant milestone, there’s no better way to commemorate the occasion than with a fun-filled cake smash photography session!

A smiling baby sits against a white backdrop in a first birthday photoshoot in Virginia Beach. Wearing a white dress and a flower headband, the baby holds large, shiny gold foil balloons spelling the word "love." Pink and white balloons float in the background, creating an overall bright and cheerful scene. virginia-beach
A baby girl wearing a floral headband and pearl necklace sits on a white rug. Dressed in a lace skirt, she’s in front of a cake with flowers and the word "One." The backdrop features floral and greenery decorations, perfect for her first birthday photoshoot. virginia-beach
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A smiling toddler sits on a white surface against a wooden background, celebrating their first birthday photoshoot. The child is wearing a bright yellow dress with the word "one" printed on the front, and a small yellow flower in their hair. Yellow flowers are strung along the background wall. virginia-beach
A baby wearing a white outfit sits on a soft white surface. Around the baby are several green tropical leaves. A round mirror with a white beaded handle lies to the baby's right. The baby looks up at the camera with a curious expression, capturing a precious moment from their first birthday photoshoot in Virginia Beach. virginia-beach
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A toddler wearing a flower headband and a white shirt with gold text sits in front of a white and pink cake on a stand during her first birthday photoshoot. She is holding a piece of cake and has cake in her hand. Pink and white balloons are seen in the background, reflecting the festive Virginia Beach vibe. virginia-beach
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A baby wearing a white diaper sits on a white wooden block, surrounded by white wooden blocks that spell out "ONE." The baby is touching their mouth and looking at the camera against a plain white background, captured beautifully by a Virginia Beach photographer during this milestone photoshoot. virginia-beach
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A baby wearing a leopard print dress sits in a white wicker chair during their first birthday photoshoot. The baby is barefoot, smiling, and has tiny red bows in their braided hair. The background is plain and light-colored.
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A baby girl stands smiling in front of a floral backdrop during her first birthday photoshoot. She wears a white top with a crown design and the word "One" in pink script, paired with a pink tutu. Pink and white decorative blocks and flowers surround her, creating an adorable birthday celebration scene. virginia-beach
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A toddler with curly hair crawls on a white surface, wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans during their first birthday photoshoot. Several wooden blocks are scattered on the ground near them, adding to the charm of the plain white background. virginia-beach
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A baby in a white outfit and headband with a bow lies on a brown jacket, chewing on its edge. Next to the baby is a white pilot helmet with black attachments, resting on the floor. The background is minimalist and white — capturing this adorable moment for their first birthday photoshoot. virginia-beach

Why Choose me as Your Milestone and Cake Smash Photographer in Virginia Beach?

Whether you’re considering a cake smash first birthday photoshoot session or a milestone session, I specialize in helping moms plan a fun and stress-free session that puts all the focus on the baby! As the go-to cake smash photographer in Virginia Beach, my style keeps my clients at ease throughout the entire experience. You can rest assured knowing that I am patient with your child, making the session a joyful and relaxed experience. No more stressing about capturing those precious moments – I’ve got you covered! Years of experience in baby photography helped me precisely know how to elicit those heartwarming giggles and capture those precious cake-covered smiles.

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You don’t have to bring the cake for your first birthday photoshoot session if you don’t want to!

You will be surprised how many babies don’t like the cake! We understand that every family is unique, and as the leading cake smash photographer in Virginia Beach, we take pride in designing cake smash sessions that reflect your baby’s personality and your vision.

Whether you prefer a themed setup with a matching cake or a simple, elegant backdrop without a cake, we can bring your ideas to life and make the session truly one-of-a-kind. In fact we have a faux/fake cake prop in the studio that becomes clients’ favorite especially when you’re booking a session last minute or simply don’t want to get messy!]

From adorable themes to timeless setups, I will work closely with you to bring your vision to life and create memories that will be treasured for years to come.

How Does the First birthday Photoshoot session work?

I work personally with you one-on-one to customize the your baby’s first birthday photoshoot session style best suited for you.
To do this, I put my experience and skill as both photographer and artist to work for you to create stunning, beautifully composed and artistically edited images.
With dedicated years to perfecting my craft, and hundreds of hours photographing babies, I’m excited to put that experience to work for you to create timeless images you will be thrilled to surround yourself with, and proud to share with family and friends.

Get in Touch

Fill out the contact form and I’ll reach out within 48hrs to set up a call or text/email to get to know you.

In-person or Zoom Consultation

We’ll plan for your session — from themes, to backdrops, to outfits and you get to see the studio environment as well as product offering and wall art. You will pay the session fee and confirm the session date/time. 

Reveal/Ordering appointment

Within 1 week after your session, we will get together again and you’ll see the soft proofs of your beautiful images and only order what you love.

Product Delivery

About 4-6 weeks after the reveal, you will be ready to pick up your order. I know it sounds long, but you’ll get access to your digital images within two weeks after the ordering appointment.

“They literally brought tears to my eyes …”

Tintin was so amazing! We came in for my boys 1st birthday pictures and he is usually a camera hog and loves having his picture taken. For whatever reason that day he was just fussy and didn’t want to participate. I honestly wasn’t expecting much and not at all because of Tintin(you all know how 1 year Olds can be) but I got the most beautiful pictures of my baby boy ever. They literally brought tears to my eyes when she sent them to me ON HIS BIRTHDAY! Thank you so much Tintin for working so hard to get me good photos of my boy.

Ryan R.
MORE QUESTIONS?

As a general rule of thumb, I like to schedule your maternity session shortly after you’ve told friends and family the exciting news! This will give us plenty of time to find a great day that works well for both of us. For newborn sessions, try to reach out 1-2 months before your due date to secure your spot. But again, it’s never too late to book a photo session so please ask!

The session fee includes a pre-session consultation, wardrobe and styling advice, full access to client closet and studio props, session shoot time, time for the ordering appointment and professional retouching of images. It does NOT include any physical or digital images. Session fee starts at $250. Prints and products starts at $150, collections starts at $690. Select a photographer you can trust, with insurance and safety training, and a style that you love because you only have one chance to capture those precious newborn moments!

All newborns have a certain “look” to them. Usually within a week or two, that newborn-like quality starts to disappear and much harder to pose. The point of newborn photos is to capture that newborn look, so I always recommend photographing as early as possible. With that said, experienced newborn photographer like myself will make it work with extra patience and skilled craft, so don’t hesitate to reach out even if your baby has past that two-week time frame.

Your session duration typically ranges from 1 to 3.5 hours, with an average of around 3 hours for newborn sessions. Maternity and family sessions typically last an hour or two. We spent a lot of time soothing, hushing, rocking, and posing the baby so please expect the session to be longer during newborn sessions. Adding energetic toddlers can definitely lengthen session time as well.

You can trust me as your a maternity photographer because I am safety trained, fully insured, and have extensive experience capturing the beauty of pregnancy and babies. With a wealth of experience, I understand how to handle and photograph you and your newborns with care, patience, and expertise, resulting in timeless and beautiful memories for you to cherish.

We work with our clients to determine the location that fits their needs. For newborn and maternity sessions, we typically do studio portraits located in my home studio nearby Regent University, Va beach 23464. We also do on-location, outdoor photographs such as a quaint park, garden, beach, in the woods, or even in urban settings. While I am primarily a studio photographer, I absolutely understand that this is a hectic time for you and you might not want to get out of your house, If you need us to travel to your home or a location for an event, feel free to send us a message to discuss!

Our expertise lies in capturing beautifully posed newborn portraits in our studio. We take care of all the arrangements, including props, outfits, and setups, which will be discussed and finalized during the consultation session. All you need to bring is your precious baby! To ensure a smooth newborn session, we provide a newborn prep guide during the pre-session consultation, which outlines all the important details that you should consider before the session. And here’s a crucial tip: try to keep your newborn awake for at least two hours (or as long as possible) before the session. This helps ensure they will be more inclined to sleep during the session, resulting in gorgeous sleepy shots.

For maternity and family sessions, the most important advice I can offer is to wear something you feel both comfortable and beautiful in. My second piece of advice is for you to choose safe, solid colors – neutral colors (black, white, gray, cream, tans, and browns) are the safest choice. It’s best to avoid clothing with text, patterns, or logos. Incorporating textures can add depth to photographs, particularly for Moms. So, aim for something simple yet classic that captures your essence.

Babies are babies, and of course they can be fussy, and that’s perfectly normal. It is exactly why sessions with little ones typically last longer because a significant portion of that time is dedicated to helping them stay calm and happy. Fussiness is something I anticipate and handle with care and I won’t and can’t force them into any poses or positions if they’re not in the mood. Your baby’s comfort and happiness are my priority throughout the session.

In my studio, I have plenty of toys and a full bag of tricks to keep your little ones happy and engaged throughout the session. Plus, if you open the studio door and go outside, you’ll find my backyard outdoor heaven, complete with playsets like a wooden playhouse, trampoline, slide and swing sets, and more. “Go out to have some fresh air and play and we will come back in and try again” is what I say to parents worrying about this. I’m committed to creating a relaxed and enjoyable experience for your family while capturing beautiful memories that you’ll treasure forever.

I completely understand the desire for RAW digital images because as a parent you want to keep all of the images for your precious baby! However, my goal as a photographer is to deliver a final product that reflects my unique style and vision, while also ensuring that you receive images of the highest quality. By personally editing each photo, I can ensure that they meet my standards of excellence and accurately represent the moments we’ve captured together. Rest assured, I am committed to providing you with beautifully edited photos that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. If you have any specific editing requests or preferences, I’m more than happy to discuss them with you during the ordering appointment to ensure that the final images meet your expectations and exactly the way you want them to be. RAW digital files are not sold or offered in any shape or form because they are like raw ingredients to a dish that is not a representation of my work. Thank you for your understanding for considering me to capture your special moments.

We provide a wide range of prints and products to suit your preferences. One of our signature offerings is the 10×7 matted prints, elegantly presented in an heirloom portrait collection box. This special box features a transparent acrylic window cover, allowing you to view and easily swap the images over time. Additionally, we offer gallery wrap canvas, metal prints, prints mounted on styrene, and beautiful albums. You will have the opportunity to explore and see all these wonderful products during the consultation. All products are printed with archival ink on archival materials which will last multiple generations.

We understand that life can be unpredictable. If you or your little one is feeling under the weather or if the weather isn’t cooperating on the day of your session, don’t worry! We’re happy to reschedule at no additional cost. However, please remember that a no-show without prior contact will result in the forfeiture of your session fee. Your satisfaction is essential to us, so reach out if you need to reschedule, and we’ll gladly accommodate you.

Of course! I love incorporating mom, dad and your other children/siblings into our session photos. While in most cases you, dad and baby will be the stars of the day, I believe it’s so important to have several photographs with the entire family — especially during my maternity and newborn sessions. Grandparents will be welcomed in the sessions as well. The session fee is the same for a family of 5 and under. Please ask about it if you are planning an extended family session.

Absolutely! While my primary focus is on newborns, kids, and family photography, I do offer events and headshots on occasion, especially for clients who have previously worked with me. If you’re interested in these services, feel free to get in touch, and I’ll be happy to provide more information and discuss scheduling options. Your photography needs matter to me, and I’m always here to accommodate whenever possible. Let’s create lasting memories together!

Of course. I will not take any photographs that you do not feel comfortable with. That goes for maternity, newborn and family sessions. Also, if you aren’t comfortable with me sharing images on social media or my website, speak at during the consultation and I certainly would not do so. 

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Invest in your baby’s first birthday photoshoot session

Let your children grow up seeing their milestones and precious moments honored in your home. Trust a photographer like myself who captures the genuine emotion and joy in your family, and together, we’ll make your baby’s first birthday photoshoot an unforgettable and delightful celebration. Book your baby’s first birthday photoshoot session today and let’s capture the joy and wonder of this special milestone!

My session fee is $250 per session which is separate from prints and collections. Portraits begin at $150. Collections (aka a set of printed portraits) begin at $690. Each printed portrait includes a matching digital file.

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Tintin (1)

Creating an extraordinary experience for each client is my priority, which is why I only accept a limited number of first birthday photoshoot sessions each month. From planning to capturing those precious first portraits of your precious baby, you’ll have my undivided attention throughout the entire process.

To secure your baby’s special day on my calendar, reach out now as spots fill up fast!

Contact Me

GET IN TOUCH

What kind of photography session are you interested in?