Last weekend I met Tara and Jason in Barrhaven to photograph their son Andreas’ first birthday pictures. Last year around this time I photographed their maternity pictures, and very soon after their little boy Andy made his way into the word and I was honoured to take his newborn photos. Tara and Jason love the rustic look, and they wanted his first birthday pictures to follow suit. Which of course gets me all excited, because there’s nothing I like better than photographing outdoors, preferably close to sunset. Add a barefooted little guy wearing nothing but overalls into the scene? Adorable!

We started out on a dirt path, using the old radio flyer that you may recognize from Andreas’ newborn photos. The wagon is an antique family heirloom. I love it when clients bring items that mean a lot to them; it just adds another special element to the final product.

I also got the opportunity to bring out the antique bucket I’d purchased a couple months ago. He fit perfectly! We let Andy walk around and play, and gave him some time to interact with his mom and dad, capturing some great candid moments along with his more traditional portraits.

At the end of our session we also did a cake smash! Tara has her own small business called Plaid Acorn designs, and she made him a cute first birthday onesie for the occasion, which was perfect. We placed a white cake with raspberry filling in front of him, and Andy needed a bit of coaxing to really dig into it. But once he did, look out! Cake everywhere. Thankfully my dog Meadow was on hand to lick up the mess. I’m pretty sure she’ll love this kid forever for that!