First birthday – time for some cake
Ryan came to visit me a couple of days ago – just in time for his first birthday. Ryan was such an adorable boy with beautiful features and I was immediately drawn to his eyes. He had such a lovely nature too and could not wait to get down on the floor to explore. In one way that makes it harder to take photos but in other ways it makes it easier because even though the child is moving around they are giving lots of natural and relaxed expressions.
Sadly after an hour of photographing Ryan he was exhausted and even with some cakes put in front of him, he made it clear that he had enough.
So why is first birthdays so emotional? I found my two daughters first birthdays quite emotional. The moment my babies were placed on my tummy for the first time was one of the best feelings in this world. It is difficult to describe the feeling as I have not experienced anything else like it but it was filled with joy and pride and happiness – I felt so blessed to have the most beautiful baby in the world.
When their first birthday arrived, it was the anniversary of this day and you are reminded of this pure joy. For me as I put them in their bed on day 364 of their life, their short life is flashing by and you realised how much have happened in such a short span, how much they have changed, mastered and developed over the year. Suddenly they are no longer a baby – they become toddlers and with toddlers become independence. The days of them giving into you and sleeping on your tummy is long gone and you are lucky just to get a brief embrace before they want back down to explore. Suddenly their age is not measured in months it is measured in years.
To me first birthdays are emotional and to be asked to photograph a child as they are approaching their first birthday is always a privilege and I know there are so many memories attached to this age and this moment. I love to be able to capture this moment and freeze the first birthday and the emotions through my images. So happy birthday to Ryan and I am sure his mum and dad are spending the day looking back and thinking of how their life changed since he entered their lives.
The cake was inspired by glorious treats.
Morgan had a very special first birthday Evy..he got his sister Ellie as a present… and he has never forgiven her..lol.. Love your blog!!! Love doing mine to… Kirsti xxx