Are One year portraits really that important? : Jackson, Michigan Photographer : Mid Michigan Photog

The first year of the life can be the most exciting year of your child's life for a parent. Your baby will change so much from the time she/he is born until the time she/he turns one years old. By the time you reach the one year mark your baby has also formed their own personality and playfulness. As you approach your baby's first year milestone you may be considering one year portraits and are wondering how important they really are? Should you hire a professional? Can you just take some images yourself?

It is about this time that your baby has begun to move. She/he will most likely begin walking by age one. Some walk prior to turning one and a few thereafter. This means that as your baby begins to learn to walk it begins to become more difficult to keep your little one in one place and still for very long! This can pose some difficulties in attempting to capture images by yourself.

As with any other important life milestone, there are special

moments in life that hiring a professional makes sense. Do you want to remember this moment forever? Would hiring a professional ensure that this important moment would be documented properly? How vital is it to you and your family that your baby's life be photographed? These are some questions to ask yourself.

Once you have made a decision to have portraits captured you will ultimately need to decide on a photographer you most love. I always want to encourage those who are in the market for a photographer, whether they choose our studio or not, to NOT base hiring a photographer on cost alone! Visit a photographers website, view

their work, compare the experience they provide, what is included,

do they have previous work working with babies. Also, agree to meet with a photographer prior to booking to meet and view a photographers work are all really good ways to decide on the best photographer for you. Cost should be a factor but not the main factor. In fact, those who are priced the lowest are typically priced low for a reason. They are either new to the industry, portfolio building or just photographing as a hobby. You really do take a risk by booking with the cheapest photographer you can find and this ends up being something that most regret later on.

At our studio our custom one year portrait sessions include a one year portrait capture along with a cake smash capture and includes our signature cake created by the The Blue Julep. Typically at this age your baby's attention span is short so we take this into consideration. We don't keep you at the studio forever photographing your baby. We keep it a short as possible as we know we need to capture your baby more quickly but efficiently. We can capture in-studio or in an outdoor setting which ever you most prefer and for the look you are hoping our studio to achieve. We provide a start to finish experience from planning to creating beautiful heirloom products for you to enjoy in your home.