🎈Birthday Mini Sessions with Heart – A Whimsical, Timeless Take on Growing Up

As a photographer, there are certain shoots that just live in your heart long after you’ve packed away the props. This was absolutely one of those sessions.

When I envisioned my Birthday Mini Sessions, I wanted to offer something more than just a photo opportunity. I wanted to create a space that felt magical, yet real. Thoughtfully styled, but not overly posed. Elegant, but still filled with childhood joy. And most of all—I wanted to create timeless images that families would be proud to hang on their walls year after year.

Cake smashes are always a delight, but they often come with bold colours and messy fun that doesn’t always lend itself to display in a home. This new session offering is my response to that. Something softer. Simpler. A celebration of your child’s milestone—whether they’re turning one, three, or anywhere in between and beyond.

The Vision

This session was actually a long time coming! I had the concept in my head for over a year, and even built a faux window backdrop last year to help bring it to life. (It made a sneaky early debut in my Christmas minis!) But the pièce de résistance? A beautiful little swing handcrafted with love—quite literally. My parents and I built it ourselves, with my dad even doing a test-sit to make sure it was safe. If it could hold him, it could definitely hold my littlest clients!

The goal was to create a delicate, dreamy set that felt effortlessly classic. Something that works just as beautifully for a first birthday as it does for a fifth or beyond.

Meet Rosie

Sweet Rosie was the star of this model call, and she was the perfect match for the session I’d dreamed up. She was a little shy at first, but with some gentle encouragement (and a little magic from the swing), the smiles soon came flooding in.

There’s something so special about the way young children express emotion—raw, joyful, and completely unfiltered. That’s exactly what we captured here. From cheeky grins to soft giggles, every image feels full of life and heart.

The Outcome

Honestly? I’m obsessed. The final images are everything I hoped they would be: soft, romantic, elegant, and real. These are the kinds of portraits that stand the test of time. The ones that end up in frames on walls, in albums pulled out years later, in hearts forever.