This sweet family traveled here to celebrate their little guy’s first birthday with a milestone session on Isle of Palms beach and it may be one of my favorite sessions ever! I know I say that a lot but, truly they were such a joy to work with. I think we also lucked out with the best weather and sunset too.

Mama trusted me throughout the planning process- from location selection to wardrobe styling. Prior to their session, I sent over a few different inspiration boards with warm and cool-toned options. Mom opted to wear this blue floral dress and it looked SO beautiful on her. This shade of blue not only screams Charleston but photographs beautifully on the beach! We paired it with neutrals on Dad and a cute little blue romper on baby from the Client Wardrobe.

This was actually the birthday boy’s his first time on the beach, too! Seeing his reaction to the sand and the waves was so precious. Of course no session at the beach is complete without kids eating some sand, but he wasn’t even phased!

We got all of the family portraits taken fairly quickly, then set up his cake smash on a blanket. Mama got his cake from Sugar Bakeshop, which is one of my favorite bakeries in downtown Charleston. We were all a little sad it was inedible after the cake smash. Ha!

I’ve done a few cake smashes at the beach for a first birthday milestone session and as you can imagine, it’s a bit messy but nothing a quick bath in the ocean can’t handle!

I included both film and digital images below because I loved them so much. Can you spy the film?!

Caitlyn Motycka is an award winning Charleston Family, Maternity and Newborn Photographer based out of Charleston, SC. Service areas include Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms, James Island, Folly Beach, and surrounding areas.

If you’re interested in scheduling a first birthday photoshoot, contact me here! Let’s take some pretty pictures together!