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There is something extra special about getting to photograph a family again as their babies grow. At the end of March, I got to welcome back one of my favorite families to the studio for little Iris’s 6 month milestone session, and I still cannot believe she was already halfway to one.
A Bright & Colorful Watermelon Milestone Session
Her mom wanted a bright, colorful, fruity setup and chose my watermelon backdrop. The second she picked it, I knew I had to suggest a watermelon cake. I had been wanting to do one for so long, whether for a 6 month milestone or a first birthday session, and this felt like the perfect opportunity.
Since Iris had not tried many foods yet, which is very common at 6 months, we wanted to keep everything simple and baby-safe. The fruit was decorative and placed mostly on the front of the cake, and we planned the whole setup carefully with her age and stage in mind. Because this family booked my largest package, the cake was included, and I went on the hunt for the right person to bring the vision to life.
I reached out in a local Facebook business group and ended up finding Kim from Krafted Eats here in Spokane. She is properly licensed to work with fresh fruit, which was very important to me, and she was just as excited about the idea as I was. We hopped on a phone call and talked through all the details, including the cake size, height, decorative fruit, and baby safety. It was such a great experience, and I was thrilled to support another local business while creating something so fun for this session.
Behind the Scenes: Building the Watermelon Set
This setup came together right after I had photographed a newborn session two days before, so I had to do a quick studio reset and completely swap everything over. I layered in crates, baskets, leafy greens, citrus fruits, and orange, red, and yellow florals to bring the colorful summer fruit vibe to life. I also finally got to use my tiny Radio Flyer wagon, which was the perfect little prop for this theme.
This backdrop definitely took some extra work behind the scenes. The horizon line was high, and the flooring did not line up how I wanted, so I had to cover the back portion completely with props and carefully arrange the set to make everything look seamless in camera.
I also improved how I laid down my microfiber white wood floor for this session. In the past, I had found it slippery and difficult to keep flat, especially during branding photos. With a combination of wrapping it under my white wall panels, using tape, sandbags, and a carpet gripper, I was finally able to keep it much smoother through the session.
Iris & Her Big Sister
At 6 months, Iris was not quite sitting fully on her own yet, which is completely normal. Since we wanted to photograph her both alone and with her big sister Preséa, I planned a few different ways to keep things safe while still getting variety.
We started with the girls sitting together on a picnic blanket, which gave us such sweet sibling photos.
And of course, sweet Preséa brought so much personality to the session. She is now 6, in first grade, and she was full of ideas from beginning to end. She would politely say, “Um, excuse me?” before asking a question or sharing one of her suggestions, which honestly made me smile the whole time. She was like my little assistant stylist.
We were able to try all kinds of ideas, including photos of the girls on my tiny couch and one where Preséa held Iris on her tummy and swayed her side to side to make her smile. I think she called it the rocket ship. It was adorable.
There were definitely moments where everyone was working hard for those smiles. At one point I could tell Preséa’s smile was starting to get tired, so I told her to fake laugh instead, and that helped so much.
Photographing a 6 Month Old Who Isn’t Sitting Independently Yet
I had a backup plan in case Iris wasn’t sitting well on her own. I used a Bumbo chair wrapped in textured white fabric so I could safely get some sitting portraits of Iris alone without taking away from the look of the set. It blended in beautifully and helped us capture those upright milestone photos in a way that still felt natural and polished.
When this photo popped up on the laptop Preséa said it looked like Iris was singing. So that inspried me to make a version where she was holding a microphone!
We also did some tummy time photos of Iris, which ended up being some of my favorites because she loves tummy time and looks like she is going to crawl any day now!
Time for the Watermelon Cake!
Then it was time for the cake.
Kim arrived at the studio and decorated it on site, which was such a fun touch. Before we let Iris dig in, I made sure to photograph the cake by itself because it was too cute not to document.
I actually like to photograph cakes before baby gets into them whenever I can. It preserves all of those beautiful little details the baker worked so hard to create, and it gives me a finished image I can share with the vendor too. Then we can put the cake aside and bring it back out toward the end of the session, saving the messiest part for last!
We first tried using the Bumbo for cake photos, but it did not get Iris close enough, so we adjusted. Mom stayed very close to spot her, and we even used a blanket to cover mom’s arm and hand while she helped support her. I just edited out mom’s arm when needed.
Iris did not exactly smash the cake, and she was not too interested in the watermelon itself, but she did enjoy the strawberries and nibbled on a few of the other fruits.
Once she started getting a little fussy, we pivoted, which is something I always try to do during milestone sessions. Babies do not always follow the plan, and that is okay.
Following Baby’s Lead During Milestone Sessions
Her mom had really hoped for some sweet nakey baby photos like the ones she had of Preséa, especially since I didn't take any nakey newborn photos like that of Iris. So we shifted gears, undressed her, and captured some incredibly precious images of her on her tummy and up on her hands and knees.
They were so cute that I found myself wondering why I had never tried something similar with my own daughter. Those images are just for the family, but they were definitely a highlight of the session.
Throughout it all, Preséa continued being the sweetest little helper. At one point I even got to teach her how to spread out the sounds and noises so they do not all blend into white noise for baby. She had been enthusiastically squeaking toys behind me pretty much nonstop, which was both hilarious and a little overstimulating for all of us.
But she truly did get better over time, and in the end, Iris smiled most when Preséa was simply being silly and when mom leaned in and told her she had stinky feet.
This session was such a blast from start to finish. I loved getting creative with the set, collaborating with another local business for the cake, and documenting this sweet stage for a family I adore. I was even able to pack up the rest of the cake so they could take it home and enjoy it later.
Thinking About a 6 Month Milestone Session in Spokane?
If you have been thinking about booking a milestone session for your baby, 6 month sessions are such a fun stage to document. Whether your little one is sitting independently yet or not, there are still so many sweet ways to safely capture their personality, expressions, and all those baby details before they change again.
🌿 Milestone Photography Information