Weddings get all the attention. And I get it — they're a huge deal. But some of the most meaningful, most emotionally loaded photos I've ever taken have been at events that don't involve a white dress or a first dance.
A one-year-old elbow-deep in cake frosting while the whole family watches. A 13-year-old being lifted in a chair during the hora while her friends lose their minds. A 15-year-old in a custom gown her grandmother helped choose. An 80-year-old being roasted by three generations of family who flew in from across the country.
These milestones deserve more than someone's uncle with an iPhone. They deserve the same level of intentional, professional documentation that we give to weddings — because these are the events your family will talk about for decades.
Here's what I've learned photographing milestone celebrations across Austin — and why they've become some of my favorite sessions to shoot.
First Birthdays & Cake Smashes: Your Kid Won't Remember. You Will.
Let's start at the very beginning.
A first birthday party isn't really for the baby. We all know this. It's for the parents, the grandparents, the aunts and uncles who watched this tiny human go from a potato-shaped newborn to a walking, babbling, cake-destroying little person in twelve months.
And the cake smash? Universally delightful. I have never once photographed a first birthday cake smash and had the parents say "eh, those weren't worth it." The mess, the confusion, the moment the kid figures out they can just grab the entire cake — it's gold every single time.
But beyond the cake smash, what makes first birthday photography special is the wider family context. These parties tend to bring together the people who were there from the beginning — the grandparents who did overnight shifts, the friends who dropped off food during those first brutal weeks, the siblings meeting the baby for the first time. Documenting those relationships at the one-year mark is something you'll come back to for the rest of your life.
First birthday sessions typically run 1-2 hours — enough for the cake smash, the family portraits, and the candid chaos of a room full of people who love this kid.
Bar & Bat Mitzvahs: More Than the Party
I'll be honest: when I booked my first Bat Mitzvah, I thought of it primarily as an event photography gig. Show up, document the party, get the dancing and the cake and the kids going wild.
I was wrong. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is an emotionally rich, layered event that — when photographed well — produces some of the most powerful family photos you'll ever own.
What Makes These Events Special to Photograph
The generational portraits are irreplaceable. These events bring together three or four generations — great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins — in a way that rarely happens outside of weddings. I prioritize getting those multi-generational portraits because I know how rare it is to have everyone in the same room at the same time. For some families, this is the only time in a decade that the full extended family is together. Those photos aren't just nice to have — they become family heirlooms.
The kids are the real stars. And not just the Bar or Bat Mitzvah kid. At a recent Bat Mitzvah I photographed, I spent time capturing candid portraits of the teenager's friend group — the kind of photos where they look incredible and feel incredible, the kind they'll actually want to post on their socials. When a 13-year-old sees a photo of themselves and says "wait, I look so good" — that's a win. Those photos become part of their identity during a moment when identity means everything.
The trending styles are kid-driven. One of my favorite parts of shooting Bar and Bat Mitzvahs is that the kid usually has strong opinions about the aesthetic — what they're wearing, the theme, the vibe they want. They're building their style in real-time, and they want photos that reflect it. I lean into that. These aren't your standard posed family portraits — they're photos where a 13-year-old looks and feels like the main character, because for that day, they are.
The Moments I Focus On
- Family portraits: Formal generational portraits and immediate family photos — these are the ones that get framed and kept forever
- Kid portraits: Individual and friend-group shots of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah kid looking their absolute best
- The hora (chair lifting): Absolute chaos and absolute joy — one of the most photographically electric moments at any celebration
- The montage moment: When the slideshow plays and the room gets emotional watching this kid grow up in fast-forward
- The dance floor: Kids at a Bar Mitzvah party have a specific energy that is honestly unmatched. They go harder than any wedding reception I've ever shot
- The quiet moments: A grandparent pulling the kid aside for a private word. A parent watching from across the room. These are the ones that matter most 20 years from now
Practical Notes for Families
Most Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations I photograph run 3-5 hours — covering family portraits, the party, and the reception. I work with families to build a photography timeline that captures the formal portraits and the celebration without pulling anyone away from enjoying the event for too long.
Quinceañeras: The Event Photography Beyond the Formal Session
Here's something most families don't think about: the quinceañera photoshoot and the quinceañera event are two completely different things, and they both deserve documentation.
Most families book a dedicated portrait session for the quinceañera — the beautiful posed photos in the custom gown with the tiara, the formal family portraits, the stylized shots that go on the invitations and get framed on the wall. That session is its own art form, and it's important.
But the event itself — the actual celebration — is where the real gold lives.
Why the Event Photography Matters
The family interactions are the story. A quinceañera brings together extended family in a way that few other events do. Cousins who haven't seen each other in years. Grandparents who traveled from out of state (or out of the country). The godparents, the court, the friends. The way those people interact — the hugs, the tears, the inside jokes, the dancing — that's what makes each quinceañera unique.
The traditions are photographically stunning. The last doll ceremony, the changing of the shoes, the first waltz with dad, the toast, the court choreography — every one of these traditions is a visual moment loaded with emotion. When you know they're coming (because you've shot quinceañeras before), you can position yourself to capture both the moment and the reaction to the moment.
The energy shift is real. There's this incredible moment at every quinceañera when the formal program wraps up, the DJ takes over, and the party transforms. The girl who was poised and elegant during the waltz is now on the dance floor with her friends losing her mind to reggaetón. That contrast — the formality and the freedom — tells the full story of who she is at 15. I want both.
What Families Should Know
The average quinceañera budget has increased significantly in recent years, with photography being one of the top priority investments for families. And for good reason — this is a celebration that the entire family participates in and wants to remember.
I recommend booking 4-6 hours of event coverage for the celebration itself, separate from any portrait session. This gives me time to capture the ceremony, the traditions, the formal family photos, and the party — without rushing through any of it.
Milestone Birthdays: The Celebrations That Don't Stop at 18
Here's the thing about milestone celebrations: somewhere along the way, our culture decided they basically end after young adulthood. You get your first birthday, your quinceañera or Bar Mitzvah, maybe a sweet sixteen — and then what? A few decades of bar tabs and restaurant dinners until you hit 50 and someone buys you a black balloon?
That's a lot of life going undocumented.
The reality is that the birthdays that happen later in life — the 70th, the 80th, the 90th — are often the most important ones to photograph. And not in a sad way. In a look at this room full of people who showed up way.
Why Later-in-Life Milestones Hit Different
When you throw an 80th birthday party, the room is full of people who chose to be there. Not out of obligation. Not because they got an invite and felt awkward saying no. Because they love this person and they understand, on some level, that these gatherings are finite. That you don't get unlimited chances to fill a room with four generations of family and 50 years of friendships.
That awareness — that this is precious because it's not guaranteed — creates a specific kind of energy in a room. The toasts hit harder. The hugs last longer. The laughter has weight to it. And when you photograph that energy well, those images become some of the most valued photos a family owns.
I've photographed milestone birthdays where the photos ended up meaning more to the family than their wedding photos — not because the wedding wasn't important, but because the birthday captured something they didn't realize they needed documented until they saw it in print. The way someone's partner watches them from across a room. The way three generations lean into each other during a toast. The way an 80-year-old laughs so hard they're wiping tears while their best friend of 50 years tells a story everyone's heard a hundred times.
Those photos are proof of a life well-surrounded. And you don't get to re-stage that.
Which Birthdays Are Worth Professional Photography?
Not every birthday party needs a photographer. But here are the ones where I'd strongly recommend it:
The milestone ages:
- 1st birthdays — Not for the baby, but for the family. Getting everyone together to witness this pivotal moment for a young family, to show them support, and to see a baby annihilate a cake, obviously
- 13th and 15th birthdays — The Quinces, the Bar/Bat Mizvahs, the moments where you see your children start to transition from childhood into mini-adults
- 70th, 80th, 100th even — These are the important ones. The ones where the room is full of people who showed up because they love this person and they understand these gatherings aren't infinite, which makes every one that happens that much more important
The "because we can" birthdays: Sometimes a birthday celebration isn't about the number — it's about the circumstances. A health scare that makes the next birthday feel miraculous. A milestone achieved. A family reunion disguised as a birthday party. A surprise party that took 2 months to plan. These are the celebrations that deserve documentation because the why behind them is bigger than the birthday itself.
What to Expect
Milestone birthday photography typically runs 2-4 hours depending on the event. I'll capture:
- The setup and details — Decorations, the cake, the venue, any meaningful details the family put thought into
- Candid moments — Conversations, laughter, hugs, the natural interactions that happen when people who love each other are in the same room
- The speeches and toasts — Both the person speaking and the reactions in the audience. The reaction shots are always the better photos
- Group and generational photos — I'll organize a few key group shots (full family, friend groups, generational portraits) without turning the party into a photoshoot
- The quiet moments — A hand on a shoulder. Two old friends catching up in a corner. The birthday person watching the room full of people who showed up for them. These are the ones
Why Milestones Matter
The milestones worth documenting start with a one-year-old covered in frosting and they don't stop. First birthdays, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, quinceañeras, 50th birthdays, 80th birthdays — these are the events that mark the shape of a family's life together. And they deserve more than iPhone selfies. They deserve a dedicated professional to capture the in-between moments, the laughter, the joyful tears, and everything in between.
If your family has a milestone celebration coming up, think about whether this is the kind of event you'll want to look back on in detail. Not in shaky vertical videos. In real, professional, beautifully documented detail. The kind of photos where you can see the expression on your grandmother's face during the toast. The kind where you can pull a dance floor photo of your kid in their element, dancing their face off, and hang it on the wall. The kind where 20 years from now, you pick up the album and the whole room comes back to you.
That's what milestone celebration photography is for. And I'd argue it matters just as much as wedding photography.
Planning a milestone celebration? Let's talk about coverage that fits the event — whether it's a 2-hour birthday dinner or a full-day quinceañera.
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