tips for your
cake smash session
Your baby is turning one!!! Eeeeeek! I know from experience that your emotions are all over the place right now! I'm sure that you are feeling a mixture of excitement and nostalgia that your baby is growing so fast! Cake smash photoshoots are now as popular as newborn photoshoots! They are a beautiful way of documenting your little ones first birthday and they are also a lot of fun!! So, what is a cake smash photoshoot?
Quite simply it's a photo session whereby you put a cake in front of your little one and let them go wild! A professional photographer will capture the sweet moments and small details as your baby demolishes the cake laid before them! Cake smash sessions are as much a celebration for the parents as they are for the baby! One whole year of loving your sweet baby, giggles, sleepless nights, stress, happiness and more! The nights were long, but the year has flown by. Documenting this first birthday will be a beautiful memento to look back on in years to come!
INDOOR OR OUTDOOR?
Cake smash sessions can take place inside or outside. I personally love outdoor cake smash sessions! I feel that outdoor sessions have a more natural vibe to them. If you pick a beautiful spot with natural light you'll need little, to no props.
Where should we get the cake from?
There are a few options:
- Make your own - If you have the time and skills, this is a great option. You can decorate it however you like and choose the ingredients you want. Just make sure that whatever flavor you choose, it has lots of frosting for those cute messy shots!
- Shop bought - I actually went to Walmart the night before my own son's cake smash session and bought a very affordable cake! It had to be sold by the following day, so it was drastically reduced. It had LOTS of chocolate frosting which made for lots of messy pictures!!
- Professional baker - if you have a theme and/or particular colors in mind you can order a cake from a professional baker.
Remember the cake is going to get destroyed! Store bought cakes with frosting will look just as adorable as an expensive cake when your sweet babies hands have crushed it between their little fingers!
******Consider potential allergens before the session. Has your baby been exposed to all of the ingredients in the cake?*****
outfits
- Pick an outfit that can get stained. The session will likely get messy and colored frosting can stain. I recommend Amazon, Target, Carters etc. Or you could try local baby consignment stores.
- Choose colors that complement or match the colors of the cake. Avoid colors that clash.
- Avoid dark colors or bright white; they do not show up well on camera.
- I would advise checking out my "what to wear" blogs if you are having a family cake smash shoot so that you can co-ordinate outfits.
- Bring two outfits just in case of blow outs etc! The last thing you want to do is have a blow out five minutes into the session and have no outfit to change into! I'd also suggest putting baby into the outfit right before the session starts. A lot can happen on the drive over to the location!
Try to relax
I know that it can feel stressful. This is such a special time for your family, and I know that you will want everything to be just perfect. But try to relax and have fun. I will take your baby’s lead and allow them to be the focus of the shoot. If they cry, need a diaper change or feed, it’s okay. Just do whatever you need to do, and I will create sweet images that you will look back on in years to come and love.