I absolutely LOVE photographing cake smash sessions! It’s such a fun and trendy way to document your babies first birthday. What other time is it totally okay for them to consume tons of sugar & let them get totally messy? I have been photographing cake smash sessions for many years, and have a few ways you can easily prepare for your session so it goes smoothly.

Scheduling:

The ideal time to schedule is close to one year as possible! Some babies have never had sugar or experienced the texture of a cake. So I ask parents to do a trial run at home with a cupcake! Let them get used to the texture and taste the frosting before their session.

We will want to schedule your session when the baby is happiest. A lot of customers have found early morning around 10:30 to be a perfect time. Be cautious of nap times as a grumpy baby will not be cooperative.

Cake Selection:

Here are a few suggestions when you go shopping for your cake!

A small cake is a perfect size!

Regular bakery frosting is the best.

Stay away from chocolate cake/frosting… it looks like dirt on their face.

Fondant frosting is very difficult for babies to break into. As beautiful as it is, the goal is for them to break into it and devour it.

Avoid frozen cakes and cakes with berries!

What to wear:

If you choose to do extra portraits before the cake smash, bring them in an adorable outfit or I have a white diaper cover to document all their cute baby rolls. I will take a few portraits of them before we break out the cake!

For the actual cake smash session, some customers will bring a diaper cover/ shorts and go shirtless. Some bring birthday hats or special headbands, tuts or have complete outfits to wear. It’s all a personal choice. Just keep in mind it will get messy. I mean really messy !!!! But no worries I have a bathtub in the studio and we can quickly do a bubble bath afterward.

What if my child hates their cake?

Yes, there is a chance your sweet baby may not like their cake…. it happens. Don’t stress, I will take my time with your baby and if he or she still doesn’t like it we can figure something out! Often times mom has had to get involved and “dig” into the cake first and give the baby a few bites and make it look messy. Remember that old saying “fake it till they make it”. That is exactly what we will do and it will look to look like they enjoyed their cake.