Smash Cake

Cake Smash photography is a trend that started in the US. Parents would use the images from the session for the birthday child’s party invites. This meant the session often took place a month of so before their actual birthday.  I find most of my parents like to book their little one’s session on or around their birthday.

The actual Cake Smash shoots are child led, this means we go at your child's pace. If they are getting bored we move on. If they want a break we take a break, because of this shoots can sometimes take longer. So when I say allow up to 2 hours, I mean that we may have to take a break as sometimes a child may become a bit irritable.  No problem, we can chat to let them settle down before proceeding.  Usually the sessions last about an hour.

Cake Smash sessions are geared towards your child having fun! Some people are put off by the idea of a child smashing a cake but honestly it’s not cheesy or tacky, I just think of it as messy play. 

For me it’s always interesting to see the way children react differently. :-) I will also say most parents are surprised at how little cake is actually eaten.

My cake smash shoots have four stages.

1. Stage one is where your one year old gets to have some fun images in the studio before they’re all covered in cake. Bring a change of outfit if you want!

2. Stage two is where we introduce the cake, and most 1 year olds can’t quite believe their luck! If you have a child that doesn’t eat cake or indeed the idea them eating cake doesn’t appeal, what about a foot painting or hand painting session, another fun way to celebrate but without the sugar!

3. Stage three is bath time, yes in the studio! They can have a good splash and get clean, I found that baby wipes just weren’t man enough for the job and wanted to incorporate the fun they had in the bath in the shoot.

4. Stage four is the stage where you get to go home with your exhausted, clean 1 year old and I tidy up!