What are cake smash sessions?
Cake smash sessions are a lot of fun, and a lovely way to celebrate a birthday. They are most often chosen to celebrate a first birthday milestone, but older children can have a blast at these sessions too! Often older children are more confident in engaging in messy play, which leads to fantastic images.
Cake smash sessions typically comprise three sections. First are portrait shots of the birthday boy or girl taken against a backdrop decorated to your chosen theme, which can include balloons, bunting, pompoms or other props to match your desired colour scheme or theme. Then we introduce the cake and allow the child to get stuck in - messiness and enthusiasm are encouraged here! And finally we clean up a little and take some bathtub shots with plenty of bubbles and rubber ducks. Lots of enjoyment to be had!
What can I expect on the day of the shoot?
Cake smash sessions usually last around an hour. The theme, colour scheme and decorations will be discussed in your pre-shoot consultation, so when you arrive everything will be set up in the studio and ready to go. If you need any help in choosing a theme or colour scheme for your shoot then I am happy to advise you. I love the challenge of designing something unique for my clients!
The guest of honour should arrive for their shoot dressed in their portrait outfit. Once the portrait shots are complete, there is time for a quick outfit change if you wish before we introduce the cake. You are very welcome to provide your own outfit(s) for your child’s session. Alternatively I have a small collection of outfits which you are welcome to use for your session, or I can source an outfit for you at an additional charge on request.
After your little one has enjoyed getting stuck into the cake, and I have hopefully captured some joyously messy shots, we clean up in the bathtub. The birthday child will round off their session with a quick splash in the enamelled tub, with time to play in the bubbles and get acquainted with the studio’s rubber duck family. Once they are squeaky clean, its time to get your child dressed and head home. I recommend that parents/guardians bring a clean change of clothes for their child to wear after the shoot, as the outfit worn during the portion of the shoot involving cake is often sticky and full of crumbs! It’s often a good idea for parents to bring a change of clothes too, just in case!
A few pointers about the cake…
Please note that the packages detailed on the “Pricing” page do not include a cake - it is preferred for parents to provide the cake due to allergy concerns, but if desired a cake can be arranged for you at an additional charge. Please ask about this option in your pre-shoot consultation. If you are providing your own cake, then I advise avoiding chocolate cake as this can sometimes resemble poop when smeared across a child’s face - not the best look! It’s also best to avoid red jam or strongly red-coloured icing so as not to appear vampiric! A 6-8 inch vanilla sponge is an excellent option, and pastel-coloured buttercream icing works very well (buttercream is much easier for young children to dig into than fondant icing). Please bear in mind that it is possible that some food colourings/dyes used in cake decorating may stain the outfit used in the ‘smash’ portion of the shoot.
Sometimes children are not sure what to do when faced with the cake! It helps if your little one has experienced sponge cake and buttercream icing before their shoot (likely on a smaller scale!) so they know what it’s all about. Sometimes parents/guardians may be asked to get involved and demonstrate how to enjoy the cake. If your child is reluctant to dig in, it can help to have a few items of their favourite snack food handy to wedge into the back of the cake to help get them interested, or we can try encouraging them to dig in with a wooden spoon if using hands seems a little daunting to start with. The whole point of this type of shoot is to capture beautiful images of your child really enjoying themselves so I will use all the tricks and encouragement I have up my sleeve to make sure a fun time is had by all!
Don’t fancy a cake?
Some parents might love the idea of a styled birthday shoot but the ‘cake smash’ concept is not for them; perhaps the birthday boy/girl has food allergies or doesn’t like getting messy - no problem! All of my shoots are bespoke so I can tailor your session to suit your preferences. Just let me know what you’ve got in mind during your pre-shoot consultation and I will work with you to bring your vision to life. Possible alternatives to the ‘smash’ portion of the shoot could involve a ‘paint splash’ activity (still fun and messy, but less sugary!) or perhaps a fruit ‘smash’ - watermelons can be a great replacement for cake and are fun to throw about! Or if you prefer we can spend extra time on beautiful portrait shots in lieu of the ‘smash’ section.
After your shoot:
You will be invited back to the studio approximately two weeks after your session to view your gallery of beautifully edited images, and to choose a package. If you would like to order any additional prints or frames, canvases or other wall art then I will be happy to advise you. The viewing session is a great opportunity for me to find out which images are your favourites, as this helps me to develop my work and the service I offer.
If you have any queries relating to birthday and cake smash photography sessions then please send me an email or use the contact form to send me a message, and I will get back to you with answers to any questions you may have. You can see more examples of photographs from cake smash sessions on the gallery page here.