In December Jake finally turned ‘1’ and so to mark this milestone birthday I decided to set up a ‘cake smash’ photo shoot for him. For those of you who have never heard of a cake smash, it basically involves presenting a cake to a young child (traditionally done for a 1st birthday) and then photographing them having lots of fun smashing it up! It may sound a bit weird – why would you want to waste a perfectly good cake? But cake smashes are growing in popularity and can be a lot of fun for everyone involved!
Cake smash photography sessions started in America a number of years ago, but the trend has since made its way across the pond to the UK. Although cake smash is usually done around the child’s first birthday there is no reason you can’t also have one for slightly older birthdays too. Anything can happen on a cake smash shoot and it can get very messy! If however, your baby is like mine, you could end up with more of a ‘cake poke’ shoot than a ‘cake smash’. The good thing about that being that you get to take the cake home and eat it afterwards! Either way, you’re guaranteed to get some great fun shots on the day that you will get plenty of enjoyment out of in years to come.
Tips on Having a Successful Cake Smash Shoot
If you are thinking of taking you baby for their first cake smash shoot then below are some handy hints and tips to make sure you get the best out of the session.
- Location. A lot of cake smash shoots take place in a studio (although can also be done on location or at home) and begin with a mini portrait shoot to get baby warmed up and used to being in front of the lights and the camera as shown below:
- When booking your session, plan your booking around your baby’s sleep time either in the morning when they are still fresh from their night’s sleep or after their lunchtime nap. A tired, grouchy baby will not make for fun photos!
- Plan the pre-cake shoot outfit you want your baby to wear and remember for after the whole shoot has finished to take a change of clothes with you, a towel, plenty of wipes and a baby bath to bath them in afterwards if the studio doesn’t have one (check) as they may well be rather messy after playing with all that cake!
- The pre-shoot shouldn’t really be any longer than about ten minutes. A baby’s mood can change very quickly and go from happy to irritable, to tired and crying in a very short space of time. You want to make sure they aren’t worn out before the cake has even been presented!
- Make sure that your baby has had something to eat and drink before the session and has a dry nappy so they feel comfortable while the photographs are being taken. However, don’t over feed them or they may lose interest in the cake very quickly.
- Choose what you want your baby to wear for the cake smash itself. If you want to strip down to a nappy, a cloth nappy or nappy cover looks much nicer for photos. Alternatively you can choose an outfit you don’t mind getting messy or strip them down to just their jeans (no socks!).
- Think about the type of cake you want to use for the shoot. Avoid using cakes that are either chocolate or have red icing as particularly when mushed and mixed with baby dribble can look distinctly like they’ve hurt themselves or are in desperate need of a nappy change (if you get my meaning!).
- Bright, soft fondant icing on cakes such as the one shown on Jake’s fabulous giant cupcake look much better for the photos and are easier for your baby to play with. If you have time, you can either bake and decorate your own cake or you can buy a professional cake for the session. Jake’s cake was made by the brilliant Elle from Elle’s Cupcakery. I described exactly what I was looking for and she came up with a fantastic giant cupcake as shown in the images below and above. Elle can also provide cakes that are gluten and/or dairy free.
- Think about how you want your shoot to look in terms of props and backdrops and discuss this with your photographer to see what they have available. A few simple props will add interest but you don’t want to go overboard as the focus should be on the cake. We managed to do two shoots with Jake, one that was kept very simple on a fun, bright and colourful background (as shown above at the top of this post) and the other (below) which had a more vintage theme. Work out what will fit best with your home (if you plan to display the images) or simply which is more to your taste.
- If you have kept the cake in the fridge, make sure you take it out in plenty of time so it isn’t too cold for your baby’s little fingers. Also, some babies may be a little unsure of the cake or not keen to put their hands in the cake. You can help encourage them to do so by placing a few of their favourite treats in the icing – the side that doesn’t face the camera – (for example a chocolate button or small rice cake).
- Be prepared to get very involved in the shoot in terms of encouraging and engaging your baby to interact with the cake to ensure the photographer can get plenty of great shots. The session is unlikely to last very long so keeping your baby feeling as happy and secure as possible is key to its success.
- Finally, the clean up! If your baby is suitably messy and requires more than a once over with a handful of baby wipes then you may need to give them a warm bath (as mentioned above). It’s worth asking the photographer to photograph the clean up too as this can lead to some really fun photos to complete your storyboard.
The photos of Jake were taken at the studio I use, Photoshoot Studio Hire based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you would be interested in me photographing a cake smash session for your little one’s special birthday either in the studio or at home then please feel free to contact me through my photography website: Goodyear Photography or you can email me directly at: sharron@goodyearphotography.co.uk
