I just LOVE a cake smash session! From setup design to meeting sweet babies, the whole thing is fun. You may have a runner or a sitter. Your baby might get cake and frosting all over her face AND squished between her tiny toes, or she might sit in front of it and refuse to touch it. He might eat it by the handful or have absolutely no interest in letting one single morsel touch his tongue. Your baby might splash in the bubble bath like a happy little octopus, or sit there signing "all done". No matter what, we will capture their adorable expressiveness and their perfect personality!
What, exactly, does a cake smash session entail?
A Cake Smash Session with Olive & Hazelnut Photography includes a portrait portion, the smash, and a bubble bath! It will take about 45 minutes. We'll play music of your choice and have fun! I'll do my best to capture the wide variety of expressions, little details, and any new skills your child might be working on, like standing or walking!
What should my child wear?
The first thing to think about is comfort. Nobody likes scratchy clothes! Your child is much more likely to bring out his adorable two-toothed grin if he's wearing something he's comfortable in. You're welcome to bring a separate outfit for the portraits and smash, especially if you have something you don't want to get cake all over. The outfit can be as simple as a white onesie or diaper cover, or as customized to your theme as you like.
What if they won't smash the cake?
Some don't! And that's okay. If your kiddo doesn't like getting messy, or is a little hesitant to try new things, that's all part of her story!
If having him smash the cake is important to you, it may be helpful to "practice" with a cupcake prior to the session. A first birthday cake could be baby's first taste of sugar, and it isn't always a favorite taste right off the bat! If your baby hasn't had anything sweet before, letting them try it so they know what it's all about helps.
Frosting is better than fondant! You might even go for whipped cream frosting! Although it looks pretty, a cake covered in fondant is really hard to get into. While we're on the subject, dark/black/red frosting doesn't always photograph well. Red can look like blood, and a mouth full of black frosting just isn't the most attractive look. It also stains your adorable outfit, which you may be hoping to use for their birthday party! And one more thing... bringing your cake to room temperature before the session helps soften the frosting.
Smash and/or splash?
I do a "smash & splash" (cake smash plus bubble bath) for a few reasons. First, the bath really does help clean up the mess from the cake smash! But the most important reason is that some kids really don't like cake, but really DO like baths! Some love both, and that's awesome. But I've yet to have a baby come in who doesn't like one of the two. If your child either loves to get messy or loves to get clean, there's guaranteed to be at least one activity they're going to have a blast with! (You know your child - if you prefer to skip the bubble bath, that's totally fine. We will get plenty of adorable photos during the portrait and smash portions!)
Check out some more samples of my work!
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