I was thrilled when Jaideep’s parents reached out to ask if I could assist with cake smash photography for his first birthday. They had a couple of nearby parks in mind which I scouted out a few weeks before their session. A really simple reserve in Canning Vale turned out to be the perfect spot- close enough for them to walk to, good parking for me and the sun was going to be in the perfect spot to get a lovely golden glow coming through the trees at sunset. For outdoor cake smash photography, these are pretty important things!
I had the pleasure of hanging out with little Jaideep once before at his in home newborn session. I had some idea of how cute he was and his beautiful long lashes were hard to forget. Well, I can assure you that he’d somehow managed to get even cuter! He was a perfect little model and a delight to work with on the day.
For outdoor cake smash sessions, I like to arrive well before the session start time to set everything up. For Jaideep’s session we went with quite simple decor and let Mother Nature provide the rest. I love to start cake smash sessions with some “formal birthday portraits”. For this part, the star of the show can wear a fancy birthday outfit. I do have outfits available in my client closet, or your little one can wear their own clothes, just like Jaideep.
After the “formal photos”, Jaideep changed into his “eatin’ clothes” for cake time. For this part of the session I recommend something that you don’t mind getting dirty. A simple pair of jeans, shorts or a skirt often looks cute for the actual cake smash. Jaideep’s parents chose some cute overalls from Jaideep’s own wardrobe. Our gorgeous cake was supplied by my favourite local cake maker, Pretty Little Cakes. His dad told me that Jaideep wasn’t a huge fan of cake, but he still gave it a good go.
After Jaideep finished his cake time, we filled up the bath tub to get him squeaky clean again. Jaideep’s parents chose a fruit and mylk bath. I generally use cornflour to give the water that creamy, milk look. We can look at alternatives for babies with allergies or sensitivities. Bath time usually goes down pretty well after a cake smash with lots of splashing and laughs. Jaideep’s mummy even got in on the action for this part!
Once Jaideep had finished watering the surrounding lawn, we dried him off and dressed and he headed home with his parents for the evening. I’m betting he had some dinner and a lovely sleep soon afterwards. Meanwhile, I got everything packed up and all our mess cleaned up and headed home for some dinner of my own.
Know a little one who’s turning one soon? I’d love to help you make some special memories of this time. Fill out my enquiry form and I’ll get back to you with some more info about cake smash photography.