Cake smash guide
Preparing for your Cake Smash Session
Here are a few tips to ensure that your session is full of fun, laughter, and great memories!
1. When selecting the cake for your child’s cake smash, here are a few pointers: please make sure the inside of your cake is yellow cake, with white or light colored filling. Chocolate cake, even red cake, though it is yummy, will not photograph well as it breaks apart and sticks to your child’s face, arms and legs and looks like mud or even worse!
This also applies to the cake icing: please choose light colored icing- it’s great to add color through decorative icing, sprinkles, candles or cake toppers instead. Please avoid red, black, brown, and all dark colors for icing. Please bring the cake to the studio at room temperature, and avoid cakes with heavy, thick icing. Not only do babies generally not like the taste of these icings, but they will have a hard time smashing the cake apart.
2. When selecting your child’s clothing, you will have the option to bring up to three separate outfits. You are welcome to bring accessories, layering pieces, traditional/cultural items, and thematic props with you to add individual touches to your child’s photos. The one tip I do have is to have something to cover your child’s diaper during the cake smash; a pair of jeans, a diaper cover, or even a pair of children’s underwear would work great! The plain diaper alone usually does not photograph well.
3. Please bring some of your child’s favorite snacks, toys, or even books to the session. These items can help your child feel more comfortable if they are shy in new environments.
4. Parents please wear old clothes unless you have discussed family photos with the photographer. Your child will inevitably hug you when they are covered with icing! A towel can help with clean up, I do have wipes and paper towels as well as a rest room with a sink.
5. Please do not apply any lotions or Vaseline to your child’s face before the session. Even if your child has a small patch of dry skin, or a bruise or bump that may have recently occurred, I can always retouch them out during the editing process. Lotions and creams can be very oily and heavy, which can create shiny spots, and if they get into your child’s hair, it will make their hair look very greasy and matted down.
6. Lastly, if you child is feeling under the weather for any reason, a few days leading up to the session, or even the day before, please let me know. I would much rather reschedule your session than photograph your child when they are not feeling 100%. You can always call or text me at (231)920-8595 if you have any concerns regarding your session.
Thank you for taking the time to review my prep guide, it’s now time to have fun and capture beautiful images to celebrate your little one turning 1!