Preparing for your cake smash shoot

 Cake smash sessions are so much fun! It is always such a joy to capture their little personalities as they celebrate their milestone birthdays. 

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Heres some tips on preparing for your cake smash shoot: 

• Cake smash sessions are for images of the baby or toddler only, if you would like parents and siblings in the photos please book a family shoot and let me know that you'd like to add a cake smash. 

• The cake is not included in the shoot booking, so bringing your own is necessary. The best cakes to use have soft icing/buttercream on the outside, cakes with harder fondant icing are harder for the baby to break through, don't get as messy and don't tend to be as engaging for the baby. 

• The session includes images of the child before the cake comes out, it is lovely to capture them for their birthday before the chaos of the cake comes out. 

• You are welcome to bring multiple outfits for your little one, sticking to timeless, neutral clothing, avoiding anything too brightly coloured or patterned that will distract from the details of your perfect baby. 

• The time a cake smash shoot takes varies on how co-operative your little one decides to be on the day, sessions are booked for 2 hours to allow for plenty of breaks however on average they take about 1 hour.

• I would always encourage bringing snacks and something to keep little ones entertained if they need a break from shooting, keeping the session calm and enjoyable for all. 

• The studio has a selection of birthday decorations, such as balloons, bunting and outfits, these are their to use as you please. 

• Most importantly cake smash shoots should be fun! The best shots are always those of natural smiles and laughter, the more fun the child is having the better the images turn out. Because of this I take a relaxed approach to working with children and let them explore the studio and relax into the session, and will avoid asking them to be in forced poses.