Ipswich, Brisbane and Surrounds Cake Smash Photographer
Having a whole cake all to yourself... Could there be a more fun & exciting way to celebrate baby’s first HUGE milestone! Baby's 1st lap around the sun is almost complete... You survived the first year, and now it's time to celebrate!
This year marks Studio KSA photography's 10th year of creating custom cake smash sets, and capturing priceless memories and your little babe's 1st experience with cake.. Whether baby loved it and was covered from head to toe with icing and cake up their nose or baby absolutely hated cake and wanted nothing to do with it, it is a fantastic way to document this special milestone.
Ipswich, Brisbane and Surrounds Cake Smash Photographer
So you've booked your cake smash, chosen a theme and the excitement is building.. After photographing cake smash sessions for so long now, I have learned that you can never predict what type of mood baby will be in and the cake smash doesn't always go as Mum or Dad hoped. Below are my top 5 tip's to prepare for you're upcoming cake smash shoot.
1. LET BABY PLAY WITH THEIR FOOD
I have found through experience, that baby's who self feed and don't mind getting dirty tend to not care when their hands (or face lol) dive into the cake. The absolute BEST thing I recommend doing if you are going to book a cake smash to get baby used to texture is the good old fashion can of whipped cream.
A couple of weeks prior to your cake smash session, I do advise giving baby a small cupcake to see how they react to the texture. Sensory issues play a big roll in their participation. Obviously this is completely up to you, because some parents want the 1st time their baby has cake to be the day of the cake smash. This can go one of two ways, either baby LOVES it and goes face 1st or they HATE it and get super upset. Regardless of their reaction, I will keep taking photo's because if this is their 1st experience with cake, you'll want to look back and remember how they reacted (like a good crying Santa photo). Doing a test run also allows you to find out if baby has any reaction/allergies that I'll need to know about, as your cake is only included by me if baby has NO allergies.
2. BRING SNACKS
This is super important, especially if it's their first time having cake. Bringing snacks that baby is used to brings some familiarity and if the cake doesn't interest them, most times we can fake it, they will eat their own snacks & if there is any icing on their hands, slowly they get used to the taste and will explore the cake a bit more. Baby snacks that are small or finger foods such as rice crackers, berries, cheerios, etc, or anything that you can stick in the cake icing that is small enough and doesn't show in the photo's.
3. STRANGER ANXIETY
PLEASE advise me ahead of time if your baby does have anxiety around new people or new environments. In this case, it's important not to rush straight in and just start taking photo's. We will spend sometime with baby in the studio just playing some of their favourite music and let them explore the space, play with some balloons or toys etc until baby warms up.
4. HAPPINESS IS KEY
At all times, I try and schedule your cake smash for after baby's nap time. Try where possible to book your smash on a day where not much else is happening that day so that it's all about baby and they are not exhausted from other events the same day.
As much as all the family want to come along and watch, the old saying "the more the merrier" does NOT work in this situation... I advise that only 2 people come along and if possible, young siblings be left with a friend or grandparent. Younger siblings usually don't have the understanding that it's not about them and will want to go in for some cake and most times run in front of the camera leading to me possibly missing a good photo. Too many faces or too many people trying to get baby's attention result in baby getting overwhelmed and not knowing which direction to look, and then losing interest in exploring the cake.
If your baby has a fever or is not feeling well either the day before or on the day of the session, then it needs to be rescheduled. We will NOT get good results if your baby isn’t feeling well. Cake will keep in the freezer (if short notice is given) so best to let me know as soon as you know if your baby is not well. If you bring your child to the session sick and things don’t go well and need to be rescheduled anyway there will likely be reschedule fees involved.
5. SPARE CLOTHES
Lastly... (and you'll be surprised how many Mum's & Dad's don' t think of this part)... Parents, you WILL most likely get dirty, so please wear something you don’t mind getting cake & icing on. If you’re planning on going out after the session bring a change of clothes.
At the end of the day, the main goal is for everyone to enjoy the session and have fun. I look forward to capturing your baby's special milestone soon.
Kez
xx