Hello and Welcome!

​

Cake smash sessions are one of our favourite sessions to shoot! Cake smash sessions are the perfect way to celebrate your little one’s first birthday. I spend some time every day learning to perfect my craft. Hopefully this little guide will help you to prepare for your baby's session and help answer any questions or concerns you may have.

​

What to expect during your session

Your cake smash session will run for roughly 20-45 minutes. The set up is fully styled by me, and I will have some cute little outfits for you to choose from for your baby to wear if your package includes it. You can bring an outfit from home for your baby if you wish, please stick to neutral colours if you do or send me a message for some ideas!

Don’t assume they will dive right in!

​We begin by taking pictures of your little one in their cake smash outfit before introducing the cake.

Most parents assume their little one will dive right in and go crazy when a cake is put in front of them. However this doesn’t always happen and that’s okay. We will let your baby set the pace, as some babies are more than happy to make a huge mess, while others may need a little bit of encouragement and sometimes even help to get into their cake. Be ready to get your hands dirty and help your little one get past all the frosting to the cake underneath! It’s also a good idea to bring along a favourite toy and some snacks that could be placed inside the cake for them to go in after!

Come prepared for one heck of a mess

One thing parents don’t often realize is that they too will likely become covered in cake and icing during the session (picture your baby running/crawling straight towards you with icing coated hands), so a change of clothes for everyone, not just the birthday boy or girl, is a good idea! Dress like you are going to be painting your house, not like you are going to the office!

Watch out for allergies

Offering your child a cake during their session that has ingredients they have never had before isn’t a great idea. This one may seem obvious, but it has to be mentioned. So please make sure that you little one has had cake and icing before the Cake Smash. Another thing to note is that some advanced cake designs may make use of wooden dowels for extra support. They are big enough to be safe if your little one grabs one but (I hate that I even have to say this), DO NOT ever think its a good idea to shove their face in the cake!

If you can, leave siblings with a babysitter

Please try and avoid bringing siblings to the cake smash photoshoot if you can. As much as you may think they will sit still, they almost always want to come and participate in the cake smash too. This means they will be getting in the way of the images I am trying to capture and I like to try and avoid cake and icing being spread around the whole studio.

​

Bath photos

At the end of the cake smash we will be taking photos of your little one in the bath. The bath will have warm water and bubbles, please let me know if your child is not used to having bubbles in their bath so we can just have plain water instead. Once I have taken my photos you can wash your little one off, and they will almost always need another bath when they get home as they will still be a bit greasy from the cake icing.

What To Bring

• Towels and a face cloth for cleaning up bubs after the cake smash.
• Snacks/toys in case they don’t like the cake. 
• An outfit (if you are to bring your own, see guide line above).
• Spare clothes for you and spare clothes for your little one.
• Sippy cup to help wash down the cake.

Other notes

*Please refrain from taking mobile phone photos or videos during your shoot (it will be tempting I know, but that's what I'm here for).

*Please note: Due to the nature of the session, this session does not include parent, sibling or family images.

*Plan in advanced! If you are looking to have the photos back by the birthday, booked a few weeks in advance. Photos will take about 3-4 weeks to return.

Studio and Session Health and Hygiene Policy:

These are the extra precautions we are taking in the studio and during sessions after the Covid-19 pandemic. Please ensure you read carefully before your session.

​

For you: 

It is your responsibility to notify me if you or any person in your family attending the session has any symptoms of communicable illness (sore throat, runny nose, fever, cough, etc.) OR if you have been in contact with anyone who has been confirmed with Covid-19 or anyone isolating.

Bring and wear your masks as per the mandatory government rules. Masks will be worn throughout the session, and only taken off if you are being photographed.

Shoes to be removed and left outside at the front door

Wash hands and sanitize upon arrival and on departure.

Clients to have only direct/immediate family ONLY- and from the same household.​

For Me:

I will be wearing a mask during sessions as per mandatory government rules.

Every surface and prop will be sanitized and cleaned before and after every session.

Hand sanitizer and hand washing available and to be used throughout the session.

I will notify you if anyone in my household is experiencing symptoms, and if so, the session will be rescheduled.

Getting your photos printed:

You have two options to get your images in print. You can either order prints directly from me or you have the option to order your own prints. If printing yourself here's some things to keep in mind. I have processed your pictures and I think they are perfect as they are. If you forget to tell your lab to not “auto-correct” (often times it is a box on the order form that is automatically selected), then they will add saturation and contrast to your images. They will not resemble the professionally edited images I have provided for you. Third, be careful which lab you chose. We recommend a professional photography printing lab as opposed to labs like Walmart, or any self-serve kiosks.