Cake Smash Sessions: Inspo Photos, Outfit Ideas, and Tips
Thinking of celebrating your kiddo’s first birthday with a cake smash photo session? Here’s a collection of tips and cake smash photos for outfits and posing ideas to help you create unforgettable and timeless photos you’ll love.
Last Update: July 1, 2024 • Milestone
I absolutely adore cake smash photo sessions because they are such a unique and fun way to:
Capture the baby’s personality: A cake smash session provides an opportunity to capture your baby’s unique personality, sense of adventure, and joy as they explore the yummy cake. No two kiddos that I photographed are alike, and each session has its own candid moments that I like to capture.
Create lasting memories: The photos from a cake smash session record your baby’s first birthday celebration and serve as a cherished reminder of this time in their life.
Celebrate milestones: A cake smash is a way for your family to celebrate your baby’s first year of life and the milestones they have achieved.
Have fun: Cake smash sessions are playful and delightful and provide a fun opportunity for your family to enjoy a special moment with your kiddo.
If you are thinking of celebrating your little one’s big day with a cake smash photo session, this post has plenty of photos, ideas, and tips to help you get started.
Let’s dive smash in.
Studio Cake Smash Photos for a Boy
In my cake smash sessions, I like to create a timeless look and keep the focus on the baby. That’s why I use just a few props, prefer neutral colors for outfits, and use a naked cake with a simple and elegant topper and wooden cake stand.
In Client’s Own Words
“We did a cake smash photo shoot with Lana and couldn’t be happier with our experience! Our 1 year old was wriggly and curious and Lana did a great job keeping baby engaged. We came across Lana via a Google search when looking for photographers in the area and I don’t think we could’ve asked for better. We are looking forward to future sessions!” —Keisha
Studio Cake Smash Photos for a Girl
As I mentioned before, I like to keep the focus in these sessions on the kiddo, so I use minimum props to create a timeless look. The party hat is also available and adds a nice touch to your cake smash photos.
Studio Cake Smash Photos in a Highchair
When your child does not want to sit in one place and tends to crawl away, using a high chair will help. I use a white vintage highchair in my sessions to complete a timeless look.
Outdoor Cake Smash Photos
In the summer and early fall, outdoor cake smash sessions offer a lot of fun options. Here’s one in a beautiful field on a farm.
And here is a charming cake smash photo session on a sunflower farm.
Additional Tips to Make Your Cake Smash Photos a Success
- The cake must be completely defrosted, or it won’t smash, and the frosting will not stick to your baby’s skin.
- Make sure your baby is well-fed and rested.
- Pay attention to how much cake your child is ingesting and at what point it can be a choking hazard.
- The cake smash photoshoot is not the best time to introduce your kiddo to solid foods. For a cake smash session, your child must be completely able to handle solids without choking.
- Let your kiddo taste a cake or a cupcake a few days before the session so that when you sit them down in front of a cake during your photo shoot, they will know that this is something good to munch on.
- I know we all want that perfect shot of our baby biting into the cake (and I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve). However, sometimes, despite the best efforts, a child will not want to do that. Resist the urge to pressure the baby to act a certain way during this fun session. Follow their lead instead and capture natural, unforced moments.
Pricing and Booking
I designed the entire cake smash photo session experience to be enjoyable, relaxing, and fun. I’ll guide you through every step to create photos you love and cherish.
Cake Smash Session Highlights:
- Session duration: 20 minutes (add-ons increase session time up to 1 hour)
- Time: Your session could be booked between 11 am to 2 pm to accommodate your baby’s napping schedule
- Images: 10 hand-edited high-res photos that you pick from a gallery of 30 to 40 (additional hand-edited photos available à la carte)
- Cake: Session price includes a 6-inch naked cake, a selection of cake toppers, and a selection of cake stands
- Outfit: An outfit for the baby is provided (you will pick an outfit from my client’s wardrobe)
- Prep help: I will provide a detailed prep guide to help you get ready
- Print release: Print as many photos as you like for your home or gifts to family
- Location: The session takes place at my Redmond studio
- Turnaround: 7 days
Pricing:
- Session price: $550 +tax
- 5 photos of the baby without the cake: +$200;
- 5 photos of baby with parents: +$200;
- Additional hand-edited images: +$20/photo
Get started with your Seattle cake smash session today:
Hi, I’m Lana
I have been a Seattle maternity, newborn, and family photographer since 2008. Having photographed thousands of families, I have developed a hassle-free and fun process so families could have an easier time documenting their journey through the years. I invite you to learn more about me, and my unique values and quirks.
