What better way to celebrate your baby’s first birthday than by taking some fun cake smash photos?
What to do if your baby doesn’t like to be photographed? What if he or she is shy and afraid of strangers?
Check what A&M Mazur Photography are doing Step by step on what to do to make the session a pleasure for both parties and run smoothly.
Take a time
Children are unpredictable, changeable, and can surprise us a lot. Remember to set realistic expectations for how long this may take. It is the Children who set the pace for every session they participate in, and some take longer than others. The main thing is that you have extra time for the session to make sure you get what you need. The session can last 15 minutes, but it may happen that we will need much more time than expected. The child may be shy and need more time to acclimatize in the studio and get to know the surroundings and the photographer. The photographer must try to create nothing of communication with the child quickly. When the first smile appears, it’s a sign that we can turn on the studio light and get started.
Choose the cake with Care
In a smash cake session, the second most important element after the baby is the cake. It must be the cake your child wants to eat. Choose a mass of cake with your favourite fruit, decorate it with flowers, coloured glaze, etc. Avoid chocolate cakes! they do not look good in pictures and are not so easy to clean. I recommend not to cover the cake with sugar or chocolate because it will be hard to get inside and the whole fun is to get there as soon as possible. I advise against serving themed cakes. If on top of the cake there will be sugar figurines with favourite characters from fairy tales, the child will focus their attention on them and not on eating the cake. Most photographers include the cake in their “Cake Smash” photo shoot, but for security reasons, I recommend that parents order the cake itself. The child may have allergies (to wheat, eggs, etc.) and it is best to let the parents take care of this. Remember that a cake is not a necessity. Check A&M Mazur Photography other suggestions such as fruit, muffins or creams.
Pre-Cake Mini Photoshoot
Before the cake smashing action begins, be sure to capture a few portraits of the baby and family members, as well as detailed shots of the cake and decor. Watch the baby during this short photoshoot. You can observe how he/she behaves in front of the camera, where he/she looks, and how he/she reacts to your voice. Keep this part of the session short, don’t let the baby bored. When photographing the cake, I recommend taking close-up shots of the cake details, cake topper, and other items or props on the set. This is in addition to capturing wider shots of the scene as well.
Dial in your camera settings
As I mentioned above, children (especially one-year-olds) can prove highly unpredictable. The last thing you want to do while photographing a cake smash is fumble around with your camera settings only to miss frame-worthy moments. To help, here’s a basic starting point for dialling in your exposure so that you can focus on shooting.
Favourite photoshoot theme
To add some character to a shoot, why not style it? Adding themed props and accessories can also add personality to a photo shoot. Parents usually take the initiative here and suggest what to prepare for their child. Favourite hobbies, films or sports teams, and programmes or characters that the child likes.
We follow this advice and make the Cake Smash session one of our favourites. Check out A&M Mazur Photography-Cake smash theme sessions.