A SPUR OF THE MOMENT FIRST BIRTHDAY CLIENT
Karen contacted the studio at the VERY last minute to schedule a First Birthday session for her son, Crew. She and her husband Kirk have EIGHT children in their blended family, and Crew is their youngest. They were in the middle of getting their home listed, and things were crazy busy for them. Because of everything going on, Karen realized that she had neglected to schedule a session for him! She and her husband spent some time researching and visiting websites, and knew that I was the one for them as soon as they looked through my portfolio. Karen crossed her fingers and hoped we would be available for a last minute session. Much to her excitement - I was available that same week, and it was also my last availability in the next six weeks! (Pro tip: Don’t wait until the last minute if at all possible, because I can’t guarantee that it will work out for you in terms of my ability to fit you in!) Karen wasted no time securing the date with us. We sent along our style guide and cake tips sheet for her to look over, and let her know that we were available for any additional questions she had.
A couple of days later, Karen sent me an email letting me know she was feeling very overwhelmed due to the preparations for the move. Because of all the organizing and packing they were doing, she didn’t have access to a lot of her clothes, and she didn’t know where she was going to get a cake at the last minute!
I invited her to come to the studio the next day for a style consult, and she was thrilled to hear that she could borrow from the wardrobe and that I had plenty of options that would fit her 5’11” frame. I also asked her to bring along options for Crew from what she had and I would pull out what I had available as well. Crew was already in 18-24 month sizing at age 1, and I have a handful of neutral and timeless things that work really well for that. There’s no need to stress about what to wear - I will help you figure it out!
Karen loved so many of the options that I had available for her and we narrowed it down to two of her favorites. Since her session was in just a couple of days, I told her that we could decide when they arrived. We also looked through the options for Crew, and she fell in love with a unisex cream romper that I have in my studio. She had also brought along the most darling little three piece set for Crew as well, so he was all set!
As a mom of three myself, trust me…I know you’re busy! I have thoughtfully designed your entire session experience from start to finish to be as simplified as possible. You shouldn’t have to waste precious brainpower trying to figure everything out on your own. If you want or need more in-depth assistance with styling like Karen did, I’m available to schedule a complimentary visit in the studio to go over your wardrobe or exchange a few emails in advance of your session. Whatever you need, I’m here for you!
THE BEST TIME TO DRESS YOUR BABY FOR THEIR SESSION
Some moms find it it easier dress their child beforehand because they’re in that oh-so-fun stage where a diaper or clothing change results in an epic flailing temper tantrum. You know your little one and their needs best, so I will always defer to your mama judgment on when to get them dressed!
If you choose to dress your baby before coming to the studio, please make sure they are wearing something that is wrinkle resistant! You will also want cover their clothing with a big bib to protect their outfit in case anything happens on the way. “What could possibly happen?”, I’m sure you’re thinking. Well….here’s some real life examples that have actually happened to some of my clients: carsickness, spilled bottle, spilled snack, really big sneeze….oh, and that time a baby found a chocolate m&m lodged in their carseat that an older sibling must have dropped. I’m not kidding! When your planned outfit can no longer be used, it can be stressful, so let’s do what we can to avoid it happening!
WHERE TO GET YOUR BABY’S SMASH CAKE IN ATLANTA
Karen was stressing about finding a bakery and ordering a cake, so I took that stress away from her. I checked with our preferred baker to see if she had availability (she did) and then gave Karen her contact information for Christina. Bonus: If your baby needs a vegan, egg-free, or dairy-free option, Christina can do that! A MAJOR plus to working with Christina is that she delivers your cake to the studio in advance of your session! This means that your cake is one less thing you need to worry about. There will be no prayers that you don’t trip while precariously balancing your cake. Not only are Christina’s cakes delicious (even the vegan ones!), her cakes are beautiful and photograph like an absolute dream.
I have personally worked with Christina over the last few years to develop the best buttercream consistency for our tiny clients. The icing texture is soft and malleable, so it’s perfect for smashing, but it’s not so sticky that it and won’t wipe off easily with some baby wipes. The majority of one year old babies DO NOT enjoy being wiped off afterwards because of being constrained! The less elbow grease needed from you to wipe the icing off their skin after their session, the better.
If you’re looking for a commercial options, Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods are all great options for your baby’s smash cake! Wherever you choose to get your baby’s smash cake from, we’ll send our cake tips to you regardless. We’ll also warn you about a popular place in the Atlanta area….a popular bakery that we do NOT recommend getting your baby’s smash cake from! We don’t recommend this particular bakery because their cake icing is so sticky that it’s like GLUE, and extremely difficult to get off skin. Trust me: you do not want to have to use 10,000 baby wipes to get your baby cleaned up - and neither does your baby!
BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR BABY’S SMASH CAKE
SIMPLE is the name of the game at the studio when it comes to smash cakes - the focus should be on your baby, not the cake. Don’t use fondant or tons of added objects for decor. Consider textured icing or an ombre, or watercolor design if you want visual interest. “Naked” cakes are also really beautiful too!
Bigger is NOT better. Keep your baby’s cake to a max of 6 inches in diamete and to two shorter layers at the max. If height of your baby’s cake is too high, it will block their face and limit angles for their photos.
Flowers as decor are so pretty on cakes, but are not practical for smash cakes. If you choose to include them anyway, plan to remove them after first few photographs, 9 times out of 10 they will end up on your baby’s mouth and you'll be dashing over to take it away… which can lead to an unhappy baby! This advice applies to everything that isn’t icing - candles, decor, etc. Added elements tend to be a distraction from actually exploring and eating their cake, and the biggest drawback is that they obscure adorable facial expressions and limit angles.
Keep it neutral! Choose a neutral icing color (off white, cream, or pastels) is best. Don’t choose neons, black, or super bright colors. These may permanently stain and ruin your baby’s clothing, and will cause unwanted color casts in your baby’s photos.
Pass on using shaved coconut as a coating for your baby’s cake. While shaved coconut does add beautiful texture, there has not been a single baby in my studio that has liked it. As soon as they felt the texture in their mouth, it promptly ended exploration of the cake and they started crying and trying to get it out of their mouth. The exception to this guideline on coconut would be if you’ve given this to your baby before and know that they consistently enjoy it!
Use buttercream icing only! AVOID whipped icing and fondant like the plague. Whipped icing is extremely sticky, greasy, and slippery. It is VERY resistant to being wiped off skin. Fondant is very thick, and frustrating for babies because it’s difficult for their tiny fingers to break through and eat. It’s also a choking hazard if they get a big piece of it in their mouth!
Don’t bother with writing a message on top of the cake (save it for the party cake instead) - it doesn’t photograph well and can be distracting. If you HAVE to have something written that’s fine - but just be aware you won’t see it well like you think you will.
FIRST BIRTHDAY SESSION FLOW
First Birthday sessions are the ultimate 3 sessions -in-1. Your gallery will have solo portraits of your little one, family.parent portraits, AND cake smash photos (if you include a cake) to choose from. When Karen arrived, I had the two dresses she was considering ready to go. As soon as I saw what her husband was wearing, I knew that only one of the dresses would work for the overall tone - and she had been leaning towards it anyway, so she was happy for me to make the final call. I love when my clients trust my professional judgement when it comes to the best colors and tones! Trust me: I want you to look your very best, and choosing the right colors for everyone that all work together cohesively is a HUGE part of making that happen.
I started the session photographing Crew with his parents, and he was just the CUTEST little baby boy with the biggest blue eyes. He was a little bit shy at first, so photographing him with his parents helped him get used to me and accept that everything was okay and he was safe. I brought out our wooden stacking blocks for him to play with, which he absolutely loved. It didn’t take him long to warm up to me and his big, fun, and FEARLESS personality came out quickly! Karen changed him really quickly into the unisex cream romper for a few images since she loved it so much, and it looked absolutely perfect with the dress she had chosen.
Once we were done with the family and Crew’s solo portraits, it was time for the cake smashing fun!
THE CAKE SMASH
Karen put Crew into one of the knit diaper covers that I have here in the studio. I set up one of our antique high chairs and we sat Crew in it. I then demonstrated exactly how Karen should present the cake to Crew (I know it sounds a little over-the-top, but how you do this actually does matter for the best pictures!). I constantly physically demonstrate what I need you to do throughout during my sessions, so you’re never left hanging and trying to figure it out yourself!
When Crew saw his cake, he LITERALLY grabbed it! I think this session might be my most favorite baby boy session ever when it comes to how much he loved his cake. His parents joined in on the fun too for a few images! A lot of parents worry that a smash cake will be a complete waste of time if their baby isn’t in to it. I can’t promise your baby will love their cake, but I CAN tell you that I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve to get them interested. These tricks involve YOU interacting with them, and they’re easy! Once they’ve become sufficiently interested, parents can exit out of the frame and I’ll capture those images of your little one enjoying their cake! In this case, we didn’t have to employ any of these tactics at all… but we did have to take Crew out of the high chair and put him on the floor when he kept trying to throw his cake off the tray. Have no fear: I disinfect and steam mop the floors before sessions, so your baby will be on a clean floor if we have to do that!
I don’t typically put babies on the floor for cake smash sessions because the high chair is better for containing the mess and making life easier for parents. In this case though, I’m so glad we tried it to see what he would do… because the resulting images are SO RIDICULOUSLY CUTE and show Crew’s seriously flexibility and dedication to getting some more of his cake in his mouth! Scroll through a few of my favorites below to see what I mean!
Enjoy a few of my favorites from sweet Crew’s First Birthday session!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
