Tips for a Successful DIY Cake Smash

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2012

There’s almost nothing cuter than a 12-month old being allowed to attack a birthday cake. From frosting covered hands to sprinkles in thigh wrinkles or trying to shove an entire fistful of cake into a tiny mouth – it’s become a one-year-old’s rite of passage. If you aren’t willing or able to shell out the money to have a professional photographer do your session, here are a few tips to attempt a DIY cake smash session!

1. Timing: As a general rule, the best time frame is when the baby is awake enough (not right after getting up from a nap) and hungry enough (to actually eat the cake!) but not overtired or ravenous. Additionally, morning light is usually the easiest to work with. The most successful cake smashes I’ve photographed have been mid-morning. Have a bottle on hand if they get thirsty.

1911794_884680146904_751870257917632997_n2. Location: If you’re shooting a cake smash indoors, pick an open space facing a window. Stand at an angle, so you don’t cast a shadow on the area. If you are adventurous enough to venture outdoors, set up a large blanket. No one wants leaves or grass stuck to anything – frosting or hands! Also, remember to ensure that baby will be warm enough. I love the look of natural wood floors, and it’s easy enough to conquer with a Swiffer wet jet or a hungry pooch.

3. The gear: You don’t need a fancy camera. I bought my Nikon DSLR from Costco! I would highly suggest picking a wider angle lens – you can always crop in later. Shoot on RAW format to have more editing options if you butcher a shot you really wanted. I have a flash kit and diffuser that I love for dimly-lit indoor spaces. You’ll need to play around with settings before the big day. Finally, make sure to have your battery charged and a clean memory card – I usually have extras of both on hand.

4. The team: I suggest enlisting the help of another family member or friend to distract the baby when they want to run away or when they are heading towards you – and your camera! Additionally, an ‘assistant’ can get baby’s attention, make them giggle, and man the bells/whistles/maracas. What do they get out of it? A sneak peek into your awesome photoshoot and a good story to tell!

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Billy did NOT want cake!

5. The cake: Number one tip: stay away from red. Whether it’s frosting or the cake inside, red can look downright terrifying in photos—pink, purple, blue, and green all work. Rainbow sprinkles are super fun also. Take the cake out a few hours ahead of time to get to room temperature. Kids do NOT like touching or eating cold cake. Think about a large cupcake instead of a layer cake. Take a few photos of the cake alone before you put the baby into the scene for the cake smash. If they are not into tearing it apart, have a knife handy to cut into it. Sometimes they actually don’t know it’s edible until you (or your helper) show them that they can eat it!

20151229-DSC_08486. The accessories: Peruse shops on Etsy for adorable pennant-style banners, cute headbands, necklaces, diapers, and bow ties, or keep it simple with a white onesie or a “birthday boy” shirt. Christmas lights, wrapping paper, or solid colored butcher paper makes a great (and cheap!) backdrop. Try to set up the cake a foot or so (possibly 2-3′ if you have the room) away from the background to achieve a bokeh or blurred background effect, and use a lower f-stop. Don’t go over the top with accessories, though – sometimes too many can distract the event itself.  For the cake, a stand (or even a box covered in wrapping paper) can help put everything you want into one scene.

7. The expectations: Have none. None whatsoever. Just keep snapping. Sometimes my favorite photos are the ones I least expect, like Parker (blogger Caitlin’s adorable daughter) crying below during her cake smash.
20151229-DSC_0912-2While pinning hundreds of photo sessions onto Pinterest can inspire you, they are the best and funniest the internet has to offer. Some kids don’t like frosting. If they just REALLY don’t come out the way you wanted – try again. No one (other than you) will know it wasn’t on their actual birthday.

8. The photos: Play around with editing software to achieve the look you want. I love using adjustment layers and touching-up tools in Photoshop and Lightroom. (Like cloning out the sockets on the wall behind Parker!) Finally, I order my prints from mpix or nations photo lab, but Costco does the best job without color-correcting if I need to go local.

What other tips would you have for a successful DIY cake smash session? 

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