Guest blog - cake smash with Jess
Guest blog – my cake smash photos with Jess Wilkins Photography, Norfolk Photographer 2018
By Muffin and Puffin & Mollie!
When Jess asked about collaborating for a photoshoot cake-smash I was delighted. It was the perfect timing to mark a milestone birthday, Mollie turning 2 and also gave me an opportunity to bring some local businesses together to celebrate one another, support one another and share some hopefully wonderful content.
Knowing Jess as I do, I wasn’t worried or nervous in the slightest, she has a very calming nature and I knew that Mollie, while I couldn’t guarantee to pose perfection, wouldn’t feel anything other than calm and happy in her studio.
We pulled up with cake and outfits and went straight into her perfect little studio. White, calm, beautiful, natural props and a tiny delicate rail of beautiful baby clothes (how I wish we had come to Jess when Mollie was a few days old!) A little slice of studio heaven.
Mollie was instantly drawn to the props, in particular, the wooden birthday cake (how apt!) and from there it was a breeze. She happily got into her matching Christmas PJs with me (a small request for an image from myself) and before we had a chance to give any sort of direction she had pulled the chair into the middle of the set and started posing. She does not take after me at all(!)
A quick outfit change later into a piece made specially by the very talented Little Dottie Designs and she was back into pose mode… gleefully knocking over the TWO props and delicately eating all the sprinkles from the cake, Mollie was indeed ready for the cake smash photos to commence.
Jess gave no direction; the whole experience was led by Mollie with me guiding her for a few of the shots. We stopped when she stopped, and Jess shot when she was happily eating her Little Cake Company cake (topped beautifully by the topper from the talented Vellamaes) and we also took some fun time-lapse videos from #bts.
In under an hour, it felt that it came to a natural end as there had been no incidents, meltdowns or tears… Mollie truly enjoyed the experience as did I. I have threatened to come back weekly for Jess’ calming influence over my little whirlwind of a toddler.
I cannot recommend Jess enough, she’s a mama herself and she just ‘gets it’ she was efficient without being bossy, she was calm without being airy and it felt more like a playdate than a studio shoot.
There’s not much point waxing lyrical about the final shots – I think they speak for themselves.
Jess can we come back for every birthday?
Sophie x
Seriously Cute Cake Smashes Make the Perfect Pictures!
Seriously Cute Cake Smashes Make the Perfect Pictures! 2017
Cake Smashes, one of the best things about taking portraits of kids and babies is that it lets us have some real fun in the studio, at my home in Norwich. Many of the best photos you’ll see of children capture them when they’re laughing or smiling naturally, so introducing some simple but cute props and peekaboo to the shoot is a sure fire way to get some truly classic images.
One of the ways to mark a 1st or 2nd birthday at my home studio in Norwich is doing a super cute ‘cake smash’. An optional extra for the end of your family shoot or baby and toddler shoot, cake smashes give kids the chance to let their hair down and enjoy some tasty baking and the photographer the chance to get some fantastic shots.
How does a cake smash work?
If you’ve brought your child in for a kids’ photo shoot or a family shoot, you’ll have the option of adding a cake smash to the end of the session. Once we’ve taken a variety of timeless shots of your child in their best outfits, you can bring the cake you've bought with you (avoid chocolate cakes at all costs - it's not pretty!)
As your child demolishes the cake, we’ll snap away, capturing some unique images as they indulge in their tasty treat. Cute Cake smashes last around 10 to 25 minutes depending on the child. Once they’ve had some fun, if they’re happy to do so, we’ll pop them in a little bubble bath so they can get clean and we can take another couple of timeless snaps. I oragnise the collection of the cake and clean up after the cake smash, I take care of it all making it stressfree.
Why a cake smash is a perfect way to end your shoot
Cake smashes are a fantastic way to end a family or birthday photo shoot. Kids absolutely love them so it helps to ensure they end the session on a very happy note. Cake smashes also gives me the opportunity to capture some fun and unique images that you can treasure forever. They make great gift ideas for grandparents too!
If you’re bringing your child in for a birthday shoot, cake smashes are even more apt. You can use the images we capture as a thank you card to send to friends and family after their party or simply get it framed and keep it as a reminder of this important milestone.
Choosing your cake
When you book your cake smash, I’ll give you a few different cakes to choose from (the cake maker can make lots of colour variations too). You can opt for a giant cupcake, a tiered cake covered in sprinkles or a variety of different designs. My favourite is a simple iced cake with minimal decoration. I love this style as it doesn’t distract from your child and babies can grab and smash it more easily.
To find out more about our unique baby and family photo shoots, or to book a fun and super cute cake smash art my home studio in Norwich (packages start from £200) for your little ones, explore our site or contact me using my simple form.
