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What is a cake smash shoot all about?

If you have never heard of a cake smash shoot, basically it’s where parents actually buy a cake – made specifically for this purpose – with the intention of letting their baby smash it for a photo! It’s funny, right? That’s what it’s meant to be, and it is so worth it!  When people hear of cake smashing and squishing for photos for the first time, they might wonder why, and what it’s all about. The idea is to put the cake in front of your baby and let them destroy it! The result is, as you can imagine, really cute pictures as your baby frolics with the cake, makes a huge mess of things, and gets the frosting all over their face – the more colourful and brighter the frosting, the cuter and funnier it is!

Cake Smash photography

How did the trend come about?

Nobody seems to know exactly how the trend came about, but what we do know is that cake smash shoots have become more and more popular over the last few years, especially at first birthday celebrations. In many cases, parents use the photos for the child’s birthday party invite. If you intend to do this, the shoot should be carried out at least one month before the actual birthday party.

The cake smash shoot is carried out for the sole purpose of allowing your baby to have fun! Not everyone buys into the idea of a child smashing a cake. However, cake smashing is just messy play, which has been proven to encourage creative, imaginative thinking and problem-solving skills. The whole session is child-led; that is, the photographer goes at your child’s pace, so they can really have time to feel, explore and taste all the flavours and textures. Cake smash shoots can take longer than expected because the child has to feel comfortable being in a studio environment.

The photographer gets in close – down to eye-level with your baby – and tries to get eye contact, or at least catch their attention! Then they will focus on the baby, who will hopefully be holding the cake in their hands and smashing it into their mouth! A good photographer will be creative with their angles and positions.

Some babies will enjoy the whole session, while others might find it quite overwhelming. Obviously, this is where you and the photographer might have to have some patience as you spend some time making sure your baby is happy and feeling at ease. Just a little tip – it might not be a good idea to have the session right after your baby has eaten, as they will need to be a little hungry for this event!

After the cake is destroyed can wash down in the tin bath

cake smash photoshoot