Kitchener Mermaid Cake Smash - I'm One Now!

I have to talk to you about bucket lists. :-) Many of us photographers secretly have a "Bucket List" of sessions we dream of photographing one day. And when that special client comes along and plucks at your heart strings requesting one of your beloved bucket list sessions, there is only one thing to do! Go big or go home! lol

I present to you, one of my bucket list sessions! A Mermaid Cake Smash & Splash! For those of you who don't know what this is, let me explain...

Firstly, a Cake Smash is a photoshoot that has become wildly popular over the past 5-7 years. It is done when a wee babe is turning ONE, and along the way has become a silent rite of passage you could say. Photographing this milestone is an absolutely wonderful way of capturing some glorious memories of a big stage in their life. The toddler years are coming, and they will continue to change and grow so fast. It's great to have memories like this. They could come in handy one day at their wedding..... ;-)

At my studio, it starts off with a few portraits in one outfit, and then we change the Birthday Boy/Girl into a special outfit that usually matches any theme we have put together. There are tonnes of birthday themes parents can select. It can be anything from child's current interests, so something that might be currently trending to their very favourite foods! This year Unicorns, and Doughnut Smashes have been wildly popular. Once adorning said outfit, we plop a beautiful and tasty cake in front of the Birthday boy/girl and let them smash and/or eat to their hearts content, all while I photograph the excitement! We finish the session of with a Splash in my customized, toddler sized claw foot tub, which is always requested by parents!

I always seem to have best results when children have had the opportunity to play with food at home, get a little messy and have fun. But that isn't always the rule! I have definitely had some "smashers" come in with little to no experience having something as grand as a cake in front of them. Those sessions are usually pretty hilarious, as myself and Mom & dad sit on pins and needles with anticipation for what comes next!

In this particular blog post, I will show you a MERMAID theme! Ooooh am I excited to show you! Little Miss B was absolutely wonderful during this session. She laughed, smiled and played. Her big brother was such a cutie! The whole family came to celebrate and I think it's safe to say we all had a very good time. :-) A very big thank you goes to Mum for helping plan such an awesome shoot, finding the perfect outfit and accessories and in the process, knocking one off the ol' Bucket List!

Tell me what you think!

Kitchener Cake Smash - "Smash & Splash!"

I'm pretty blessed to get to work with some wonderful families as they transition and grow while adding a new family member along the way. It's always a treat for me to photograph Newborn photos and then a year later celebrate a huge milestone with that same little person that was so wee and small not that long ago. I think I have it in the back of my mind that when they leave the studio from the Newborn session that somehow they'll stay tiny, but when they walk through the studio door as a toddler, it never fails - I'm always blown away by how much growth and change has taken place over the year!

Here is the perfect example! I photographed this little Miss when she was new to the world and in she came, all personality and smiles! She rocked her session in every way possible. I always like to start with a Portrait, followed by the Cake and wrap up with a good scrub in a bubble bath. Bubble baths never fail to please, and my little claw-foot tub is always requested by my clients.

Over the past few years, the infamous "Cake Smash" has almost become a right of passage for little people. The popularity has grown and trended and many variations have popped up along the way too, allowing for a whole new variation of creativity to come about. Instead of traditional cake, folks have requested doughnuts (a VERY popular alternative!). I've seen examples of 1st birthday sessions using all kinds of different foods that are the current favourite of the birthday Boy or Girl.

Here are some of my favourite photos from L's Unicorn-themed cake smash session. I hope you love it as much as I do!

If you have a little one celebrating a big milestone and are curious to know more about these super fun and adorable photo sessions, reach out today! I'd love to chat and brainstorm the perfect session for you, and of course, the studio is always stocked and ready to go for almost any ideas you might envision.

xox

D

1st Birthday Cake Smash? The answer is YES!

I have met people who didn't like the idea of a 1st birthday celebration inclusive of the famous "cake-smash". I can't help but shake my head when I hear this. As a photographer, I know what kind of images I will get of this precious little toddler diving into a mountain of sugary, colourful icing. It always starts with trepidation to full on thrilled excitement. Seeing them look to mum or dad, waiting for them to say, "don't touch honey!" as per usual, and just getting encouraged to make a giant mess and live it up is priceless! The only answer I can think of when parents ask me if it's really worth it is YES!! It absolutely is! Disappointingly enough, and I know there will always be those photos out there, I have seen way too many photos of a baby strapped into the high chair at home, sand a photo taken from across the room probably with bad lighting, and no detail shots. Well my friends, here are a few samples of the 81 images from my most recent cake-smash session!! (yes, you read that right - they got 81 images from this shoot! Totally worth the money to see a professional - I even included the cake!) For those wondering, all my child session start at $175.00 and go up to $225.00 and ALWAYS include a disk of ALL your best images. Not 10, or 20 images like some photographers, ALL. Just a nifty little perk I like to offer my friends, and clients. Aren't we great? Oh - and that's not for a "mini-session" either. I offer many mini-session specials throughout the year aside from our fabulous pricing, making it possible to have tons of precious photos taken by a pro all year long.