How to prepare for cake smash photos

Props are a big part of a cake smash photoshoot. So it’s important to make sure you have these ready beforehand. At Renphotos we give you the option to give us a budget and we will get these items for you, but if you want to keep it personal to your liking its best to get your own. This is also an extra expense you need to consider beforehand.

I would budget between R 200.00 and R 300.00 generally. This would include flags to put up on the studio background, something that adds some colour to your shoot such as tassels, confetti etc. Balloons are also a great way to add some colour and variety. Be sure to fill them with helium or put them on a stand with long stems. Then you can also buy some extra and just fill normally to add to the bottom of your setup.

This should be within the theme you are trying to follow in terms of colour preferably. But it’s not a must. Having a cake especially made can be expensive, so maybe opt for a smaller one that doesn’t have to be beautifully decorated. After all, it is going to get smashed and this is the main objective. Also, opt for a soft cake that will be easy to break open and preferably butter icing or something similar.

It may come as a surprise to you that not all babies like photoshoots or cake smashing. We are all so used to seeing these smiling happy babies what could possibly go wrong?

The answer? Everything!

Its a lot for a one-year-old to go through and often ends in tears actually. But if you prepare properly this can be avoided. Bring items along that can help distract when your baby will be in front of the camera on their own. Find out what makes them laugh or smile – it can be a song, clapping, funny faces etc. Do this for a week with them before the shoot. Then during the shoot stand behind the photographer and use your secret weapon :). If nothing works bubbles often do the trick!

Often we think that the baby will go straight for the cake and be covered in seconds. Although this sometimes happens it is not always the case. As a general rule, I ask parents to be patient during this process – normally if they are sceptical they don’t like getting dirty.

Parents have a tendency to push their childrens hands into the cake in an attempt to show them – with disastrous results. So please try to be patient as enjoy watching your child slowly figure this one out for themselves and give encouragement when they do finally start to play with the cake. The results will be a lot better and your baby will have a lot more fun 🙂