First birthday cake smash photography is the perfect example of beautiful chaos. The results are often less beautiful and more messy when you go DIY.
From my firstborn to his little sister, I have learned a few tricks for getting colorful and messy first birthday photos using DIY cake smash photography.
Here are 11 tips for making those cake smash photos memorable, starting with the simple task of planning the cleanup.
Get rid of the High Chair Made From Plastic
High chairs allow babies to eat without much fuss. The mess is what makes for great cake smash photos!
You can photograph the cake without the high chair. Trust me, they will have it in their toes.
Placing the baby and cake on a flat surface allows them to make mess, which is exactly what cake smash photos are about.
One exception. A painted wooden high chair is a great option for cake smashing.
Even though a wooden highchair can keep them from eating cake, painted wooden highchairs are sweet and simple props that offer a new Yours Photography style of cake smash images.
Make your own DIY cake smash photography. Keep it simple.
My daughter or I were both more excited about her cake smash session. It’s easy to get too excited about a cake smash session. But I knew that if I didn’t keep it simple, I would end up with too many photos once the cake was gone everywhere.
A simple background is best, with just one or two props. It’s fine to have just the background and the cake. You’ll need to take several angles so arrange your props so that you can get close-ups of some items.
Colour Coordinate
My daughter’s DIY cake smash was my first choice. I knew that I wanted a simple background with pops in colour. Begin with one item you want to coordinate in the session. For me, it was the headband that she wore for her monthly photo sessions the previous year. Next, add colours to coordinate with or complement that item.
Attention must be paid to the colour of your cake frosting. While white frosting looks great, it can be difficult to photograph because of the tendency for highlights to become too exposed. Blue icing was used, and the photos turned out well, but blue tends to stain more than other colours.
