So I’ve known my friend Julia for a long time – I don’t even remember how we met to be honest, but we are just friends. I know for a fact we met in Kitchener/Waterloo. That’s just how it is. lol But my friend Julia also had a baby last year… a sweet, handsome, perfect little boy who happens to be turning ONE soon.
We got very lucky in-between the lockdowns and were able to photograph his sitter session back when he was about 8 months or so and sitting up all nice like a big boy! But that’s also when the discussion started about what direction to take for his Cake Smash – 1st Birthday session! All we knew was that it had to be epic. I sent Julia loose on a few websites for some inspiration and I can’t say I was prepared the the utter awesomeness she came back with. A HIP HOP/RAP themed cake smash session. Things you should know about Julia, is a) how kind and beautiful she is, b) her love of music, and c) how completely cool and trendy she is. She just has this super awesome cool-girl vibe and I can say I’m actually jealous about how easy she makes it to look so effortlessly fashionable.
But back to my story! She came up with the theme and we set the date. I was positively itching to do this and was counting down the days until he would be close enough to his big milestone so we could shoot this awesome “King of RAP” theme. Finally the day came! I got all set up in the studio, the cake looked awesome and coordinated so nicely with the set, and then in comes our little rockstar!
Mum had one request, which I happily obliged – a photo with a single black balloon with his tiny little Adidas track suit and shoes. I can’t even think of a better outfit for a little man to wear on an all-white backdrop with a black balloon. lol It looks SO good! We carried on to the main set/backdrop for a few more portraits before diving into the cake, and did he ever demolish that thing! I was very impressed with how much he ate, and the perfect ‘smashing’ he did during his photos! BUT – when it was time for THE BATH…..
Friends, let me just tell you quickly that while all my cake smashes are memorable, I have a running list in my mind regarding certain things. In particular, the record for SHORTEST BUBBLE BATH. What I mean is, babies usually go into the bath after their cake, and play a bit, smile and look all cutesy, splash a bit, be leisurely, enjoy etc. But up until this very day, my list of shortest bubble baths I’ve ever photographed was at 2 . One little boy – less than 2 minutes in the tub, and one little girl, – less than 2 mins in the tub. Normally I leave the babes in the tub as long as they’re enjoying themselves and also as long as I need to to ensure I’ve photographed what I require for their collection.
TODAY IT WAS 60 SECONDS. LOL
TSUNAMI I tell you. I got so many incredible images of his time in the tub, the back of my camera looked like I filmed a short stop-action movie. He looooves his baths. The only time I ever had that much water outside of the tub during a session was back when I photographed the twins cake smash, but that makes sense because there were TWO children! lol Oh no – not this guy. He had the determination to have the best time, make the best smiles and leave the studio soaked from top to bottom, myself and my camera included lol . It was epic.
So now my list of shortest cake smash bubble baths is at 3. Thank you Harrison – you’re a rockstar in every way possible, and oh-so loved in every way. I love the memories we made for you and I wish you the most special and happy first birthday ever. xoxox
