I had the delight to be apart of another special milestone last week and it was a good one! It was actually Gramma who reached out initially to book the date a few months ago and when she suggested a Jungle theme, I got pretty excited! Who am I kidding, I get excited for all the cake smash sessions, lol. They’re just so fun and putting each set together lets me play creatively, think outside the box, and see what new fun I can create that will be photographed in these special memories. My wheels were already turning for this Jungle theme and I knew exactly how I wanted to design his set.
Covid has really played a number on a lot of little ones who came into this big world during this time, and I know a lot of photographers can see it. As someone who worked with so many little ones in the years leading up to the pandemic, I can really see the difference in the little ones. The biggest difference is of course how many new people, places and experienced they’ve been exposed to, and naturally it’s far less than pre-Covid babes. So it’s perfectly normal that a Cake Smash session could be a pretty big deal! What I’ve done at my studio to help my clients have the best experience possible, is offer a separate ‘Meet and Greet’ visit that takes place a day or two before the session. It’s worked wonders! Letting the little ones come in, explore in a pressure free way and become comfortable on their own terms has 100% improved the entire experience of the cake smash session. It’s pretty fun too! So that is exactly what we did with this sweet little man. Upon our first visit, I was not prepared for the cuteness that walked in! He has THE cutest red hair I have ever seen on a one year old! I was obsessed! We had a lovely visit and I could definitely tell that during his time during the meet and greet, he had gotten comfortable with the studio surroundings and would be a-okay for his session.
The next day, when he and his family arrived, I could tell he was ready to rock! The studio was already a familiar place, and I could see he was ready. We got started! He rocked his portraits with happy little smiles and then it was time for the cake. Mum had done a little ‘trial run’ at home, which is always a terrific idea, so when the cake was in front of him, he already knew what to do and wasn’t shy or overwhelmed. It was great! This little birthday boy made the perfect little mess, which was followed by a perfect little bath in the tub. I absolutely love when the water goes flying and it’s always so cute to see their reactions. I think he was pretty proud of himself, but one thing for sure, he charmed me to pieces and I adore the memories we made to commemorate this once in a lifetime milestone. It makes my heart so happy to know he will be able to look at these photos one day and likely be amazed at how small he was, and what an awesome, curious little boy he was at such a young age.
I loved my time with him and his family. A big shoutout goes to Mum, who went above and beyond in helping prepare her little man for his session, and to Gramma for being there to experience these special moments of her pride and joy grandbaby.
