First Birthday 

Smash & Splash Photography Session

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR LITTLE ONE!!

If you are here then you are already considering booking a First Birthday Smash & Splash session with FamilyTales Photography LLC.  These sessions are like no other so I am sure you have a bunch of questions.  I hope when you are finished reading this guide most of those questions are answered.  If not, shoot (photography pun!!) me an email and ask for clarification or additional info.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING TO YOUR SESSION:

This list varies from session to session, but the one thing every client must bring to their smash & splash session is an almost one year old. You don’t have to bring a happy almost one-year old. You don’t have to bring a cooperative almost on year old. You don’t have to bring an outgoing almost one year old. Just bring the almost one year old that you have.

Once your First Birthday Smash & Splash session is scheduled we will been to coordinate a color scheme/theme for the cake smash so that I can get said color scheme/theme info to my baker. Many, but not all, clients choose to use the same color scheme/theme as the one they are already planning for the kiddo’s birthday party. If you choose to use the same color scheme/theme then I encourage you to bring any decorations that you already have (ex. A banner).

You should also bring a cake smash outfit that you don’t mind getting messy. Many people find adorable smash outfits on Etsy. Most clients choose not to use the outfit that they purchased for the child’s party because the outfit will hopefully get very messy.

Lastly, I encourage parents to bring a “regular” outfit to wear for a few traditional “clean” shots because the smash and splash part never lasts a full hour. Some parents choose to bring a dressy outfit (a fancy dress or a bow-tie and suspenders set) and some people opt for a second outfit that coordinates with the party theme (a tutu or fun t-shirt). And then there are some folks who just want clean shots of the party star in their smash outfit before they start smashing. That is just fine as well.

WHAT WILL I PROVIDE FOR YOUR SESSION?

I have a wide variety of banners and tissue paper puffs and various other things that you are welcome to use should you not want to provide one of your own for your First Birthday Smash & Splash session. I also provide the balloons for your kiddo’s session. And I provide a gorgeous cake from The Flour Child. If you are lucky your almost one year old will only eat from one side and you can take home and enjoy the untouched yumminess.

I will also provide a towel, a washcloth and a bag for you to take your messy smash clothes home. And, finally, two to three weeks after your session I will provide a gallery full of adorableness.

WHAT WILL YOUR SESSION LOOK LIKE?

You will arrive with your almost one year old dressed in an outfit that they can also wear home. Your almost one year old and I get to know one another. I will show them all my fun studio gadgets while they cling to you like I am the scariest person on Earth. After that I make silly faces at them.  This process takes a long time for some kids and just a few minutes for others. I do not rush this process…partially because I really do enjoy it so much and partially because if I rush it the session will be generally less successful.

Once your kiddo is comfortable we will put them in their non-messy outfit and get some hopefully smiling portraits. This will entail a lot of gadgets, silly noises and singing. Feel free to give me a heads up as to what your almost one year old finds humorous. Sometimes my craziness earns me some big smiles and sometimes I get blank stares. And sometimes they just cry.  I make no promises.

After the traditional birthday shots you help the model with their wardrobe change and I get the smash set-up put together. This is when things get interesting.

Your child will probably cry. Almost all almost one year olds cry at some point during the session….they cry when you put them down….or they cry when their hands get messy….or they cry when they can’t shake off the icing. They cry. I can handle whatever they throw my way (including cake!). I have a variety of things I use to hopefully distract the kiddo from the fact that they are unhappy. Sometimes it works.  Sometimes it doesn’t.  Sometimes they cry harder. I make no promises.

Once the birthday kiddo is completely OVER the cake smashing (or is screaming hysterically with no hope of calming down) we move onto the splash segment of the session. I bring out a basin of warm water and a small water toy, help you undress the messy one and start snapping pictures of them in the bath….sometimes screaming, sometimes splashing, sometimes both.

After I get a few quick shots of tubby time it is time to wash the model and wrap them in a big fluffy towel. You snuggle them, dry them off and take them home.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

~ Whatever you think will happen during your First Birthday Smash & Splash session will not happen. If you child loves sweets and hates the tub they will undoubtedly cry through the cake smash and love the bath. There is no predicting the almost one year old’s behavior during this type of session so you should probably just leave your expectations in the car.

~My studio WILL be a mess when the session is over. It’s ok. Don’t apologize or offer to help me clean. It is expected and I love it. Cake smash & splash sessions are one of my very favorite kinds of sessions!  Huge mess + Lots of fun = Awesome portraits

~ I will have icing on my clothes, in my hair and sometimes even on my camera. Again, it’s ok. I likely wore your child’s DNA during their newborn session….this is an improvement over that.

~ If you plan on displaying your cake smash and splash photos at your child’s party you have two options: 1) You can schedule your almost one year old’s session 3 weeks before the big bash or 2) You can choose one of the preview images I share on Facebook or Instagram as one of your included downloads. Just let me know which image and I will email it to you without the watermark.