Last month I had the opportunity to collaborate with several small business owners in Menifee for a fantastic 5-day giveaway hosted by Menifee Mom on instagram. I was thrilled when the winner of my giveaway reached out to arrange a cake smash session for her baby girl Penny’s 1st birthday! The icing on the cake (no pun intended) was that her big sister Scarlett has a birthday just a few days after hers, so they both joined in for a double birthday photoshoot!
Happy birthday Rylie! Rylie’s 4th birthday photoshoot couldn’t have been more perfect because she is an absolute doll. She walked in and said “My name is Rylie. I’m ready for my photos!”. After raising my own 3 kids and working with little ones for many years, I’m confident to say 4 years old is hands down the cutest age ever, and Rylie proved that point in spades.
I started off with taking photos of her beautiful family. Her little brother is two years old, which is always the trickiest age to photograph, but it all worked out! It was also fun getting shots of just Rylie and each of her parents to capture the bond each of them have. She and her brother loved playing with the balloons I had set up, and I made sure to get as many portraits of beautiful Rylie as she’d allow (which were many, because she was so cooperative, expressive, and as cute as can be).
While I mainly work with infants, I always love when clients contact me to schedule photos for their children as they grow! Every child is so special and unique, and a birthday is an especially fun time to book a photoshoot to celebrate. I highly recommend reaching out to discuss scheduling a special photoshoot for your little one(s)! Read more about my Child Photography Sessions here.
Kennedy’s 1st birthday cake smash was full of her gorgeous smiles and beautiful brown eyes! She was so happy and joyful through every moment, even with a bit of a mishap with the cake at the end. Her personality is every bit as beautiful as she is, and I loved meeting her and her parents.
1st Birthday Cake Smash Photography
Cake smash photography is such a special way to celebrate a baby’s first birthday! A lot of families love to display these photos at their baby’s first birthday party, or simply as a way to commemorate this precious milestone.
A typical cake smash photo session consists of:
Pre-cake portraits: I love to capture baby’s portraits and personality and do a few different setups before bringing out the cake!
Cake smash: The main event where the baby gets to dig in to the cake. Some babies absolutely love it while others are more timid, but that’s the beauty of every session…getting to see baby’s personality and curiosity shine through!
Clean-up: This can include some cute photos with baby playing in a little tub — babies usually love this part the most!
When planning a cake smash session, consider the following tips:
Choose a theme or color scheme that complements your baby’s personality or birthday party decor.
I recommend light or white cakes with whipped cream frosting or “naked” frosting. Buttercream tends to be a bit sticky and difficult for babies to swallow.
Be prepared for a mess — frosting tends to get everywhere! Bring extra clothes for both the baby and yourself.
I have a variety of outfits, headbands, banners, cake stands, cake toppers, and balloons. Clients are always welcome to bring anything to make their session unique. Personally, I prefer to keep things simple to truly focus on the baby, but I’m always happy to discuss client’s wishes for their baby’s first birthday photos! After all, babies only turn one once…make it special with a 1st birthday photoshoot! For more information, take a look at my cake smash info page and reach out to discuss your baby’s first birthday session.
Amelia’s first birthday photoshoot was a bit of a boho cake smash with lots of neutrals and earthy tones, and of course an overload of cuteness. Her momma had contacted me several months in advance to book Amelia’s very special 1st birthday session and I was so excited to finally meet this beautiful family! As it often goes with little ones, we never quite know what we’re going to get. I let them take the lead and snapped away. There were some tears, but also lots of the cutest smiles. We started off with family photos, then gave Amelia’s big brothers a break while capturing some parents & baby shots. I cycled through some of my cutest outfits and headbands to add to the variety, then completed her 1st birthday photos with a cake smash and some tub time. After a session packed with a little bit of everything, I hope I captured a gallery her family will cherish forever.
Mia’s 1st birthday photoshoot exceeded my expectations, which is not surprising because she is an absolutely adorable baby. When her momma reached out to schedule her first birthday photos, I was so excited to see how much she had grown since her newborn session last year. Her mom warned me that she tends to be very scared of strangers (super common for babies and toddlers), and was hoping to get at least a few smiles and not too many tears. I set up my studio, put out all of my favorite extra cute 1st birthday items and props, and hoped for the best. Mia did not disappoint! In fact she was all smiles and personality and oh-so-very-cute!
I started off with some sweet portraits, then moved on to get some candid shots of Mia playing. She loved playing with my chair (it’s the perfect size for babies, and they love it) and showing off her standing skills. We ended the session with a cake smash, which is of course always a fun highlight for first birthday photos!
I always love doing first birthday photos and this session was one of my favorites to date! Now to show off so many favorites from this brown-eyed beauty…
Handsome little Benjamin is turning one! His 1st birthday photoshoot was filled with smiles and so much personality! I got to capture his portraits, birthday outfit photos, and some Toy Story themed photos for his birthday party. I always love meeting new clients, and meeting Benjamin and his momma was extra special because I learned they live in my neighborhood.
Emily Menzie is an experienced baby photographer in Menifee, California, capturing baby photos from newborn to first birthday for clients throughout Southern California.
Avraj’s momma was looking for a birthday photographer for a fun cake smash photoshoot. She found me over on Thumbtack – I’m always intrigued to hear how people find my work and my website. I absolutely loved the style she requested for her little guy’s 1st birthday session. We started off with family photos, along with mom/baby and dad/baby shots (I highly encourage parents to be in the photos with their little ones!), captured some sweet portraits (I always try to get some great portrait photos — I think they’re the most important part of any photoshoot), snapped some fun “explorer” shots for his adventure themed birthday party, and ended with the cake smash. I loved his neutral cake smash with some pops of color from the greenery and balloons. Avraj was a total delight for his photoshoot — he was adorably expressive and smiled and clapped through the entire session. I hope he had a wonderful first birthday! I can only imagine it was extra fun with his fun-loving personality!
Emily Menzie Photography is located in Menifee, California and specializes in baby and child photography, from newborn photos to baby’s first birthday and beyond, including Fresh 48 sessions, in-home lifestyle sessions, and cake smash photos. Serving clients throughout Southern California including Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, French Valley, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Canyon Hills, Moreno Valley, Riverside and all areas around the Inland Empire.
Beauties Gabriella and Kamila both have January birthdays, so we celebrated with a little January birthday photoshoot! Sibling photos are always so much fun. I first met these adorable sisters last year for Kamila’s newborn session. One of my greatest joys being a baby photographer is getting to see my newborn clients come back for their 1st birthday session (usually with a cake smash, as was the case with Kamila’s photo session). Check out this fun comparison…
It was Kamila’s actual birthday on the day of her photoshoot, and she decided it was her party and she would cry if she wanted to! She wasn’t my biggest fan that day, but she sure is adorable even through all the tears. I loved getting some comparison shots to her newborn session last year, and I was able to capture some portraits of her and big sister Gabriella too.
