Category Archives: Cake Smash

Capturing Milestones: Sweet & Simple 1st Birthday Photoshoot

11.16.2025

This cute family’s little boys have the BEST curls! I’ve been so lucky to capture their first boy’s newborn and 1st birthday photos, and again when he welcomed his new baby brother, and now baby brother just turned ONE! I loved his sweet & simple 1st birthday photoshoot—he wasn’t too into it at first, but everything changed when the cake came out! I made sure to capture some photos of his big brother too — child portraits are one of my favorite things to specialize in.

Why Keep It Simple?

Simplicity in a baby’s photoshoot ensures the focus stays on your child. Minimal props, soft colors, and natural expressions highlight your baby’s personality and candid moments.

Styling Tips for a Simple Baby Boy Birthday Shoot

Neutral or Soft Colors: Shades like white, cream, beige, and muted colors create a timeless look.
Minimal Props: A favorite toy or a little cake can enhance the scene without overwhelming it.
Comfortable Outfits: Keep your baby cozy in a soft outfit or just a diaper — as simple as it gets!

Why Professional Photos Matter

Hiring a professional photographer ensures that even the simplest setups to capture sweet photos you’ll treasure forever.

Book Your Baby’s Session

Your baby’s first birthday only happens once—capture it with a simple, sweet photoshoot that highlights his or her unique personality. Contact me to schedule!

Vintage Airplane 1st Birthday Photoshoot

11.16.2025

Flying into one year with style! This handsome little guy is celebrating his first birthday today, and I loved capturing his vintage airplane 1st birthday photoshoot. His momma brought the cutest airplane rocker and aviation props.

The birthday boy was beyond adorable as he explored his cake. Cake smash sessions like this one are a fantastic way to celebrate your baby’s milestone while creating fun, playful, and timeless portraits you’ll treasure forever.

A cake smash photoshoot is more than just messy fun — it’s an opportunity to capture your baby’s expressions and curiosity. Adding a themed setup, like this vintage airplane, makes the session even more memorable and gives your photos a unique, personalized touch.

If your baby is turning one, a cake smash session is a fun and memorable way to celebrate and create keepsakes for your family to always treasure.

Book your baby’s first birthday cake smash session!
Contact me to create a personalized photoshoot that celebrates your little one’s milestone in a big way!

Sweet One! Baby Girl’s 1st Birthday Cake Smash Session

11.12.2025

There’s nothing sweeter than celebrating a baby’s first birthday with a fun and messy cake smash photoshoot! I love capturing these precious sessions that mark such an exciting milestone.

This beautiful baby girl’s first birthday cake smash session was full of the cutest smiles! Her adorable setup perfectly matched her sweet personality — making for the most precious photos!

Cake smash sessions are such a fun way to celebrate your baby’s first year. They not only create timeless keepsakes for your family to treasure, but they also capture your little one’s curiosity and unique personality. Whether your baby loves smashing, tasting, or just playing with the cake, every reaction is worth remembering!

If your little one is approaching their first birthday, now is the perfect time to plan their cake smash photoshoot. Let’s make your baby’s “sweet one” milestone unforgettable — with memories you’ll cherish forever.

📸 Ready to book your baby’s first birthday photoshoot?
Contact me to schedule your session today! I’m located in Menifee and serve clients throughout the surrounding Southern California areas, including Murrieta, Temecula, and Winchester.

Celebrating One: Baby Girl’s First Birthday Cake Smash Photos

09.20.2025

Capturing a baby’s growth and milestones during their first year is one of my favorite parts of photography. From this gorgeous little one’s newborn session to her 6 month photos and now her first birthday, she is always such a star in front of the camera!

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Whether you’ve just welcomed a new baby or your little one is reaching a big milestone—like a 6-month sitter session, a first birthday cake smash, or even updated family portraits—I’d be honored to help you preserve these precious moments.

Butterfly Theme Cake Smash | First Birthday Photoshoot

09.15.2025

I LOVED this gorgeous little one’s first birthday photoshoot and her purple butterfly theme cake smash! Mom warned me that she might be shy for photos, but she ended up completely shining in her spotlight— smiling and smashing her cake like a pro. This was a mini cake smash session — short, fun, and perfect for quick 1st birthday cake smash photos. Check out more information on my website and book here.

The Purple Birthday Theme

For this session, I styled everything around a purple palette. Balloons, cake decorations, and the gorgeous little dress her parents brought her in all tied together beautifully (I offer a variety of baby girl 1st birthday outfits in my studio too!). Whether you’re drawn to soft, neutral tones, cake smash sessions can be customized to fit your vision for your baby’s 1st birthday photos.

Little Brother’s 1st Birthday Cake Smash Photos

09.14.2025

A baby’s first birthday is such a fun celebration for the whole family! For this session, Mom requested recreating big brother’s cake smash photos—and I was thrilled when she showed me the inspiration, since my go-to backdrop is nearly identical. Meeting their beautiful family was a blast, and little brother celebrating his first birthday couldn’t have been cuter. We had to postpone the original session due to a a fall that resulted in stitches, but once he healed, I was so glad we could capture these memories.

Include Family in Milestone Sessions!

Family is such an important part of the story in milestone sessions. Including parents and siblings not only documents your baby’s growth but also celebrates the love that surrounds them. Years from now, these photos will be treasured reminders of how small your little one was, how proud big brother looked, and how happy this season of life felt.

Planning Your Baby’s First Birthday Photoshoot

When planning a first birthday session, I love incorporating simple, timeless setups that keep the focus on your child and your family connection. Whether you want to include a cake smash, favorite toys, or just heartfelt family portraits, every detail can be customized to fit your vision.

If you’re searching for a baby photographer to capture your little one’s first birthday, I’d love to help you preserve these memories. Contact me to capture your baby’s 1st birthday cake smash photos!

Squishmallows Cake Smash | San Jacinto Baby Photographer

07.03.2025

What’s soft, sweet, and full of squishy fun? A Squishmallows cake smash for a very special 1st birthday photoshoot!

We started with some family shots and classic first birthday baby portraits. Her momma requested soft pastels to match the whimsical Squishmallow vibe. When the cake came out, baby girl dug in and absolutely loved gobbling up her strawberry cake (can’t say I blame her — it looked delicious).

First birthdays only happen once, and capturing all that magic is something I absolutely love to do. If your little one has a favorite character or theme — let’s make it part of the celebration. Customizing sessions to reflect your baby’s unique personality is one of the best parts of creating these memories.

Interested in booking your own cake smash session? Let’s plan something as fun and adorable as your little one!

Baby Boy’s 1st Birthday Cake Smash

05.17.2025

Happy birthday to this handsome baby boy! Enjoy some highlights from his fun and messy cake smash session!

We kicked things off with some classic portraits to capture his adorable personality before it was time to dig into the cake. Once the cake was in front of him, he dove right in. Happy 1st birthday, sweet boy! You smashed that cake like a pro!

All About That Cake | 1st Birthday Photos

05.16.2025

This baby girl’s first 1st birthday photos were such a fun milestone to photograph! We started the session with some sweet portraits to capture her adorable personality. She wasted no time and was all about that cake—and was so sweet trying to offer some to everyone else! Enjoy some overdue highlights from her first birthday photoshoot!

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Want to know more about my cake smash sessions? I have photographed hundreds of babies and lots of cake smashes over the years. My style is clean and timeless so I like to keep the background more basic to draw the focus to the baby, but when you book your session, you’ll fill out a questionnaire to customize your session however you’d like.

A cake smash can be included in any of my Baby Sessions. I also offer a Mini Cake Smash session option. You will need to bring the cake (more info below). I have a variety of cake stands, cake toppers, banners, lots of baby girl dresses/outfits and bows/headbands/ crowns/flower crowns, and some baby boy outfit and hat options too. And of course you’re welcome to bring anything of your own, including any themed items you might be using for a special birthday party.

Cake Recommendations:

Cake color: I recommend white cake with white frosting or naked cakes for cake smashes. Otherwise pale or light frosting/cake is recommended (avoid dark colors, red, or neon).

Frosting: Whipped cream frosting tends to be easier for babies to swallow and is also easier to clean off, but regular buttercream is ok too. Remember to bring something for your baby to drink at the session as frosting usually makes babies thirsty! Also, feel free to bring little puffs, cheerios, or yogurt drops if your baby likes them. Some babies are hesitant to touch the cake, so putting a couple of those little treats on top usually helps to encourage them.

Fondant: For safety reasons, I recommend avoiding fondant, as it can be a choking hazard for babies.

Cake Size: This is completely up to personal preference, but I recommend a 2-3 layer 6 inch cake.

Cake Stands: I have several cake stands to choose from if you need one for your session (gold, silver, white, wood, wood slice, etc).

Grocery store bakeries usually offer affordable cakes for baby’s first birthday. Many will even give you a free little smash cake if you tell them it’s your baby’s 1st birthday.

Alternate options: Want to do something a little different? Cupcakes, donuts, cookies, pancakes, waffles, watermelon or other fruits are some cute options!

Specialty cake bakers: I can provide a list of some possible bakers to order a cake from if you need. Most require at least a couple of weeks in advance to reserve a cake, and their prices and policies vary.

Celebrating One: A Sweet Cake Smash for Baby Boy

05.12.2025

Celebrating One! This handsome baby boy had his first birthday a couple months ago, and I’m finally getting around to posting his session. I also got to capture some sweet family photos to document his extra special milestone, and what a beautiful family they are! In a Deluxe Baby Session such as this, I usually start off with family photos, and mix in baby & parent shots, photos with siblings etc. Then I capture a variety of photos of the baby (the star of the show!), and end the session with a special cake smash. I also have a little baby tub that babies LOVE, and it’s always a fun way to end a cake smash photoshoot when parents request it.