How to do a 1st Birthday Photo Shoot or Cake Smash at Home
Because of the current Covid-19 pandemic we are all being told to stay safe at home. Businesses and life as we know it has almost come to a complete standstill. But that doesn’t mean growing up stops though. Our children are still reaching major milestones and having important birthdays during this time. For parents of young children this can be quite a sad time as you feel guilty you can’t celebrate with others, have a party or take your child out for a special, memorable day.
Once this pandemic is over I’m sure we will all more than make up for all those lost moments however in the meantime there are some things we can do to give us lasting memories of your child’s special day. Birthday shoots, especially cake smashes and birthday baths, are hugely popular in my studio at the moment. Below I give you a guide of how you can recreate this at home with just your phone camera and just a few props.
You will need:
Ideally 2 adults.
A camera or a phone
A room with plenty of natural light
A hard floor or something to cover a carpet
A plain wall for the background (if you have neither a hard floor or plain wall you could fashion a backdrop out of a white shower curtain or bed sheet but walls are better as they are crease free).
A variety of props to your taste
Search for inspiration online
It’s always a good idea to have a little look at some ideas beforehand to give you an idea of what other people have done. Remember a lot of what you see on Pinterest etc will be done in a professional studio so you may not be able to recreate these ideas exactly. This is your child’s photo shoot though, I would recommend collecting ideas rather than copying something exactly. You can check out my past birthday shoots here.
A recent shoot I did, all balloons ordered online, flower wreaths made myself & flowers borrowed from a vase in my hallway.
These balloons are filled with helium, you can buy this online or tie some together and blu-tac to the wall.
Strips of tissue paper and puff balls ordered online.
Props
Keep it simple. Balloons are cheap and easy to get a hold of and will provide colour for a particular theme. If you tie balloons together with string you can carefully stick some on the wall and have some on the floor to add some depth to the photo. You could also make a garland out of strips of paper for hanging in the background. Or a natural garland from leaves/outdoor objects. You can also use props from your child’s bedroom – bunting etc.
Have a theme
Don’t just pop anything and everything in there - I usually pick a colour palette of 2-3 colours.
You be the director
Get someone else to take a photo while you are behind the camera pulling silly faces or doing what you need to do to get your little one to look up. Their job is to take the photo, your job is to make sure your child is looking up and ideally smiling. Don’t focus too much on having your child looking at the camera, although looking at the camera shots are great often the ones where they aren’t looking are just as effective.
Behind the scenes
It’s good to have a few props behind the camera to grab their attention and ensure they’re looking the right way. If possible try without any toys first..this might sound so silly but over enthusiastic, fake sneezing usually makes little children laugh. Playing “hidey-boo” or singing funny songs is good too. If this doesn’t work try a wooden spoon banging a frying pan, a hairdryer, a torch flashing on and off etc. But my number 1 go to is always BUBBLES. They seem to have a calming way with young children and the photos of them trying to catch them are just gorgeous.
I wouldn’t recommend using your phone or toys to draw their attention this usually ends in chaos in my studio as the child reaches out for it and won’t give up until they have got it. And we don’t want phones or plastic toys in our photo shoots.
Be prepared for mess
Have wipes etc on hand for dribble and snotty noses. A professional photographer will usually edit these out for you but this will be hard to do at home without the correct software.
Don’t worry about a huge fancy cake
A small cupcake with icing on or even no cake at all can still provide you with some gorgeous shots. If you do choose to have a cake smash – don’t be surprised if your child doesn’t “smash” the cake. Often they don’t do what we want them to do! I have had so many shoots where the child stares at their parents and you can tell they are thinking “but I’m not normally allowed to do that!”. Show them what to do, hopefully they should copy you.
Try something new
You could use a bucket or washing tub to get some cute photos of them in a bath – a bit like the classic “sink photo” I think these are timeless and the children usually have such fun too. Make sure you have plenty of towels at hand.
Light is key
Do not use fake light or your cameras in built flash, try to set up in a room with a big window, ideally you want it to be a bright but cloudy day outside as the sun can sometimes create shadows and reflections that you don’t want in a photo. If it is a very sunny day I would recommend placing white paper or a large white sheet over the window to create a softer lighting scenario.
Practice makes perfect
Takes some practice shots with a teddy bear to see if you like the set up and work out angles.
Angles
Get down to your child’s height, make sure you get photos that are taken from your child’s eye level. Once you have these you can stand up to experiment with photos from other angles.
What to wear
I always say it – naked babies are the cutest. Children’s clothing sometimes doesn’t fit well and can crease/pull and spoil a photo. Get your child naked or in minimal clothing. I personally don’t like to see nappies in photos so if you have some bloomers or small shorts to cover the nappy area that would work well. If you can, a vest or shirt with their age on is lovely - check out independent shops such as Bee Like Mama and Graceful Designs for unique, personalised clothing.
Choose the right time
Make sure the birthday girl or boy are well rested, shoots in the morning generally work better than in the afternoon. Get prepared the night before so everything is set up ready to go between breakfast time and their mid-morning/midday nap.
Don’t do the photo shoot on your child’s birthday. I usually schedule birthday shoots in around 1-2 weeks before a child’s birthday so they can be edited and chosen in time. But a shoot after the big day is also fine!
Have fun!
This is not supposed to be stressful. If you are unhappy, chances are your child will be unhappy too. Don’t force it, if you child doesn’t want to do it there and then try again later on. Ultimately we want to look at these photos and think of all the happy memories we had creating them.
Once you’re done, send me your 3 favourite photos and I will edit them for you.
I hope this guide helps you all out during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Stay at home guys!
