Anchorage Cake Smash Photographer | "R" Under the Sea Smash!
I want to get to the photos from this session but first can we talk about the WEATHER? I’m afraid to be hopeful because I know that as Alaskans, we will get faked out about the winter ending a solid 17 times before it’s actually spring, but the warmish sunlight and the VERY dirty wet roads has my hopes up, I can’t lie. I’m currently blogging while my kids play in the yard and I have the window open so I can hear them with a lovely cool breeze coming through. Hurry up summer!
On to this session. Mom wanted an “Under the Sea” theme and I’m in love with all things that theme. The colors are always my favorite, I get to add shells, bubbles, etc. So much fun. I need to do this one again!
This baby girl was SO excited. She loved her cake, she loved the setup, I smile every time I see these pictures. The excitement on her face at her session is infectious and we were all laughing and having the best time right along with her.
“R” Under the Sea!
Anchorage Cake Smash Photographer | Cake Smash Sessions!
Let’s talk Cake Smash Sessions!
Cake smashes are one of my favorite things to document. I’m going to talk a little bit about my cake smash session process, and include some tips for cake smash sessions with your little one.
Choosing Karen Travers Photography
I am so happy when people choose me to be their photographer for milestone sessions like this! My cake smash sessions can be as themed or as simple as you would like. I LOVE to get creative with a theme, and I love it when people let me run with a theme and create something unique and special for them. I work exclusively with Lesley’s Cakes, LLC in Eagle River, and her cakes are AMAZING!
My style is colorful and fun, I love capturing personalities, and it isn’t always smiles. My daughter is now 5, but when we did her cake smash, she cried her way through most of the session and I still laugh every time I see those photos. Aren’t there worse things than being forced to eat cake?
2. Choosing your theme
You’ve chosen your photographer, awesome! Now you need to choose a theme. Are you going to go simple, or do you have a fun theme in mind? I have a really hard time choosing between these two things. I have done some simple cake smashes, and some very involved themed sessions, and I see the draw of each.
If you’re thinking a theme, but don’t know where to begin, start by looking at what your child likes (or hey, they’re a baby, what do YOU like?), think characters, tv shows, books, colors, etc. Pinterest is always a wealth of ideas, it’s also another great place to look for cake smash themes. I also have a “bucket list” of cake smash session ideas that I would LOVE to do and if you choose one of these, you’ll receive $50 off your digital package you choose.
3. Book your session
We’ll work together to choose a date for your session. Please keep in mind that if you need a weekend, my weekends tend to book up very quickly, so booking as far in advance as possible is recommended. In choosing this date and time, you need to keep a couple of things in mind. Are you wanting these photos back for a birthday party? If so, you’ll need to book in advance before their birthday so that you have enough time to choose your proofs, me to edit them for you, order your prints, etc. For my clients, I recommend 4-5 weeks in advance. I also have a lot of clients that want the session to be as close to the baby’s birthday as possible, and that’s totally fine too!
After you have chosen a date and are booked, I will get started planning and ordering!
4. The day is here! Let’s get smashed!
If you have chosen to have me provide everything, mostly you just need to show up with your baby, but there are some things you can bring along that can be helpful.
Clothes. If I am providing the outfit, baby can come in anything you would like. If you would like photos done in more than just the cake smash outfit, please feel free to bring along any other clothes you would like photos in. (Try to limit it to 1-2 outfits, babies tend to not last super long at cake smash sessions!)
Extra clothes for you! This happens 99% of the time. When a baby is finished and completely covered in cake, the very first thing they want is for you to hold them or pick them up. Some parents leave as covered in cake as their baby, some parents are luckier, and only get a few spots, but I haven’t seen very many parents leave my studio with zero cake on them after a cake smash.
Water. Babies get thirsty, and after eating cake, they’re going to want to have a drink. A sippy cup of water almost always comes in handy!
Baby is going to get messy, and I am ready for that! I have lots of towels in my studio that I use to wipe baby down and dry them off. You can bring wipes, but they aren’t usually necessary.
5. After Your Session
After your session, I will go through your photos, and get rid of any obviously bad ones (eyes closed, out of focus, etc), and I will send the rest to you in a proofing gallery. When you have a chance to sit down and look at your photos, you will choose the ones you would like included in your package. You can always upgrade to more images! I know it’s super hard to choose photos and leave other behind when it’s your baby.
After you have chosen your images, let me know ASAP. I will take your proofing gallery down, edit the images you have chosen and send them your way! I do include both color and black and white images for you.
Thank you so much for considering me for your cake smash! Here are some photos of some smashes I have done previously. :)
Anchorage Cake Smash Photographer | "P" Cake Smash
I love cake smashes. They allow me to be creative with the setup, and seeing it come together with a baby is one of my favorite things! This setup was no different. I love the colors, and the theme! Mom was so much fun, and this was one of the most relaxed cake smash sessions I’ve ever had.
Big thank you to Lesley’s Cakes for taking my vision of a deer cake and running with it. It really came out even better than I was thinking!
If you’re thinking about doing a cake smash, I do provide all backdrops, setups, props, and I can even provide cake and outfit unless requested otherwise. Contact me to book your cake smash session, they are so much fun!
“P” Cake Smash!
Anchorage Cake Smash Photography | "M" Winter One-Derland Smash
I kind of hate to admit this. But every once in a while I terrify a kid. I don’t want to scare kids, I love kids, so this is always semi heartbreaking to me. But it happens.
This session was one of those sessions where I TERRIFIED a kid. There is a “stranger danger” phase some kids go through (my daughter went through it and it lasted a solid year and a half) and this sweet girl wanted NOTHING to do with me. I had to stay pretty far back for this session because every time I moved in for some closer pictures, I would make this poor girl cry.
I loved the set up for this session. Mom wanted light blue, white, and silver, and I ran with it. I used my very favorite baker in Eagle River, Lesley’s Cakes, LLC, and her cakes are not only beautiful, but taste AMAZING. I can happily admit that sometimes when a kid doesn’t completely smash their cake, I will eat some of the untouched parts after they leave. It’s that amazing. If you do a cake smash with me, and want to leave me your cake, I will happily take it. If you want to take it with you, I will box it up for you and probably head down to Lesley’s and get myself a cake pop to make up for it. I love cake.
“M” Winter One-derland!
Anchorage Cake Smash Photographer | Cake Smash Bucket List!
I love cake smashes because they allow me to be creative and come up with fun ideas for the cake smash theme you want. And I have had some AMAZING cake smash themes. Science, Bam Bam, Evel Knievel, etc. I loved all of them.
This is my cake smash bucket list. These are the themes I have so many ideas for that I am just dying for someone to ask me to do one, so I've discounted the price in hopes someone will let me do these for them.
This discount is ONLY for the full cake smash package. The full package is regularly $299 and includes cake, outfit, setup, props, etc, you just need to bring baby! This package also includes 15 digital images. If you choose one of my bucket list ideas, your session will be $249.
I am only offering ONE of each session, so please message me ASAP if you see one you want to take!
UPDATE: Alaska theme has been taken!
Anchorage Cake Smash Photographer |"S" Cake Smash
How cute is the setup for this little cake smash? Fun fact about this little girl; I did her mom's maternity session while she was pregnant with her and their sessions are always some of my favorites.
Baby girl started out a little timid about wanting to get into the cake (check out that one finger move!), but by the end of it, she was as covered in cake as everyone else is.
Big thank you to Lesley's Cakes, LLC for the super cute piggy smash cake!
"S" Cake Smash!
