I think the first thing to stress, is that a cake stand is a cake stand because you put a cake on it. It doesn’t matter what the store called it. Plant stand, platter, decorative whatever (as long as it’s nontoxic), footstool - doesn’t matter. We don’t supply cakes at our studio, so I’m not certain of cake size until they walk through the door, child and cake in tow. So I usually have 3-5 cake stands at the ready, waiting for Mom to make her decision.
Read MoreNever Split the Difference really hit a nerve with me. Having never been a good negotiator and my need to please has led me to make some poor choices in my life. It’s possible that growing up with siblings (sorry, Amber & Ryan, lol) has led me with a need to be “fair” instead of correct, often at my own expense.
Read MoreWe ran across a great article of VERY basic tips on seamless paper backdrops on Savage’s Paper’s website: 10 Tips to Remember When Working with Paper Backdrops that we thought was worth reading. You know we love working with seamless paper - you can see a past article about it Daniel wrote on our Set Design page.
Read MoreThis “research video” really does have some great DIY smash cake ideas for photographers and parents. I recommend watching this with a pen and paper so you can take notes. If for nothing else it completes the “research” ruse when challenged.
Read MoreFor your set design we have standard set filler ideas, and then a couple props you can only purchase specific times of the year. Let’s add an easy prop to pull in an extra $50-$100 each shoot, and lastly, boring old humdrum items that make your day easier.
Read MoreWhen you hit the internet looking for alternatives to using an actual cake for your first birthday photography you see some pretty clever ideas. We actually wrote a blog about alternatives to using cake in your first birthday photography. But not featured in that blog is my new favorite cake alternative: the macaron. Visually I love the multiple exposed layers and the bright poppy colors of macarons. Just run a quick search on Pinterest for smash cake macarons and you’ll see what I mean.
Read MoreJames Bond had Q. The Ghost Busters had Egon. Captain Kirk had Scotty. Some of the greatest heroes in movie history always had one know-it-all tech guy on their team. That tech guy spends his days testing some of the coolest gadgets known to man in an effort to make the hero look like a total badass on screen. So it stands to reason that if you want to be a photography badass you're gonna need a tech guy. Too bad there isn’t a place where photography techies hang out all day doing nothing but testing new camera gear! Oh, wait……
Read MoreOne of the biggest recurring mistakes that I see in smash cake photos is not getting the cake right. So today I want to go over some of the rules that we have learned the hard way when it comes to designing the perfect smash cake set. So whether you’re a professional photographer designing a set for a client or a parent wanting to DIY a perfect smash cake, here are some guidelines we go by.
Read MoreI was on Facebook the other day reading a post from a cake smash photographer. She was super excited and had posted a screenshot of her sale that day. It said something like “See - it can be done! There IS money in cake smash photography!” The sale was for just over $800. $800 is not a bad sale. I remember my first $800 sale - I was on cloud nine. At the time $400-$500 was normal for our studio. $800 was a dream come true.
Read MoreIn photography industry where an extra smash cake photo is $50 - $150, these photography prop pictures add up to real money, fast. So, grab a cup of coffee and a sketch pad, and consider these for your next smash cake theme - they’ll help you round out your idea.
Read MoreI promise, there is a benefit to watching cake videos besides just getting to stare a cakes for 10 glorious uninterrupted minutes. While watching these videos I come up with interesting new smash cake set design ideas as well as tips for decorating cakes. See, it’s not just an indulgent waste of time, I’m actually learning something, and you can too.
Read MoreAt our studio we have come to know one undeniable truth about the human race. Every single one of us was born to dance. You can’t deny it. Get yourself a baby, preferably yours (or at least one acquired with permission) and crank some dance music. That tyke will immediately start to shake their groove thang. They’re not worried about looking foolish, or that they’ve never had dance lessons. Little ones just dance because it feels good.
Read MoreHere at TheSmashCake.com we use artificial light for most of our first birthday sessions. In the beginning we used mostly window light to shoot our smash cake sessions and we found it in the summer months that was a perfect and simple solution. But we’re located in the Pacific Northwest and we do get about 8 months a year of rain and cloudy gray skies. As you can imagine when we’re shooting in the winter months it becomes a huge problem to maintain correct exposure.
Read MoreToday I want to talk to you about seamless paper, specifically why I love it. We're going to start with the fact that seamless paper is a great way to create timeless, beautiful, classic images that are never going to go out of style. If you have a client that is looking for something simple and beautiful the best thing you can do is start with a roll of seamless paper. I recommend always starting with something neutral and then adding props to it, much in the same way that you would take a neutral couch and use poppy accent pillows.
Read MoreThis is the number one thing that has saved me from impatient, overbearing stage moms and dads. The appointment itself serves as a bit of a gatekeeper because the types of people that tend to be overbearing on set will do anything to not have to make this seemingly useless appointment. Take my advice: make a pre shoot consultation mandatory and stick to your guns.
Read MoreThe next day I took my friend’s advice and I rented the Sigma Art 50mm 1.4 from lensrental.com and prepared a smash cake set for what was bound to be the worst smash cake session of my career. Now if you guys wanted to quit reading at this point I wouldn’t mind because this is the part where I have to admit I was wrong. During that shoot I discovered that the Sigmas Art 1.4 is an amazing lens.
Read MoreOnce Daniel and I got rolling we just kept coming up with more and more ideas for cheap props. I think this is why we’re still in the photography business - we’re always coming up with something new, it keeps us from getting bored. So here’s 5 more ideas for cheap props when you are planning your next smash cake session. And, here’s the original post if you missed it: ideas for cheap and easy props.
Read MoreA reader sent me this story the other day, knowing we are always on the lookout for quality education and inspiration to share with our readers. There’s a fun article on Focus Point Workshops’ website by Suzanne Merrill (owner of Starr Photography) about the content for the upcoming cake smash class she’s teaching.
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