Category Archives: cake smash

First Birthday Family Shoot | Scotch Plains, NJ

January 26, 2024

I love you Paisley…oh yes I dooooo…

What a very special shoot this was for me! It was 3 generations of strong, beautiful, smart and awesome ladies who wanted to do a First Birthday Family shoot! We talked about so many things. Paisley’s grandma raised her daughter on her own. She made sacrifices that single mothers do to make sure that her daughter would have all the opportunities that she could. And well, she did a great job! Her daughter is so smart and has an amazing career and now she is blessed with this beautiful daughter. And now they all get to dote on her and continue the tradition of raising brave, smart and strong women!

I am so grateful I was able to capture these images of the 3 of them for Paisley’s first birthday. And I am forever thankful to have had this experience with and met all of you!

There are so many options when it comes to the type of shoot you can book for your little one’s first birthday! I always include family posing and child posing when I do cake smashes too! You can learn more about those sessions here!

Paisley, you are one ADORABLE little girl! Those CHEEKS!!!

Birthday Photos | Cake Smash Photography | Scotch Plains, NJ

November 16, 2023

Little Warrior!

What a special day having Ari back to The Studio for her Birthday Photos! This little beauty has come such a long way in her short little life (and so have her parents)!

Ari’s mom came to me looking for a photographer to take Newborn photos of her baby girl who I believe was already close to 3 months old. Alot of photographers won’t shoot a Newborn after they reach 2 weeks old. And there is nothing wrong with that. It isn’t personal. They just may not feel like they will be able to get those beautiful sleepy, cuddly, newborn shots after that small window.

I said YES for the Birthday Girl!

You see, Ari spent the first couple of months in the hospital because she was born early. Regardless, I will never turn down a newborn because of their age. I know that I can get at least some of those shots. I will set realistic expectations and then if it goes great, even better! You can see more of Ari’s newborn session here.

Ari’s mom had a Little Mermaid theme in mind for her Birthday Photos. And while I don’t normally do themed cake smashes (I like to keep it simple), I couldn’t say no! I mean…The Little Mermaid’s name is ARIEL!! ARI – ARIEL…get it?? It took me a minute but then I put it together LOL. So that’s what we did! But I include parent poses and birthday portraits in addition to the cake portion so we actually got alot of variety of this little peanut! And Ari’s parents got the most BEAUTIFUL velvet album to display them in. Something they will be able to look through with Ari for years and eventually be able to hand down to her. I am a SUCKER for beautiful albums!!

Here are some of the images we captured of Baby Ari with those big beautiful eyes <3

How can I book?

If you are interested in scheduling a cake smash or first birthday portraits, fill out the form on the bottom of this page.

Cake Smash Photography | Westfield, NJ

November 14, 2023

Let them eat CAKE!

I was so happy to have Natalie back in The Studio for her First Birthday session! I do not get tired of seeing how “my” babies have grown over the course of a year. Especially when they haven’t been in since their newborn session! It is so fun to see the similarities to when they were babies, but also to see the changes that have happened since then! I genuinely LOVE it!

I also LOVE getting to see the parents and talk to them about the year and how much has happened and how THEY’VE GROWN! It’s especially fun when this is their first baby and they go from being brand new to the whole parenting thing to having a year of experience under their belts. You can see photos from Natalie’s Newborn Session here.

If it doesn’t come through in my writing on this page, I REALLY LOVE what I do! And I REALLY LOVE the families that choose me to capture the most important times in their lives. It’s really an honor and I am so grateful <3

We started Natalie’s Birthday Session with family pictures, then took some portraits of just Natalie and then we went to town on that cake!

Thank You

Thank you so much Kathryn and Eric for trusting me with these special moments and the opportunity to watch your beautiful baby as she grows! THOSE EYES!!!

First Birthday Photography | Scotch Plains, NJ

October 27, 2022

Cake Smash and First Birthdays!

Let’s talk about First Birthday Portraits!

First birthday. You’re baby is turning ONE and THAT is something to CELEBRATE! Cake smash sessions are custom curated to your personal taste. We prefer simple setups to keep the focus on your baby with the utilization of high quality balloon garlands which you will help choose! We take time to capture family and child portraits before we GET DIRTY!

What a year, am I right? A complete whirlwind! For me, the first year included some really big changes, difficult adjustments, and even a trip to the ER! I really felt like that while there were lots of really awesome experiences as a new parent, I spent most of it holding my breath! The worry the stress the balancing. It was around that one year mark that I felt I could exhale (at least a little bit LOL).

Because you don’t get an instruction manual.

And now here you are.

Maybe your baby just turned one.

Maybe your baby’s first birthday is somewhere on the horizon.

Maybe you’re planning a First Birthday party to celebrate the joy that this little child has brought to your life.

Whatever stage you are in, First Birthday Photos are a wonderful gift, not only for your baby, but for yourself!

That’s why when we schedule a First Birthday shoot, I make sure to get some photos of the whole family! These images will last for years to come and your baby will want to see YOU in the photos too!

Scroll through my gallery from previous cake smashes and see if my style is something that you are drawn to. If you like what you see, take the first step and fill out the form below!

Most Clients invest anywhere from $1,000 – $10,000 depending on their needs.

Let’s Party! Contact The Studio today!

Scotch Plains, NJ | Cake Smash | First Birthday

September 20, 2022

One thing I love about my job is the people I meet and the connections I make! I met Leanne last summer when she was expecting her first baby. She scheduled me to do both Maternity and Newborn shoots. She and her husband are the sweetest couple and are so adorably in love. And I feel blessed that they chose me to capture that for them!

So fast forward to a year later and little baby Violet is ONE! So of course we had to do a Cake Smash session to document this milestone! We chose hues of Purple for her special session and I love the way the setup came out!

What about the cake?

Leanne has a baker that she uses for her special events, Allie’s Kitchen, and she made this beautiful cake for Violet! Isn’t it gorgeous?!? I do prefer to have parents bring the cake because they know their child best and with allergies I just think it’s the best bet. I like to use “naked” cakes because the star of the show is your little one, not the cake!

Just like her momma!

Momma owns her own Pilates Studio locally called M pilates + Yoga. What I found to be the most adorable thing is that Violet is always pointing her toes and showing off her form! She definitely takes after her momma in that respect!

Leanne and Rich, thank you for trusting me to document your journey with Violet! I always love seeing you and making the magic happen! And I will be in touch soon because your Album and prints are IN!!! And they are GORGEOUS!!!