Cake smash, first birthday Photographer Bangalore, India

WHAT IS CAKE SMASH SHOOT?

Cake smash shoot is just not about babies eating cake rather it’s about celebrating your child’s birthday and capturing the precious joyous moments. In short, it’s pure fun combined with relaxed and interactive photo shoot where the little ones get a cake all to themselves. It’s all theirs to touch, feel, smash, play, taste and of course eat it. Imagine being a kid having a whole cake at your disposal. Is it not exciting?  Some children may not like feel and touch of the cake while others can’t have enough of it! While fate of the cake may remain uncertain, you certainly will have some memorable photographs of your little one in action – with a handful, mouthful and maybe even a face full of cake!

What parents need to get-

Some of our little beauties literally make it a smashing affair during the shoot so bring your baby wash, lots of baby wipes, a towel and a change of dress for baby.

Process-

We start with a portrait session of your child followed by the real action of your little warrior taking on the cake and then comes the final session of shoot during the clean up bubble bath. This way in addition to cake smash you get some lovely portraits before the smashing begins and then afterwards some beautiful images enjoying splash time in tub while being cleaned up .

Parent’s participation-

Well parents have to equally work hard as photographer for cake smash shoot. Would advice both mum and dad to come for the shoot. Who would not love to see their child in action and having great time with a cake? There will be lots of running around to get baby in the place for the shoot, specially if your little one has discovered legs or the art of scuttling on all four. Please be aware, things may get a little messy, or perhaps more than a little if your junior takes a liking to it, with all the cake being smashed, splattered and smeared around so please wear appropriate clothing. Coming for a cake smash in your favourite white overalls – big NO NO!

Allergy advice-

Our utmost priority is baby safety and well being.  These days many kids have allergies to dairy products, wheat and egg. That is the main reason I do not provide cakes for my sessions. Parents are advised to get cake keeping in mind their kids’ allergies as well as taste. Children would enjoy the shoot all the more given a cake of their favourite flavour.

I do have a tie-up with a highly recommended Vendor who has provided some amazing theme cakes for a number of our clients. If you book your cake from them for a cake smash you get 15% discount both on shoot as well as the cake.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CAKE-

I do not endorse wasting the leftover cake, as often a good portion remains intact which can very well be used to carry on with your family celebration back home, hence Parents are encouraged to take home all the cake that can be salvaged.

Seeing through the Viewfinder - The journey of Arpna Vidushi Photography - PROLOGUE

For a girl, born to middle class working parents, the mid 90's wasn't the ideal time for entering the teens. Not at least in my part of geography; the semi-urban modest township of Arah.

It was a time when dreams were in plenty, the wish-list never ending and thanks to the beginning of the EMI era of then supposedly shining India, the pocket money ever so scant. It always boiled down to, “you are a big girl now and should take up the responsibilities”. And then it all began.

With a humble earthen piggy-bank, that mother bought me to encourage that golden middle-class value; a paisa saved is a paisa earnt.  And save I did! Every penny I could squeeze out of my pocket money, every ten rupee note given by those angelic relatives who visited us on vacation, every five rupee note entitled to on Dushera and Deewali, it all went in that ever hungry Piggy bank.

 One day my younger brother broke that piggy-bank trying to imitate Tendulkar’s lofted drive with his new bat. And lo behold!  It poured out five hundred and ninety four rupees and fifty paise. A fortune so beautiful that my eyes couldn't believe and a happiness so huge my heart just ached. “So what do you want to do with it?” inquired my very much moved Dad. Buy me a camera, will you? Please?

And that is how I got my first point and shoot. A KODAK. Real fancy stuff, for that time.

Chasing your dream all the while, craving it, fantasizing it and living in daydreams is one thing and achieving it for real is entirely different. Ok, you bought a camera but now what? It never occurred to me that it will need films as well. And films didn't come that cheap. My Dad, the best & most generous Dad I can imagine of; walked that extra mile, against all pleadings and posturing of my Mom, and bought me two set of films. I was happy, happier than ever before. And I clicked.

Click .. click.. trees, flowers, bee ,butterfly, crow, a puppy ,a pumpkin, friends  and even my dad shaving and granny snoozing.

I couldn't sleep the whole night when my dad said tomorrow the neighborhood studio will be giving the developed photos. I was the most happening child in the colony entire Sunday morning when all the kids around were waiting to see how my photos had turned up. Well, it turned out to be a disaster!

 It was on the 34^th click perhaps that I realized there is something called a cap that covers the lens at the front and you remove it or not the peephole shows you what’s ahead and the camera clicks, harmlessly without registering anything on the films. There wasn't anything on the films except for my dad’s face half covered in shaving foam and my granny taking her afternoon nap with her mouth wide open.

I was torn with anguish and grief and yet again the best dad in the world came as the saving grace. He got the two photos printed and more for salvaging my spirits then for their aesthetic appeal proudly displayed them above the TV cabinet, the prime spot in our tiny living room.

It brings a smile to my face every time I think of it ,well that was how it began,Arpna Photography .
http://www.arpna.photography/