Pensacola Beach Cake Smash Photography Session
It's her party and she'll cry if she wants to...
No matter your age, I think we've all heard the old song from the 60s, "It's My Party (and I'll Cry if I want to)" by Leslie Gore. I think this sweet little Pensacola Beach girl felt that song to the core on the day of her Pensacola Beach 12 month Milestone photography and cake smash photography session.
It all started with the balloons
I actually LOVE incorporating balloons but it's always something
Mom designed this adorable hot air balloon for her daughter's 1st birthday photography session and things went a bit awry from the start. We lost a couple of balloons as soon as the SUV hatch was opened. Then, it was WINDY on Pensacola Beach that afternoon. But thanks to a little Photoshop magic by yours truly, you can't see the tiny string Dad held to keep the balloons (mostly) vertical (and from dragging his 2nd born down the beach).
But isn't she adorable?
Sweet baby girl was in a pretty good mood considering the breezy January afternoon on the beach, and I was so happy to capture several sweet pictures of her in her little hot air balloon. I've actually been taking their Family Photography pictures in Pensacola for years and had captured this one's Newborn portraits at their Cantonment home the previous winter.
So everything was going well until....
OOPS
(Don't worry, Mom and I both had hands on her before she touched the ground. I was lunging forward as I snapped the picture)
But we laughed. And that caused some big feelings which she made no show of holding back from us for the next pictures.
Insert the previously mentioned song here. hahahaha
Now, before you think all was lost and the session devolved further into chaos, take a breath. That's what we all did. Mama picked up her sad little girl for some snuggles and a drink. Dad, big sis, and I had a chuckle, and then we all regrouped.
Pinterest rarely shows you the FULL Cake Smash Photography session. The hundreds of times baby runs off "set." The tears. The tantrums. All you'll usually find on photographer's blogs, Instagram feeds, Pinterest boards, etc are the beautifully curated, perfect moments. But that's not real life. And believe me, Cake Smash sessions are full of real life and often BIG feelings. So, I thought it would be fun to show you everything this Pensacola Beach Cake Smash Photographer captured over about 45 minutes. The highs and the lows. Because guess what, mom and dad loved ALL of the pictures, and Mom actually framed the one above on the right!
If you're a parent, you know that the easiest way to get a kid to eat something is to start eating it yourself. So I sent in Mom, Dad, and Big Sis. Another thing to consider, for a lot of babies, their cake smash is their first time feeling much less tasting frosting. Different can be scary.
Pretty soon that Pensacola Birthday cake got a lot less scary and a lot more delicious!
So what's the takeaway here? The moral of the story?
Patience. Deep breaths. A favorite snack and drink for baby.
Oh, and extra balloons, ALWAYS bring extra balloons!!
