There is a reason they say never work with animals or kids.
Add cake to the kids part and you’ll find yourself two washing cycles later, still wondering how the hell to get chocolate and cream stains out of your jeans!
In my case though, you’ll also find yourself with some stunning photographs and memories which will last considerably longer than my jeans did.
For my daughters first birthday, I wanted to do a Cake Smash photoshoot to match some pictures I had done 6 years earlier of my son on his first birthday.
A friend of mine recommended Poppy and Belle Photography by Chantelle. She had done a newborn photo shoot with Chantelle a few months earlier and her pictures were stunning, so I got in touch.
Chantelle was so helpful right from the off. She gave me really clear prices and details on what happened at the photo shoot and what to expect. Not only did she have a really good offer on, but it included all the image rights which meant I’d not only be able to use all the images in any way I wanted, but I could share them with family and friends too.
My daughter never sits still for anything. But after a few minutes of squirming whilst I wrestled her into her birthday dress, she was sitting with her big brother smiling easily as Chantelle took some pictures of them together and then individually before we brought out the cake.
Sadly, the cake didn’t go down so well and after a bit of a tantrum, I was wearing much more of it than my daughter was but despite that, Chantelle still managed to get that one picture I so desperately wanted! She still refused to charge me for that part of the shoot and offered to it again on a different day.
Not only is my daughter fidgety and impatient, she generally takes a bit of warming up to people she doesn’t know. Chantelle was so patient and intuitively knew how to approach her and you can see from the finished pictures just how at ease she was and how much fun she had, especially in the bath which I might add, at home she never ever sits down in for longer than about 10 seconds!
Chantelle has created a lovely environment in the purpose-built studio at her home, it was easy to find and has plenty of space for outfit changes, toys and for older children or other family members to watch.
I am absolutely thrilled with the many amazing pictures we have from the shoot, they are so natural and everyone who has seen them has said how well they capture who the kids are, which I have no doubt is down to how comfortable and at ease they felt.
I also recommend taking yourself a spare pair of clothes!
This review was completed free of charge by our guest reviewer and local Mumbler, Sarah. Sarah received a discount on her photo shoot in return for her honest opinion.
