Cake smash photography has become a popular trend in recent years, and for good reason. There’s nothing quite like capturing the unbridled joy and messy fun of a baby’s first birthday cake smash. And that’s exactly what Shannon and Brandon asked us to capture for Hank’s first birthday.

A little background – we have been photographing the Ratcliff family for years. They found us through a mom of a past bride. We have literally watched their kids grow up. It’s so crazy. When this session was going to happen, I was actually in Los Angeles. So I couldn’t be there, but Kyle did an awesome job.

Per the usual with them, we did photos of the family together, then focused on the kids. It was so adorable because they had a Minnesota Twins theme going for the day. As you can see in the photos, Hank was absolutely hamming it up. His smile lit up the room and made everyone around him feel happy.

Then the cake came out and he got a bit apprehensive. Despite this, the cake photos were adorable. Cake smashes are always a bit of a roll of the dice. Some kids love them. Others look at the cake, then at you like you’re out of your mind. That’s what Hank was doing.

But even though Hank was a bit unsure about the cake, he still had a great time. He got frosting all over his face and hands, and his sister Hazel was right there with him, cheering him on and getting a little messy herself.

We love working with this family. They’re some of the nicest people ever, and it’s always a joy to capture their special moments on camera. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and to watch their kids continue to grow up in front of our lens.