First birthdays
The classic way to mark the end of the first year.
Cake Smash Photoshoots in Northwood
A playful first birthday session in the Northwood studio: a few clean portraits, then the cake, then a splash to finish.
The short answer
Where can I book a cake smash photoshoot near me?
Cake smash sessions take place in the studio on The Broadway, 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6 1NU, within easy reach of Harrow, Pinner, Ruislip and Watford. The best age is around 12 months, usually between 11 and 13 months, once your little one can sit confidently and is curious enough to dig in. Allow one to two hours. Sessions are booked in advance; call or WhatsApp 07956 505383 to choose a date near the birthday.
The session
How a cake smash session runs
We start with about 15 minutes of clean portraits, before any cake appears, so you have tidy first birthday pictures too. Then the cake goes down and we photograph the unscripted reactions: the cautious first touch, the delighted handfuls and the inevitable mess. That part usually lasts ten to fifteen minutes, before interest fades.
Many sessions finish with a splash: a small bath set-up photographed after the cake, which doubles as the clean-up. Nothing is forced, and the session follows your baby's mood.
Planning
Planning the cake and the timing
Book the session for your baby's happiest time of day, usually mid-morning after a nap and a snack, rather than late afternoon. A soft sponge with plenty of frosting is the most smash-friendly cake, and a simple colour theme keeps the pictures clean.
Please bring the cake, a change of clothes, plenty of wipes and a favourite toy. We provide the backdrop and props.
Who it is for
Who it suits
A year of sessions
The bookend to newborn and sitter portraits taken earlier in the year.
Family pictures
Parents and siblings can join the clean portraits before the cake comes out.
Take home
What you take home
The smash set
Bright, funny pictures full of character, from first touch to full mess.
Clean portraits
First birthday portraits taken before the cake.
Splash finish
A bath set to finish, plus prints, frames and albums to order.
Practical details
Finding the studio
- Studio: The Broadway, 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6 1NU, in the middle of the Northwood Hills shopping parade. Get directions
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:30 to 18:00, Sunday 13:00 to 18:00
- By Tube: Northwood Hills station on the Metropolitan line, two minutes' walk from the door
- By car: parking close by; Pinner, Ruislip and Rickmansworth are a few minutes away, with Harrow and Watford a short drive
- Booking: sessions are booked in advance by phone or WhatsApp on 07956 505383, or with the form below
- Prices: given on request by phone or WhatsApp
How to book
How booking works
Choose a date
Book close to the first birthday, at your baby's best time of day.
Plan the theme
A simple colour theme and a smash-friendly cake.
The session
Clean portraits, the cake, then the splash.
Your gallery
Choose your favourites and order prints or an album.
Good to know
Cake smash photoshoots: questions answered
Around 12 months, usually between 11 and 13, once your baby can sit confidently and unsupported.
Yes, please bring the cake. A soft sponge with plenty of frosting works best. We provide the backdrop and props.
Allow one to two hours, including clean portraits, the cake and the splash finish.
The cake, a change of clothes, plenty of wipes and your baby's favourite toy.
Prices are given on request by phone or WhatsApp.
Yes. A first birthday portrait session works without the smash, and the clean portraits at the start of every session are exactly that.
Every session is photographed by Kaushik Bathia himself, FBIPP and FMPA, holder of five European Kodak Gold Awards, who opened the Northwood studio in 2001.
First birthday coming up?
Book your cake smash
Tell us when the birthday is and we will suggest a date and time.