First birthdays, gloriously messy

One year of your little person, celebrated with both hands in the icing. From $250.

The first birthday is a big one — for your baby, and honestly, for you. You made it through the newborn fog, the sleep regressions and a year of firsts. A cake smash session marks the milestone the way a one-year-old would want to: with cake, chaos and absolutely no table manners.

I'm Deep, a dad of two based in South-East Melbourne. These sessions happen in your own home, so your little one is on familiar turf — no strange studio, no pressure to perform. Just a simple, beautiful setup, their favourite people close by, and a cake with their name on it.

How the hour runs

• The clean portraits first — a few frames of your one-year-old looking their birthday best, plus family cuddles while everyone's still icing-free.
• Then, the cake. We put it down, step back and let curiosity take over. The first cautious poke, the first fistful, the full two-handed demolition — that arc is the session.
• The gloriously messy finale — icing-covered grins, cake on the floor, and one very satisfied one-year-old. Want to keep the cameras rolling through the bath? See the splash session below.

What's included

• 1-hour session in your own home — relaxed pace, with plenty of room for snack breaks and warm-up time.
• 20 edited images, delivered within 2 weeks through a private online gallery — with the option to upgrade to the full gallery.
• Setup and clean-up help. I bring the patience and a hand with the mess — you won't be scraping icing off the floor alone.
• Family in the frame. Parents, siblings, grandparents — anyone who wants to celebrate (or be lovingly smeared with cake) is welcome.

Add the splash — cake smash & splash

The mess is half the fun — and the clean-up turns out to be the other half. Add the splash and we finish the same hour with a warm bath: bubbles, kicking, icing rinsed out of unexpected places, and that content just-bathed wind-down at the end.

Some of the sweetest frames of the whole session happen in that little tub — the belly laughs, the splashing, the calm after the sugar storm. If your bathroom has decent light, you're set; if not, a baby bath near a window works beautifully.

About the cake

For dietary and allergen reasons, parents provide their own cake — that way you know exactly what your little one is eating, whether that's a classic sponge, a refined-sugar-free bake or an allergy-friendly recipe.

Any cake works, but a simple single-tier cake with soft icing smashes best — buttercream is easier on little hands than fondant. Light-coloured icing photographs beautifully, and a smash cake doesn't need to be big or expensive. Once you book, I'll send through a short guide with easy cake and outfit tips.

What to expect with a one-year-old

Some babies dive straight in. Some burst into tears the moment the cake lands in front of them. Both are completely normal — and as a dad of two, I've seen every version. We go at your child's pace, pause whenever they need a cuddle or a snack that isn't cake, and there's no time pressure. The hesitant ones usually come around; the criers usually end up with the funniest gallery.

Where cake smash sits

Sessions are grouped by how much time you want together, and a cake smash is a Golden session — the middle tier, and an hour in your own home. That's 20 edited images, with the option to upgrade to the full gallery once you've seen the set (worth considering for a smash, given how fast a one-year-old works).

After something broader? Golden family sessions use the same hour to document the whole crew, and Gathered stretches to 90 minutes from $395 if you want extended family in the frame too.

Pricing

See all options on sessions & pricing.

Serving Frankston & South-East Melbourne

Cake smash sessions run across Frankston, Chelsea, Seaford, Langwarrin, Mt Eliza, Cranbourne and the surrounding suburbs — always in your own home, and travel is included.

Book the big first birthday

First birthdays only happen once, and the icing-covered version of your baby doesn't hang around. Get in touch and I'll come back to you within 24 hours — or book your date directly below.

Wondering about the cake, outfits or timing? Most answers are in the FAQ, or just ask when you enquire.