Steak Smash Photoshoot

A Fun Alternative to Cake Smash for Baby’s First Birthday

What do you call a steak on the ground?  Ground beef!  No bun intended, lol!  Ok, enough with the puns.  Let’s get to it!  If you’re in San Diego and looking for a unique and fun way to celebrate your baby’s first birthday, why not try a steak smash photoshoot? While studio cake smash sessions are such a fun and popular tradition that I absolutely love to photograph for my one year old baby clients, a steak smash brings a fresh twist to celebrate baby’s big milestone. Not only is it a whole new level of fun, but it also creates some hilarious and adorable memories (hello, steak snack in the bathtub) as your little one digs into a tender, juicy steak instead of the usual sweet treat. Let’s set up our steak smash photoshoot for your little one!

1. What is a Steak Smash Photography Session?

When this sweet little guy’s mom inquired about booking a ‘My First Rodeo’ cake smash, we chatted a bit about the vision she had for our setup, and that’s when she asked if we could replace the cake with a steak.  I was ‘heck yeah!’!  So what is a steak smash session?  A steak smash photography session is a creative alternative to the classic cake smash photography session. Just like cake smash sessions, it’s all about allowing your little one to dive into their food and enjoy the messy, joyful experience while we capture the hilarious and adorable moments. But instead of a cake, we use a yummy steak (with all the sides like mashed potatoes, beans or fries, if you’d like). The idea is to allow your baby to engage with the foods they have been showing interest in since starting chewable solids in a way that’s a little different but still just as much fun—think cute baby hands grabbing onto the steak, squishing it, and even taking gummy bites!

2. Why Choose Steak Smash Over a Cake Smash?

While cake smash photography sessions are super fun, there are a few reasons why a steak smash might be the perfect alternative for your baby’s big day.

• A Unique Experience: A steak smash photoshoot offers a fresh and fun take on the traditional first birthday cake smash photography session, setting our session apart from others.
• Fun for Baby Foodies: If your family loves steak or your baby has shown interest in eating meat at home, this might be a more fitting experience. It’s also a great way to encourage your baby to explore new textures and flavors.
• Healthier Alternative:  Unlike the classic cake smash using a frosted white cake, a steak does not contain any sugar, eggs or colorings that you may be trying to avoid for your baby at this young age.
• Less intimidating textures for some: I find that sometimes, little ones can find the texture and messiness of a traditional smash cake too messy and uncomfortable for their little fingers.  The texture can be unfamiliar and feel ‘yucky’ for babies, especially if they have never had cake before.

3. Setting Up Our Steak Smash Session

As with any of my other traditional cake smash or alternative food smashes to celebrate baby’s first birthday, just leave the setup to me!

• Setup, colors and styling: When booking, we will discuss your vision and theme or colors of choice.  For steak smashes, I love to incorporate the ‘My First Rodeo’ theme, complete with all things country, rodeo or ranch.  We will chat about colors and accessories we will want to use for our session.  Every aspect from the outfit to the backdrop and props will be set up for your little one upon arrival to the studio on the day of our session.
• Timing: We will schedule our steak smash photography session to begin at a time that works best with your baby’s regular nap time schedule.  We want to make sure that baby is well rested, happy and relaxed for our session.  So if baby takes a regular nap from 9am to 10:30am, let’s begin at 11am so that baby is at his/her happiest!
• Relax:  Babies can sense your moods, weather it be anxiousness or your relaxed state.  Just remember that every baby is different, and that some might be 100% into devouring that steak, giving us great expressions, smiles and steaky fun vibes, some might be more reserved.  That’s ok!  It’s important to not set expectations from your baby and to let your little one lead the way!
• Session time – let’s have some fun:  Upon your arrival to the studio, everything will be ready and waiting for your little one.  While you’re driving to the studio, I’ll be cooking up yummy steak in the studio so that your little one can dig right in when it comes time to eat.  I will have an outfit or two for your little one to change into, and the setup will be ready to go!

4. Capturing the Perfect Moments during our steak smash session

When it comes to capturing a steak smash session, the goal is to freeze those candid, messy, and oh-so-cute moments. Here’s what to expect when booking a first birthday smash session in the studio with Sophie Crew Photography:

• Milestone Portraits:  We will start with a few portraits using a couple of different props. This is a good time to capture any particular milestones for your baby before presenting the steak.  If baby can stand alone, we will capture that milestone, as well as baby sitting, crawling, playing, etc.
• Steak Smash Time:  Next up, steak time!  Once we are done with our pre-steak photos, it’s time to bring out the delicious protein-packed treat!  Watch your little one as they grab that giant mass of meat with their teeny hands and get to work!
• Cleanup and Splashes:  Bath time!  I will bring out my baby sized bathtub for baby to not only wash baby but also for baby to have a splashin’ good time.  These photos are always so much fun as baby splashes, plays and even eats more steak while enjoying the warm and comfy water.
• Image reveal time:  As you get baby out of the bathtub and dressed, I will be uploading the images we just captured onto the computer for us to view together on the studio TV screen.  All of the images captured will be presented to you, and this will be the time for us to put your order together, with all of your favorite, fun filled and timeless images of your little one enjoying their first steak smash photoshoot to celebrate their first birthday!

5. Steak Smash Memories: Creating Keepsakes for Years to Come

After the session is over and the steak has been devoured (or maybe scattered around), you’ll have a beautiful collection of photos that are sure to become cherished memories, and to show off at your little one’s wedding years from now. To make the most of your steak smash experience, here are just a few amazing options I offer my clients to proudly and timelessly keep and display:

• Custom Photo Albums: Let’s put together a personalized album featuring all of the adorable, messy, and heartwarming shots from the session. It will be something you’ll want to look back on for years to come. The albums I offer are absolutely gorgeous, and include a good variety of images both in print, as well as on USB as digital images for you to not only have as a keepsake but also in digital format.  This option is the best of both worlds!
• Professionally Printed Photos or Canvas Prints: Choose the best photos or a series of moments to frame or print on canvas. This could be a great addition to your baby’s nursery or the living room.  I offer tons of print sizes, and also offer a collection that includes a set of 11×14 prints in a beautiful, custom box, with the USB featuring those same images in digital format.
• Digital Images: Full resolution images from your session can be used for you to print at your leisure to create anything from simple prints to custom thank you cards for guests or even birthday invitations to celebrate your little one’s special day.

A steak smash photography session is an exciting way to make your baby’s first birthday even more memorable! Whether your baby is already a fine steak enthusiast, future BBQ grill master or you’re just looking for a fun and unique twist on the traditional cake smash photoshoot, this alternative provides for fun, messy and adorable moments captured just for you. Book your Steak Smash Photoshoot session today and let’s make some unforgettable memories!