Patrick Chondon 12/15/15 Patrick Chondon 12/15/15

Jace's First Birthday - Cake Smash

The last time I had a photo session with Amy and David was when she was pregnant and that it was so much fun at the time. That very session she mentioned that she wanted to get some photos once their new addition arrived. Well, fast forward to a few days ago and it was already Jace's first birthday. Wow, how time flies! Amy decided to do a cake smash for his first birthday, and as you can tell from the photos below, Jace had a great time.

Before we got to the cake smash we got some family photos done. It was then off to Jace's bedroom where Amy did a fantastic job of decorating. She filled his crib with white and blue balloons. Once she put Jace in the crib he simply let loose. I just tried my best to keep up with him flinging balloons around and laughing.

It was then time for the final part of the session, the cake smash. I have done a few before and some kids almost need to be forced to get into the cake, but not Jace. Once he got going he didn't stop. Handful after handful he made quite the mess but it meant I got a lot of great photos. As you can see from one of the final shots, it was quite the aftermath. The cake just didn't stand a chance .

I always look forward to these kind of session because it is so spontaneous. Jace was the perfect model and he seemed to have such a great first birthday. I can't wait until the next session!

Patrick Chondon 10/12/14 Patrick Chondon 10/12/14

Lucas' 1st Birthday + Cake Smash

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to photography Carol and her family again. Whereas last year we focused on the entire family, this time around it was a special occasion. Lucas just turned 1, so they decided they wanted to do a cake smash! This was my first cake smash so I really couldn't wait.

The location was the same as last years which was Centennial Park. As soon as I arrived I saw all the great props they brought. We made our way to the trail and eventually the cabin area. Once there we took some quick family photos and then it was all about Lucas. He sat perfectly agains the log cabin and then eventually the bench. He decided he was going to go the serious route for a few shots so we pulled out his little hockey stick and he warmed up a bit once he saw that.

One of the great props they brought was a set of blue balloons. This led to one of my favourite photos of the day. We moved to the open field where he was then handed the balloons. It turned into a very genuine and spontaneous photo.

After we were done with the balloons we set up a chair in the leafy path. This particular part was a bit tough for Lucas as he just didn't want to sit still on the chair. He had a little bit of a fall but he recovered very quickly and was still smiling the rest of the session.

The train tracks were the next stop and here we got another bunch of great photos. My favourite moment from this part was when they put the crown on him. He immediately started crying. It ended up being one of the funniest and most sincere photos of the day. It's easy to always get smiling photos but it's also the other moments that can lead to some interesting outcomes.

It was then time for the final portion of the shoot. The cake smash! Being a one year old, I wouldn't say he really quite smashed the cake but once we got his hands full of icing it was off to the races. He was simply in his glory the rest of the way. I will most definitely be looking to do some more cake smashes in the near future. I have a ton of ideas and I can't wait to incorporate them. Once again Carol and her family were so much fun to photograph. It was a pleasure to be part of Lucas' first birthday.