Cosette’s Rosette Smash Cake

It seems that a lot of my projects and “picture taking” have centered around the Knaute kids as of late… so I wanted to do something completely different for Cosette’s first birthday smash cake photos.

We wanted the whole look of the shoot to be soft and whimsical, and I used the opportunity to experiment with all new methods: a different shooting style, alternative photo editing, lots of light leaks, even a new cake decorating style… I’m very lucky to have a friend who trusts me enough to let me “experiment” for her daughter’s first official photo shoot.

Cosette’s Rosette cake was my first real attempt at decorating with butter cream. Piping has always seemed intimidating, so I’ve stuck with fondant in the past- but it seems almost cruel to give a baby a fondant smash cake! Now that I have gotten my feet wet, I am excited for more opportunities to experiment with piped cake decor.

The photos, too, are a different style than I have done before. I’m still getting used to having a camera around my neck again after my two year hiatus, and I’ve been having so much fun coming home at night (after my utterly exhausting days spent herding first graders) curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and a full youtube queue of photography tutorials teaching every technique under the sun. (My favorite channel is Anthony Morganti’s, for anyone else who wants to nerd out with me.) I’m not sure if/when I will settle on a “style” that feels like my own… but for now, I am just having too much fun as a “picture taker” to worry about whether or not to market myself as a photographer.

The only thing about this session that felt typical of a Mindy shoot was the tulle tutu that Brette and I made for Cozi the week before her birthday. We figured a girl can’t go wrong with as much pink and as many pearls as possible on her birthday. And, I’ll be honest- after the time I have spent dressing this little one up- it’s going to break my heart a little bit if we never have a baby girl I can put bows on!

“Don’t even think about it, Cruise.”