Cake Smash Photography on Long Island
Chapter 3: A truly one-of-a-kind birthday celebration at my Manhasset studio
A cake smash session is a joyful way to celebrate your child’s first birthday with images that feel both playful and refined. Based in my Manhasset, New York studio, I create custom cake smash photography sessions for families across Long Island, including Nassau County and Suffolk County. Each session is thoughtfully designed to reflect your baby’s personality and your family’s style, resulting in portraits that feel meaningful and elevated.
The first birthday marks more than a milestone. It represents a year of growth, love, and becoming. A cake smash session at Gold Coast Photography transforms that moment into an artful experience, capturing expressive details, genuine reactions, and heirloom-worthy portraits you will treasure long after the candles are blown out.
Your Experience Includes:
• A planning consultation to personalize your theme and colors
• Curated props, outfits, cake stand and theme
• Bespoke cut-outs designed just for your baby’s session
• Studio time for portraits, cake smash, and optional tub time
• A relaxed, baby-led experience from start to finish
This experience has been published in magazines including "Bump, Baby & Beyond" in 2025
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First Birthday Cake Smash Photography
Cake Smash Session FAQs
What age is best for a cake smash session?
Cake smash sessions are typically photographed around a child’s first birthday, most often between 10 and 13 months. This timing allows babies to sit confidently, interact with the cake, and show expressive reactions while still feeling like a celebration of that first year.
When should I book a cake smash session on Long Island?
Cake smash sessions are best booked 3-4 months in advance. This allows time to plan the set design, styling, and any custom elements so the session feels intentional rather than rushed. I recommend having these photos taken between 10 and 13 months which allows your images to be delivered before any birthday celebrations.
What’s included in a Gold Coast cake smash session?
Every cake smash session includes:
Custom set design and styling including cutouts for you to take home after the session
Client closet to coordinate outfits and color palettes
Clean portraits before the cake smash
A relaxed, baby-led cake smash portion with coordinated cake included (package dependent)
Tubtime (package dependent)
The experience is designed to feel elevated and every session is custom-made for you and your little ones.
Where do cake smash sessions take place?
All cake smash sessions take place in my private Manhasset studio on Long Island’s North Shore, where light, pacing, and set design can be fully controlled to create a seamless experience for babies and parents.
From One Mother to Another
Photographing a baby is never easy but Danielle handled it all with so much kindness, patience, and professionalism. She made the entire experience feel calm and enjoyable, which really shows in the final images. These photos are memories I’ll treasure forever, and I’m so grateful to have found a photographer who cares as much as she does.
Angela, Huntington
Looking for celebrations beyond a first birthday? Check out my 'birthday sessions' page HERE!
Cake Smash Packages begin at $350.
For full pricing details and to begin planning your session, please fill out the form below.