First birthday photography · Beltline studio
Cake Smash Photography in Calgary
A themed first birthday session in our Beltline studio, with the cake, the styling and the splash-tub finish all looked after, then finished as heirloom art.
The experience
What a cake smash session is
A cake smash session marks a first birthday the way it actually unfolds. We build a themed set around your baby and start with clean portraits while everyone is fresh. Then comes the cake, and your little one decides exactly how this whole cake thing works. A warm bubble bath in the studio tub closes the session with the sweetest clean-up photos of the day.
Every detail is handled for you: the custom cake matched to your theme, the outfit, the props, and all of the scrubbing and laundry afterwards. Amanda has been building these sets for Calgary families since 2014, and the rest of the studio’s work lives at amandadamsphotography.com.
You bring the baby and the birthday. The studio brings everything else.
In her own words
Amanda explains a cake smash session
Recorded at the Beltline studio, this short video walks through a full session from the first hello to the splash finish. It answers most of what parents ask before booking.
Read the video summary
In the video, Amanda walks through a full session at the Beltline studio: what a cake smash is, how the themed set and the cake come together behind the scenes, and why every session ends with clean portraits first, the smash second, and a splash in the studio tub. She also shows the heirloom products the session feeds into, the albums, framed wall art and folio boxes, and how the experience flows from a discovery call and theme design through shoot day to the gallery reveal and delivery of your finished artwork.
The gallery
A collage of real sessions
Every set below was built at the studio for a Calgary family, and each one started with a single idea: a storybook, a safari, a sky. They are a small sample of the more than a hundred themes waiting at the studio’s cake smash gallery.
How a session unfolds
From first call to splash finish
Four steps, one very happy baby. Here is how a cake smash session moves from an idea to artwork on your walls.
Book a date
It starts with a short discovery call. We settle the date, the session fee and your collection options, and we hold the spot. Weekend sessions near a first birthday go first, so most families book one to two months ahead.
Choose the theme
Jungle, dinosaur, unicorn, vintage airplane, or something dreamt up around your nursery colours. The backdrop, props, outfit and cake are all styled to match, down to the icing.
The session
Plan on about an hour and a half at the studio. Clean portraits of your birthday star come first, family and sibling shots follow, and then the cake takes over.
The splash finish
When the last crumb lands, your baby goes straight into a warm bubble bath in the studio tub. It doubles as the most-loved photo of the day, and the studio handles the towels.
Heirloom products
Made to outlast the cake
The smash is over in minutes. What stays, on your walls and in your hands, is designed with you at the ordering appointment and handcrafted to hold the first birthday for decades.
The premium acrylic album
A glass-like cover that shows your baby’s portraits at their best, more than fifty combinations of colours and materials to choose from, and a matching box that holds a USB copy of the gallery. Built to be pulled off the shelf on every birthday that follows.
Explore the album collection
Gallery wall art
Professionally made pieces for your walls, hung for you with complimentary in-home installation, each with the matching digital image included. Handmade frames you will be proud to present.
See the wall art
Folio and reveal boxes
Matted portraits in a handcrafted folio box, easy to gift to grandparents or to grow into a small collection of favourite years. The reveal happens at your View & Order appointment, with honest guidance on what suits your home.
Browse the folio boxesGood to know
Cake smash questions, answered
Do you provide the cake?
Yes! The studio provides a beautifully decorated smash cake matched to your theme, along with the backdrop, props, and outfit styling. Just let us know about any allergies when you book.
What should my baby wear, and can siblings join?
Outfit styling is part of the session. We match smash-day outfits to your theme from the studio wardrobe, and you're welcome to bring a sentimental piece too. Siblings and parents are absolutely welcome for family portraits before the cake comes out.
How does pricing work, and when will we see the photos?
Every booking starts with a free discovery call that covers the session fee and collection options, from digital files to albums and wall art. Your gallery is ready for a View & Order appointment about one week after the session. Clients usually spend $1,500 to $5,000 or more depending on the products selected.
What about the mess?
That's the best part, the mess stays at the studio! After the smash, we pop your baby into our warm bubble bath in the studio tub, which doubles as the most adorable clean-up photo op, and we handle all the scrubbing and laundry afterwards.
What themes can we choose from?
More than 100. Jungle, dinosaur, unicorn, vintage airplane, Alice in Wonderland, bee, circus, ocean, and white-and-gold classics are among them. We design new themes all the time, and we'll happily build one around your nursery or party colours.
When should we book a cake smash session in Calgary?
Ideally when your baby is around 10 months old, so the session lands close to the first birthday and we have time to design the theme together. Popular weekend slots fill up quickly, so booking 6 to 8 weeks ahead is safest.
Visit the studio
Come see the sets in person
The studio sits in Calgary’s Beltline, minutes from the river valley. Visits are by appointment so the floor is free for your session, and there is always a pot of coffee on.
- Address
- 822 11 Ave SW #203, Beltline
Calgary, ABGet directions - Hours
- By appointment, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ready when you are. Book your cake smash session at amandadamsphotography.com.