A Sweet Smash to Remember: Donuts, Sprinkles & Smiles

Ever since I finished the shiplap wall in my studio, I knew I wanted to do a donut-themed cake smash session. We are total donut fanatics in our house, and I’ve always loved the fun donut wall decor that’s popped up at birthdays and weddings over the last few years. But every mom usually has her own theme in mind, so it took almost three years to find the perfect family who was excited to try this idea. And I’m so glad they did!

As a Gilbert Arizona child photographer, I always try to create sessions that are both fun and meaningful. This one felt extra special.

The setup was simple but so cute. I used wooden pegs to hang donuts on the wall and stacked more on wooden boxes for the baby to reach. Then I added a big pile of sprinkles on the ground—like edible confetti! It brought the color I was looking for and made everything pop. Plus, it was safe for the baby to explore, which is always important.

Not every baby loves the "cake" part of a cake smash… but this little guy? He dove right in. Both hands, big smiles, and pure joy. He tasted every flavor he could reach, and it was honestly one of the happiest sessions I’ve ever had. His enthusiasm made it so fun to photograph, and I found myself smiling the whole time.

I’m beyond grateful I got to capture this moment. Watching babies explore, celebrate, and just be themselves is one of the best parts of what I do as a cake smash photographer in Gilbert, AZ.

This session reminded me that sometimes, stepping away from tradition—like choosing donuts instead of cake—makes the memory even sweeter. I already can’t wait to do it again!

If your little one is turning one soon, let’s create something fun and personal for them too. Whether it’s donuts, cake, or something totally unique, I’d love to help you celebrate this big milestone in a way that fits your family’s style.

Let’s plan your sweet smash!
Reach out to book your cake smash session in Gilbert, Arizona — and let’s make some sprinkle-filled memories together.

Mak//Dance Squad//Gilbert Child Photographer

Meet Makenzie.

If I’m being honest she’s a huge part of why the dance squad came to life this year. My first distinct memory of her is from 2017 when I did a creative shoot with Rhythm and motion dance center, Dancing is like dreaming. Of all the girls at that shoot she stood out to me because of her enthusiasm for creating art with dance and the way she caught on to my vision and put her own ideas into it. I had never felt that give and take from a dancer, much less one so young before and I LOVED it.

Shortly after that she became one of my go-to girls for any dance shoot. Always willing to lend a hand, an idea, and a whole lot of time to help me bring my vision to life in a world of dance where I struggled to express in words the way I wanted the dancers to move. She has a rare gift of being able to picture what I clumsily lay out in words and make it happen.

Her creativity isn’t just in movement. This past year I discovered her love of makeup and saw that it was more than just performance makeup. She was creating faces full of art and sharing them on her tik tok. I wanted to be a part of it! We agreed to a trade. A session for her, for makeup at a styled session for me. It was win win for me. I got to try out all my underwater ideas with her and THEN bring to life this Avengers themed group dance session with her as the makeup artist.

It was the summer of creation that I needed after a mind-numbingly frustrating year. A whole part of my brain that had been lying dormant trying to survive came back to life and all the ideas for dance sessions and incredible styled sessions came flooding back in. I wanted to create just for the joy of making art again.

So I put out a call for anyone who wanted to commit to a year of working with me and bringing my dance ideas to life. I was OF COURSE SO THRILLED when Makenzie was the first one to respond. I know that what I will accomplish this year, will be 100 times better because she was a part of it.

When you see all of the incredible dance images we create this year as a team, please know you are seeing a piece of this beautiful girls art as well.