messy minis
CAKE SMASH + BATH AT HOME
A simpler kind of cake smash,
filled with joy, connection and 20 real minutes at home.
These sessions are joyful, simple, and completely personal — a frosting-covered face, a happy splash in the tub, and a story only your family can tell. Inspired by the traditional cake smash but designed for real life, my Messy Minishoots skip an impersonal studio and come to you: 10 minutes of delicious, chaotic fun followed by 10 minutes of warm, bubbly cleanup in your own sink or tub.
I’m Jess McDaniel, and for over 20 years, I’ve photographed families across Boston in the places that matter most. These sessions are perfect for babies around 9–18 months (or any kiddo who still loves a good mess and a warm bath).
Let’s capture a memory that’s messy, sweet, and totally yours. Scroll down to see more of my work, find pricing, and book your session.
Video About My Messy Minishoots
WATCH MESSY MINISHOOT SAMPLE VIDEOS
These slideshows were made for my @bostonbabyphotos Instagram—so, let’s just say the music choices are… creative. Feel free to watch with the sound off (I won’t be offended!).
January first birthday cake smash + tub bath
March first birthday cake smash + sink tub
April 8 months old + yogurt mess
May first birthday cake smash, with a 2.5 year old big sister
June first birthday outdoor cake smash + galvanized steel tub
July 1 & 3 year old siblings with ice cream + baby pool
August 13 months old yogurt + indoor splash
September first birthday cake smash + outdoor splash
THE FIRST TEN MINUTES
When I get there, let's eat
Let's get messy right away
Lots of times I find people like to do these kind of photoshoots sometime between the ages of 9 months and 18 months, when their babies are still enjoying their high chair but are sturdy enough to sit up unaided in a tub. That being said, I am happy to do these minishoots with any age child.But there will be no dressing up, ok? No nice clothes at all. And no posing for the camera. Faces will be smeared with mess, and we'll like it.
And then, after about 10 minutes of eating something messy (cake, spaghetti with red sauce... anything...), let's get cleaned up.
THE SECOND TEN MINUTES
Then it's tub time!
Because tubs are the best place ever.
We'll put a little bit of water in the bottom of the tub, toss some tub toys (or just kitchen spoons and measuring cups, whatever's fun) in there too, and get cleaned up. We can also do this in the kitchen sink - those kind of photos are fantastic as well, and what's more fun than playing in the sink?
Because I wouldn't want you to say I left you with a messy baby.
Bath pictures are just divine. But I have to leave after just ten more minutes of those, because even though I could take pictures of your children in the bath all day, I've found after years of doing this that 10 minutes is a magical amount of time for our wet/splashy fun.
THE FINE PRINT
Rules for my "Get Messy + Take a Bath" Minishoots
Gotta have some rules.
1) No fancy clothes. You're getting messy. Clothes are extraneous. Bare bellies or clothes you don't mind getting covered in food are best.
2) No posing. Nobody looking at the camera, k?
3) The first 10 minutes we'll be eating or doing something messy (provided by you - whatever you think your little person will enjoy - doesn't need to be a cake to smash, could be avocado and blueberries, could be a drippy popsicle, spaghetti or even finger paints) and getting completely covered in it.
4) The second 10 minutes will be our getting clean pictures. Usually in the tub, but sometimes in the sink. Also could be with a hose in the backyard, whatever's fun.
And that's it!
SO HOW MUCH
20 minute minishoot at home = $775
And that includes every edited final photo as a download.
This rate includes my travel time to your home (I travel anywhere within an hour's drive from Boston) and 25-40 final, edited frame-worthy photos posted online 1-2 weeks after your session for download.
You can also buy individual prints & products at the rates you can find on my products page here.
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ADDITIONAL
Options
Coffeetable Albums
$295
My heirloom albums are the perfect way to preserve your images and look back on your baby's photos for years to come. You can select any photos you'd like from your session and I will design layouts for you in a custom coffeetable album. The photos are printed on thick, cardstock pages. If you'd like a book made combining photos from multiple photoshoots we take over your baby's first year, consider my Baby's First Year Package. Additional copies of my albums are $175.
Mounted Prints
$26 - $48
I print on Kodak Professional Endura Premier Paper, which is the most popular paper used by professional photographers. The paper boasts "accurate color, realistic saturation, excellent neutral flesh reproduction, and great intensity and offers brighter blues, cyans, purples, and reds". It has a standard archival value of 100 years in home display; 200 years in dark storage. The pricing for these archival mounted prints is 4x6 = $26, 5x7 = $32, 8x10 = $48... etc.
I'd love to help, Do YOU have
More Questions?
Want to see a full messy minishoot gallery?
If you'd like to see a full messy minishoot gallery, I'd love to show you one. You can ask for one using my contact page here. In your note, just let me know a bit about your family (do you have just one child, or more, and how old are they?) so I can send you a gallery that's closest to what you're looking for.
Would you like to have a quick phone call?
I'm more than happy to jump on a quick phone call so that I can get to know you better, and I can answer all of your questions. Click the button below to visit my scheduling page, where you'll find the link to book a stress-free 15-minute phone consultation.
Ready to book your messy minishoot?
If you know when you'd like to do your session and it's in the next few months, click the button below to check my available photoshoot schedule for the next couple of months online.
If you'd like to do your session more than 2 months from now, contact me and let me know your timing. I'll schedule an email to go out to you when I open booking for the month you're considering.
About Jess McDaniel
I'm Jess McDaniel. I'm a baby photographer, and because I've been doing it so long I've naturally become a family photographer, too. (My first babies from the early days of Boston Baby Photos are booking their senior photoshoots this year, and nothing makes me happier.)
I travel anywhere within an hour of Boston for photoshoots. Outside of photography, I truly love The Container Store, salty food and my husband and daughters. And not necessarily in that order.
Want to hear more about my minishoots in the Public Garden for older kiddos? I'd love to chat with you!
FAQs
How do I book a time for a photoshoot on your calendar?
Visit this page here. My photoshoot calendar opens about two months in advance, which means in December my January and February calendars are open, in January my February and March calendars are open, and so forth throughout the year. If you already know a particular time of year when you'd like to take photos, just email me and ask to be put on my "contact first" list for any given month. Then I'll be in touch with you directly when that month of the year is open for booking.
NEWBORNS: I do save a few additional appointments each month for newborns, so if you've just had your baby in the past few weeks or months and the shoot times listed on this page don't work for you, let me know and I'll let you know if there are any other appointments available that aren't listed here.
WAITING LIST: As you can imagine with small children and stuffy noses, etc., I get a ton of cancelations (pretty much at least one every week or two). If you would like to try for an earlier appointment than what you see listed, you can ask to be added to my waiting list. Just send me an email: [email protected]. When I have an opening, I email the entire waiting list at once, and the first reply gets the spot. I schedule sessions usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and many Saturdays and Sundays at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Can I buy a gift card for someone else?
Absolutely! Visit my shopify store here to purchase a gift card for anything you'd like. If you don't see what you're looking for, contact me directly and I'm happy to make you a custom gift card.
I saw somewhere you do online courses teaching parents to take photos with their phones? Where do I find out about that?
Oh yes, that's for 1-2 year olds, it's called my Iconic Set by Boston Baby Photos® program - you can learn more here.
When do you do your Public Garden Minishoots?
In order to address demand for photos once babies are walking around and exploring their world, I'm in the Public Garden twice each spring and fall doing minishoots for families with children who are all over a year old. I announce those dates a few months prior, and loads more info with pricing and samples can be found on the Public Garden Minishoots page of my site here.
I have a question that's not answered here, can we do a phone call?
Of course, my phone call calendar is here. If you don't see a time that works for you, pop me a quick email ([email protected]) and I'm sure we can find a time for a call soon.
