Brittany Gidley is an award winning photographer based in Cleveland. Brittany specialises in Maternity, Newborn, Bay, Children and Family portraiture. Going through her website I came across so many images that I loved, she has such a beautiful style that creates angelic looking portraits of children. All of the work is lit so nicely with a light and airy look with all the lovely pastel and warm tones.
I actually came across Brittany when I was researching dog cake smashes and came across one on her blog of two King Charles Cavaliers. This dog cake smash shots are extremely colourful and full of a variety of props and decorations. If I am honest I am not too keen on this series of images in an artistic sense as I think the styling isn't to my taste, however I do think they are very fun and have a comical feel to them. I decided to include this work in my research as an example of what it can look like if you over decorate a set. The background is extremely busy with so many different things, that it completely takes away from the dog and the cakes. It took me ages to notice the little cupcakes in this first shot, as they seem to just blend in with all the other colours in the background. I really applaud the people who worked on this shoot as those dogs must have been very obedient to be able to get them to sit in those chairs opposite each other surrounded by so many distractions.
I also came across one of her baby cake smashes, that featured the same balloon decoration in the background. Here I think the decorations look a lot more effective as although there are still lots of balloons, they are complimenting colours so they are slightly less distracting. I really like the look of the confetti spread across the floor which adds a really nice touch of colour, however I feel that it is a bit problematic and a choking hazard having this around a child, as they are probably quite likely to pick it up and try and eat it, especially if they are being encouraged to eat the cake at the same time.
References: https://www.brittanygidleyphotography.com/