Meet the woman becoming queen of the smash cake

It’s the sweetest, most over-the-top way to celebrate the milestones of your little ones. 

We’ve seen cake smashed at birthday parties or family celebrations where, in most cases, a child digs in with both hands and demolishes with delight. 

It’s messy, it’s full of sugar, but for Sioux Falls photographer Jen Knightstep, that moment is magic.

Knightstep has made photography her career for more than two decades. 

The earliest days involved shooting photos of cars when she lived in Detroit, which fittingly is nicknamed “Motor City.” 

But in 2008, she had an “aha” moment. 

“I was shooting a classic car show, and I spotted an older gentleman wearing a bowtie, suspenders, a hat, with an old camera,” Knightstep told SiouxFalls.Business. “I ended up taking pictures of him taking photos of cars.”

That was the moment she had a major shift. 

“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to start taking photos of people,’” she continued. “Cars are great, but people have facial expressions.”

Since 2012, Knightstep’s primary focus has been newborns and milestones. 

Ten years later, new opportunities brought her family to Sioux Falls, where she continued her photography business. 

“Little kids have so much energy, personality and no inhibitions,” she said. “They will laugh, cry, run around; they are so free-spirited, open-minded and so much fun.”

“When a toddler is having a bad day, they’re still having a day, and that’s still something to capture.”

When parents express concern over whether their kids will cooperate, Knightstep said you just have to make it fun and they will cooperate.  

“You have to do everything on their terms,” she said. “There’s no negotiating with a toddler.”

She is encouraged by their enthusiasm.

“You put a cake in front of a toddler, and they will dig in with both hands,” she said. “Which is a good analogy for how toddlers approach life – they do everything with 110 percent.”

In fact, the photographer recently published a blog post after conducting her own research on local bakeries, asking a few of the following questions:

Who makes the best red velvet cake? The best yellow cake? Best vegan cake? Best gluten-free and allergy- friendly? Best cake with all organic ingredients?

“I went around and tried everything too, which is such a perk of the job,” she said. “Once I had all this knowledge, I thought it might be helpful to share this with others.”

In the blog post, she features six bakeries: The Cake Lady, Intoxibakes, Hy-Vee, Sinless Sweets, Ginger’s Bakehouse and Queen City Bakery.  

“We’re a community, and that’s what it’s all about: building community,” she said. “I want to make others aware of what’s in their own community – plus it’s delicious.”

You might be wondering, why a smash cake? 

She said many parent-clients want to celebrate that one-year milestone of their baby’s life. 

“That first year is wonderful but can be so hard – like utter chaos in the best way. This caps off the year of new adventures, and it’s a perfect way to celebrate,” she said. 

One thing to keep in mind: It doesn’t always have to be a cake. 

Knightstep has photographed kids with blueberries, doughnuts, lemons, Cheerios and tacos – to name a few. 

“Sometimes, kids are very into specific things at that age, and I love incorporating it because it helps parents remember their child at that time,” she said. 

If parents don’t want their kids to have refined sugar, eggs or flour, they can still participate with a fake cake covered in fresh frosting.

“You still get all the fun and the mess,” she said. 

“There’s something so special about capturing those moments for the parents to go back and remember,” she explained. 

“When they get into their later child years and busy with sports and school, it’s easy for parents to forget those things, and pictures help remember.”

This pro will offer advice to do it right – quite literally. 

Knightstep is hosting a class at the Downtown Library called How To Take Better Pictures of Your Kids. 

It’s free, hands-on learning at 1 p.m. April 8. Participants need to pre-register with the library. 

“I want parents to capture their kids well even when I’m not there and they’re the ones behind the camera.”

Some of her tips include: 

• Get down on their level. 
• Capture photos with natural light on a child’s face instead of from behind.
• Pay attention to the details, like the toys they love, and be sure to include those.
• Kids don’t have to be looking at the camera to capture a good photo.

“When they are 2 feet tall, it’s a whole different world down there, so I encourage parents to get down on their level,” she said. 

Knightstep’s class is about creating community, making memories and supporting local – just like her blog post. 

“I think it’s important for people to know who the other small-business owners are and who out there is doing a great job at whatever this thing is that you want.”