Photographer Karen Marie had no idea that her last photoshoot was going to be a smash hit. When CafeMom spoke to her last July, she was fresh off the success of her newborn Disney Princesses series going absolutely viral online. The precious mini princesses had melted hearts and drew fans to Karen's work. "About 70 or 80 thousand" new followers had started to follow Karen on her studio's Facebook page, but that didn't mean that she was ready to rest on her previous success. Which is why the California photographer and mom to three teenage girls decided to do something a little bit fantastical with her most recent project. What if she were to do a follow-up shoot with the same newborn babies, but only a year later when the little ones were turning one?
The idea for a cake smash follow-up combined Karen's love for Disney and her ambitious desire to pursue beautiful and unique projects for herself. "I'm creating a lifetime memory for them," Karen explains. "I love what I do. It's fun to make others feel amazing."
And her project filled a part of her that truly wants to create. "My favorite part is being able to step outside the box, if I could do this all the time it would be heaven. I love doing things different and creative," she says.
Which is why these infants dressed like Disney Princesses are sure to be just as popular as the first one. "People like seeing the follow up," Karen says.
The Past
Karen did her first Disney Princess shoot last year, when the held an open casting call looking for mini Disney fans she could use as tiny models. Karen, who is a huge Disney fan, debuted her series in July of 2017 and the newborn photos quickly went viral.
The Present
Now Karen is back with a follow-up to her hit series. She took the exact same little girls whom she shot in the first series and brought them back for for a reunion fit for royalty. "I wondered what it was going to be like when it was with the same little girls," she told CafeMom. Karen kept all of the girls the same, "I made cinderella, cinderella again," she explains.
The Beginning of Something Great
When Karen started her project, she was inspired by her childhood love of Disney. "I resonate so much with [Disney] movies and watched them growing up," she says.
A Royal Invitation
For her follow-up photoshoot, Karen wanted to make a grand gesture to her subjects. "We sent them a royal invitation for their royal cake smash and we made it like a little party," she says.
She Who Wears the Crown
Speaking of the day of the shoot, Karen says that she also tried to make the day special with a treat for each little girl. "I bought each of them a little tiara to go with their princess. We had everything princess-ed out to welcome these little princesses back in," she says.
The Difference Between Newborns and Infants
While one would imagine that newborns are easier to work with, Karen says that between feeding and nap times, newborns are actually harder!
A Royal Glow-Up
"It was a lot faster and a lot quicker this time," Karen explains. "You can appease [1-year-olds] with a cute toy."
Princess in Pink
"You can get them smile by doing something crazy," Karen says.
Fit For a Princess
Karen worked with costume designer, Valerie Best from Sew Trendy Accessories , on both her first and now second shoot. "Valerie is incredible," Karen gushes.
Creating Magic
"Everything is way beyond my expectation. It helps me bring my vision to life," Karen says.
Curiosity Explored
Karen says that she was curious to see how much the girls had changed in a year and has big plans to keep the story going. "I’d really like to see these girls when they’re 5 and when they’re 16," she tells us.
Next Year at Cinderella's Castle
"It'd be great to do a sweet 16 at Disneyland and it be amazing to see these girls get back together," she says speaking hopefully of her plan.
The Fairy Godmother
"I'm called the Fairy Godmother," Karen says. Which is how we know that her plan is almost surely to come true!
The Princes Inside
Part of the reason why Karen was inspired to do the Disney Princesses was because she relates to them in her own life, "I don't know if I’m a princess," she jokes, "[But the Princesses] made me have emotion."
Precious Memory
Karen adds that shooting these little bugs reminds her of a time when her own children, now older, were young and innocent. "I miss the wonder and the excitement that I had with my daughters," she says. So these photoshoots are pretty close to her heart.
A Whole New World
Interestingly, Karen says that she relates the most to the newer Disney Princesses herself. "I have a great relationship with my sister and we lost our mom about five years ago. So when we watched frozen that really resonated with me," she says.
In Her Heart
But really, Karen can't pick just one. "I love Elsa. I love Rapunzel, I live Tiana’s work ethic, that’s how I feel about my business. I kind of feel like I resonate with all of them," she explains.
A Bright Future
As for future photoshoots, Karen has big plans. There will be another cake-smash shoot!
A Twist in Fate
Karen says that next time, there might be real Disney Princesses (actors, unfortunately) in the photos with the girls.
So Pleased
And Karen also reveals some big news that she's really excited about. "I'm working with Disney next month! If I could just work for Disney all the time it would be heaven," she gushes.
