16 Replies

Hi Mardie… i am NO expert. But I have found and been given a few tips along the way. I do NOT have the benefit of a booth, reflectors or other lighting tools. (Absolute Queen of a tight budget!)
1. Natural light… but not direct sunlight.
2. Learn to use the AV setting on your camera! I have a Canon… there is a little button on the top right of the screen, clearly marked AV. I just press it, and turn the little cog looking wheel on the top (you can see from my lack of correct terminology, I am no expert!)
This lets additional light in, and can make your pics brighter, especially on cloudy days.
Your camera would have come with a manuel to find the corresponding parts on your own bit of equipment!
The other good tip I was given, is in editing, use Autocorrect for the colour of your pics… it will brighten as well. I have heard “picmonkey” is good, but I have the same function in photoshop.
P.S. Thanks to Peggy Lee, for helping me out.
Good luck!

Thank u so much Julez! I do now have a Canon, so I will def check out that button! :D

My only problem with natural light is sometimes I have to take my pics at night :-/

Little big of organisation might be the key! Thanks again, so much, for your helpful tips!

My canon came with a book, which was a bit daunting… I don’t absorb a lot of info all at once. I scribbled down a few notes… which made it easier to refer back to, and sort out in my head!

In a stroke of awesome luck – Shawna from McGreevy Cakes just posted an e-book on taking professional food photos! I bought it and it’s fantastic – really simple language and great tips. Was playing with my camera half the night!

I was just going to tell you about Shawna’s link… but saw you found it x

Hi Mardie, you can take great cake photos in a very simple way.

1) ALWAYS photograph cakes in natural light.
- in my opinion, you really don’t need any fancy lights, just a good window and a plain wall.

2) Buy a tripod for your camera.
- you can buy them very cheap now, I got mine a few years ago from the supermarket.
Its always best to have your photos as clear as possible for professional results.
I also use a remote with my camera.

3) If you can control the shutter speed of your camera, let as much light in as you can to really highlight your work, but not too bright or you could drain the colours.

4) WATERMARK your photos.
- I always suggest putting your name somewhere on your photo. More and more people are stealing others photos and claiming it to be their own work. Keep your work protected.

I’ve been a photographer for over 4 years, I have to say that I enjoy photographing cakes the most, some are more challenging than others because of their shape but you can always find a way to highlight the best angle to present your work.

Hope this helps!

- Laura x

Excellent… I know Rebecca, from It’s a piece of cake, had a whole folder of pics on her facebook page too.. was about lighting and photography.

Julez XXX

thanks HEAPS Laura and all ya’ll lovely cake people! i am now poised and ready :D

Mardie… check out Shawna’s (McGreevy) timeline RIGHT NOW…. re ebook tasty food photography!
I am trying to download now, but my dinosaur computer is running so slow… I feel like a little kid waiting for christmas!!!!
Julez XXX

Thank u Julez ur a sweetie for thinking of me! Have purchased it :D

… just read previous posts… aren’t I the slow one!

Julez XX

Haha! No… Ur the nice one! :D

I love getting my cakes out in the natural light to take pictures, but that’s not always an option. I built a photo station in my kitchen that rolls up out of the way when I’m not using and was pretty cheap to put together. I wrote a blog post about it forever ago…

http://cupadeecakes.blogspot.com/2010/07/photo-booth-station-complete.html

Excellent! I really need a good backdrop system! Thanks Jennifer :D

Hello Mardie,

I’ve seen some great advice for your pictures. I personally love working with natural light but understand if that’s not always an option.

My photography advice would be that although backdrops are excellent to have clean photos, you should also experiment a bit with different textures like a wooden table (capture just the wood and your cake making sure there’s nothing out of place around it). You can also experiment with different pattern and color table cloth that should complement your cake’s colors and scream personality.

Hope that is helpful,
-K

Cake Is Everything

1. NEVER use your flash.
2. Natural sunlight, and you can use a white Bristol board as reflection.