How to photograph cakes

If you spend much time looking through wedding magazines or blogs, you will realize that editors love a great cake photo. The reason for this? Brides love a great cake photo. The bride you're working with now wants a great photo of her cake - no matter who she is! Today I'm sharing 4 cake photo tips that will help you make that happen! So how should we approach this photo as photographers? I want to share some dilemmas I face when photographing the cake and then the solutions that I have come up with.

 
3 Cake Dilemmas and 4 Photo Tips for photographers - St Louis MO Wedding Photographer, Jordan Brittley (jordanbrittley.com)
 

Cake dilemmas

  1. Not enough light
  2. Uninteresting background (Really, it's just less interesting than the rest of the wedding)
  3. Cluttered table
 
3 Cake Dilemmas and 4 Photo Tips for photographers - St Louis MO Wedding Photographer, Jordan Brittley (jordanbrittley.com)
 

Cake photo tips

  1. Move the cake! Nope, I'm not kidding. We have asked to have wedding cakes moved so many times. Even in the most beautiful venue, it's easy for the cake to get moved to the corner of a room with less-than-ideal light. Even the dance floor can prove to be tricky if the DJ is setting up his equipment. Don't be afraid to ask someone to move the cake. Never do it yourself and never contribute to the effort. Leave it to the people who are used to carrying cakes!
  2. Simplify, simplify! Remove the plates, cake knife, and any napkins on the table. You don't want anything to be a distraction from the detail on the cake.
  3. Use flash! I use two Canon 600 EX-RTs to light a reception that has no natural light. I don't shy away from pulling out the flash when it's needed, but I always photograph the room without it as well.
  4. Photograph it as it is! Before you do any of these things that I have mentioned, take a photo of the cake just the way it is. Even though the bride will most likely choose the well-styled photograph, it's important to photograph the cake the way it was originally set up.
 

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