Taking Pictures Of Your Cakes

Decorating By KarolynAndrea Updated 26 Jan 2012 , 6:43pm by michellem79

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KarolynAndrea Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 12:46am
post #1 of 19

I'm sick of the dingy table that's in the background of my cakes. What's the best way to take pictures. I see a lot of white backgrounds. Is that a white sheet on a table then going vertically over a board? What are the secrets to a nice background?

18 replies
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cakegirl1973 Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 12:55am
post #2 of 19

I bought a black science fair trifold board and a yard of black fabric. Works pretty well. I am going to get white, too. I think the best advice for taking good pics of cakes is to have a good camera.

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awatterson Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 12:55am
post #3 of 19

All I have to add to this is that I think that your cakes are AMAZING. They are all so beautiful.

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sugarandstuff Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 12:56am
post #4 of 19

I'm right there with ya...I just did a cake for a professional photographer for her daughter's 1st birthday - it's pretty easy to pick out from my other cakes which one it is LOL - she put it on the ground on a large tablecloth or something. I've tried a black sheet, black poster board - none of which work out to well.

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Cupcations Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 7:32am
post #5 of 19

They key is to have a good camera which emphasizes the cake & leaves the background as "a background".... plus a good camera will make anything look good including a crapy old table or even an old curtain...

Another thing is try to match the things in your background with the cakes color it doesn't have to be the same color though. IMO changing the background for each cake shows the viewer that truly every cake has its own story

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alvarezmom Posted 9 May 2011 , 7:44pm
post #6 of 19

Funny you should ask.... I JUST found this. Very good idea.

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2022819

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KHalstead Posted 9 May 2011 , 8:18pm
post #7 of 19

http://cgi.ebay.com/PREMIUM-PHOTO-STUDIO-LIGHTING-LIGHTS-KIT-LS05-/170593360915?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b8281c13


I just bought one of these, I've read really great reviews online about them and I don't do THAT many cakes over 16" tall so it should work for most of my cakes, they're available in larger sizes as well and they're easy to pack up and store and take with you if you need to!

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cakegirl1973 Posted 11 May 2011 , 12:14am
post #8 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by KHalstead




I just bought one of these, I've read really great reviews online about them and I don't do THAT many cakes over 16" tall so it should work for most of my cakes, they're available in larger sizes as well and they're easy to pack up and store and take with you if you need to!




Thanks for sharing this!

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Sami3000 Posted 11 May 2011 , 4:25am
post #9 of 19

I have found through online and in life research, light is the best thing. You need lots of it but, not direct light. Outside at noon on a cloudy or partially overcast day will give you great pictures. Also, stop holding your camera, use a tripod or stack of pans but even breathing will give you gentle vibrations which will blur the picture just the tiniest bit. Anything can be a pleasing background, a nice colored painted wall with a tablecloth covered table in front can be just perfect if it's next to a window. There are also several free picture editing programs you can use to not only clean up backgrounds but sharpen focus and add your watermarks just about any that pull up first on a google search will work.

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SarahBeth3 Posted 11 May 2011 , 4:53am
post #10 of 19

I agree, light. My S-I-L is a pro. photographer and I think she would say the same. A good camera and indirect NATURAL light can help a lot. If it's too bright you will get all sorts of shadows and if it's not bright enough you will get a grainy of fuzzy photo. I wish I had a better camera. I set my cakes on the floor by my big glass door or outside in the shade because if I take it indoors or with regular indoor lighting the photo never comes out well.

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SarahBeth3 Posted 11 May 2011 , 4:58am
post #11 of 19

Just looked as some of your photos. Love your cakes, they are beautiful and your photos are good. I see what you mean about the table though. If you use a sheet for the back round just be sure that there are no wrinkles (they show up easier than you'd think) and let it just slowly curve onto the table, then you won't even be able to notice the curve. (Something i learned from my S-I-L.)

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Crazboutcakes Posted 11 May 2011 , 5:10am
post #12 of 19

I bought large pieces of solid colored material in different colors at sale price I may add and place them on the mateial and use my family to hold it up behind it to get my shot, and if they are not here than I usually place on the table in the same manor with something that will hold it in palce till I get my shots.

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lorieleann Posted 11 May 2011 , 7:19am
post #13 of 19

I agree that natural lighting and a neutral background is going to get you the best results. But you don't *need* a good camera to take pictures, though in saying that I guess what is considered "good" is subjective. Is a nice Nikon DSLR going to make it easier to get better shots? Yes, but only if you know how to use it. And if you know how to use it, then you will be able to get something decent out of your pocket digital camera as well. My husband can take some amazing shots on his iPhone camera, because he understands lighting and composition. It's not the mixer that makes the cake, it's the baker who knows how to put it together.

A great site for learning about cameras and how to get your best shots is kenrockwell.com ~ good camera and lens recs and how-tos for taking good shots.

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indydebi Posted 11 May 2011 , 11:45am
post #14 of 19

I had a prof photog come into my shop and take some photos that he turned into huge poster-size photos for me. He brought a couple of different colored sheets that he duct-taped to my wall and set the cake in front of it. I used to use tablecloths ..... tape to the cabinets than flowed down onto the table. Lots of inexpensive ideas on here. thumbs_up.gif

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tiggy2 Posted 11 May 2011 , 12:24pm
post #15 of 19
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CakeInfatuation Posted 11 May 2011 , 12:37pm
post #16 of 19

I use a tablecloth in my living room where I get the best natural light. I drape the tablecloth up onto the couch. I set the cake on the tablecloth on the floor in the "shade" of the room. NEVER in direct sunlight or you will get too many shadows. You want a room that is full of light but not direct sunlight. You also want to avoid using a flash or you will create shadows.

I like to use the macro setting on my camera a LOT to get good close up and detail shots.

Then, I always clean up the photo a little in PhotoShop to adjust the lighting and the white balance. I find that the paint color and decor of my room cast a green hue onto most of my photos. So... I have to adjust the color balance back to a true white. I also adjust the "levels" (a fancy way of adjusting contrast). It also cleans up the photo a bit and makes your colors more crisp.

I use a boring all Cannon A560 point and shoot digital camera that's about 4 or more years old. Seriously... nothing fancy.

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Monkess Posted 27 May 2011 , 11:53am
post #17 of 19

The large solid construction boards from dollar stores work great. I use to use fancy wrapping paper ontop of my turntable and then have someone hold the sides-baby themed for baby cakes, wedding for wedding etc.

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bobwonderbuns Posted 27 May 2011 , 12:49pm
post #18 of 19

Similar to what Indydebi does, I bought three yards of material -- in this case a neutral beige color -- and I pin it up to a large bookcase I have. I have an overhead light and put a TV table underneath, set the cake on that and watch for shadows. You'll see this in my popcorn bag cake, the purse and shoes cake, the gumball machine cake, etc. Those are the cakes the background is more visible in.

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michellem79 Posted 26 Jan 2012 , 6:43pm
post #19 of 19

KarolynAndrea I was wondering what you ended up doing? I see that in your current pictures there is no more table! icon_wink.gif My home has terrible lighting no matter where I go and I always get weird shadows and reflections from my counter. I need to do something about my pictures too!

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