It’s no secret that I’m an insaneo nutter butter when it comes to cake photography. It’s my medium to large obsession – I fall deep in love with beautiful photos of cakes. I’ll share with you here a few of my own cake photography tips, whether you have the fanciest camera ever or are working with a smart phone.
One of my favourite (NERDY) parts about making cakes is getting to document them in a way that makes them look inviting, fun and differentiates them a bit from the pack.
My own cake photography step by step can be broken down like so:
1. I start with a plain minimalist setting. (White table, white backdrop – or paper backdrop, or find a wall or room in your house you like)
2. I shoot with natural light. (I use my kitchen windows most.)
3. I jazz it up with some stuff. (Props! I have a mild to medium collection of jimmy-jam type items – tarnished old teaspoons, vintage tea set, wooden blocks, cake stands galore. Fruit, flowers and foliage count as props, too!)
4. Shoot and frame to your eye/liking. (Angles, framing of the image, snap away – I shoot loads then edit to what I think looks nice).
I think a cake looks much more interesting when there’s a little something extra going in the pic. That’s where “styling” comes in. I have a very precise and professional method of styling my cakes which I will share with you here: I throw stuff down. SLAM it down sometimes. Raspberry, weird antiquey spoon, a handful of chocolate bits – I sprinkle things down like they’re raining down from props heaven. I am a fan of minimalist-meets-mess – I love an imperfect smear of berry juice or a half eaten piece of cake (yeah, I ate that.) I like to include a piping bag here and there too. Once I’ve added a light sprinkling of whatever props I’m going to use, I’ll adjust the spacing between the items until it satisfies me.
See those pink forks and blue straws? Let it RAIN, props!
Everyone loves a single chopstick to eat cake.
Pretty flowers from your garden? Snip and scatter!
To find even more cake photography tips, blast on over to my Let Your Cakes Shine post on Craftsy!
And I will leave you with this very rad video and tune by Ex Hex!
I”d love to know what your favourite food photography tips are! xo Lyndsay
Cecilia Pérez
I will use this tricks and techniques I promise!!
Thank you for sharing!
I’ve just started my own food blog and I’m trying to take better photos, so this is super useful
XOXO
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
hey, that’s great cecilia! have fun photographing!
movita beaucoup
I would like a YouTube video on eating cake with a single chopstick. I think it would get a million views.
Thanking you in advance,
movita
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
haha!! rachael i actually use the chopstick to apply the little fondant pieces to each other – the whiskers to the cheeks, in this case – but the idea of the single chopstick to eat that entire cake made me chuckle …. ^__^ YOUTUBE! sweet idea!!
lisa darai
Your photography is eye catching – I wandered over here from another blog – and now I think I need to make an animal cake soon – they are endearing!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
hey thank you!! ^__^ glad you found me, lisa!
Jen
You really use NO fill light/ softbox /anything??? I am photographing my friend’s cakes here in DC this weekend for her biz out here…
I just love your site for some many reasons for the food stylist and your aesthetic is rad! I was cracking up as I just ordered backdrop props that match yours! Completely randomly!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
hi jen! i really don’t use anything except natural light!! although i am curious about fill lights and soft boxes – i think i need to take a class. maybe it will blow my mind! it’s always good to keep learning! ^__^ oooh cake shoot! so fun!! thanks for visiting my site and for the kind words! xo
Kim
Just found you through OCD Obsessive Cookie Designers IG page — great blog and article! I also use only natural light and don’t use a tripod bc I think the freedom of being able to move around gives you interesting perspectives and subsequent images.