How to Photograph a Wedding Cake

Photograph the cake both on its own and as it is being cut and consumed.

Photographing a wedding cake can be challenging for both professional and amateur photographers alike. Everything depends on the size, location and lighting of the cake. Whether you use natural or flash lighting will depend on the given situation; however, there are universal "shots" that must be taken that vary in angle, zoom and interaction. The cake should be photographed both on its own, preferably in a studio setup, as well as in its place and role in the reception.

Things You'll Need

• Camera
• Cake
• Backdrops
• Props

Instructions

1. Plan your timing. Timing is crucial when photographing a wedding cake. Shooting before the wedding, particularly before the wedding setup, gives you a much wider range of liberty for setting, backdrop, angle and time. Shooting after it is set up or during the reception limits the positioning and your time alone with it. If possible, schedule to shoot the cake before it is moved to the reception to allow for a studio setup.

2. Position the cake in a location with an appropriate background or set one up. If you are photographing the cake before it reaches the reception, set it against an appropriate backdrop, such as an artistic wall, pedestal, yard or flowers. If possible, take the photographs outside or in an area filled with natural light. Avoid placing a white cake in front of a completely white background. If the cake is already in the location of the reception, look at it from every angle to gauge which view holds the most appropriate background.

3. Set your camera and begin shooting. Wedding cakes should be shot with as much light as possible, so if in a darkly lit room, you will need to use flash and, if possible, an extra bounce light to aim at the ceiling or wall. Flash is also necessary if you are in a back-lighting situation. Take full-sized center shots, close-ups of small portions, cut-off shots, zoomed-out shots to include the table, aerial, worms-eye (crouch down and shoot from the ground up) as well as a close-up of the cake topper. You may need to find or bring a ladder or stool if the cake is particularly tall. Remember that if the cake is in the reception location already, shoot with a very shallow depth of field to blur out any unavoidable and unwanted background elements.

4. Add any props to the side of the cake. Take a few shots with stacked plates, flower vases, wine glasses, cake spatula and folded and stacked linens, to add alternate textures to the scene and highlight any thematic aspects of the wedding.

5. Shoot the bride and groom cutting into the cake; full body shot, close-up and a shot only of the hands holding the knife and cutting. Capture the first bite and take close-ups of individual slices on plates. Remember to take as many shots as possible, as photography is both an art of lighting as well as timing.

References

• PhotoNet: Cake Photography
• Wedding Cakes Across America: Advanced Wedding Cake Photogrpahy