How to Photograph Cakes, Muffins and Scones

I have to say that writing this post to photograph cakes is going to be a delicious torture, and for you to read it too 😉 Especially if you’re on a diet… The example photos will make you run to the nearest pantry or pastry shop, that is if you don’t go straight to baking, then photograph and immediately taste! The one who warns is not a traitor 😉

And with that said, I anticipate that in today’s article I will tell you how to photograph these delicious pastry products such as cakes, muffins, buns, etc. Well, these tips are equally valid for a muffin than for a cupcake. The important thing is that you know how to make them look even more appetizing instead of detracting from flavor or visual interest. mess up the process and screw up the photo.

So open your eyes and heed these simple (yet effective) tips to do justice to the delicious treat you just made or someone else was kind enough to bake for you 😉

1. Set the stage

Yes, yes, you read correctly. And it is not that you are going to do a play or a musical, but this task requires a decoration as careful as the preparation of the sweet. The environment should be nice and pleasant, in keeping with what you are photographing. In this way the result will be even more appetizing.

If you have a place near a window through which light enters, perfect. If not, later we will see the issue of lighting.

• Order. And for this, the first thing you should do before photographing cakes or any other sweet is to clear the work area. No junk or kitchen or anything else. Anything that appears in the photo that is not intentionally placed (and carefully placed) will spoil the result as it will detract from the product by diverting the viewer’s attention. So you know, clearing 😉

• Background. You can use a smooth wall, a soft color or one that contrasts with the color of the product. If this is not possible, get one or more cards that will be a perfect background (essential white, soft colors are the most successful or any color that combines with your dessert). You can also use some fabric or wrapping paper. But of course, something nice, don’t go throwing away that crumpled paper you had left over from last Christmas, eh? Curate it a bit! 😉 Here you can see how to build yourself an “infinity background”. Other trick that also works is to use a background wood because it provides a lot of warmth.

tricks:

• For personal and informal photos, you can resort to festive decorations in the background. Something discreet and stylish to bring freshness to the image.
• Do you have a nice garden? Seize it!

• Vintage is in fashion, but this confectionery thing is also doing very well. If you have beautiful vintage-style crockery and/or cutlery, don’t hesitate to take it out to set the photos. But… be careful, let it be a subtle background accompaniment, not a steal-prominence-of-the-cake 😉

2. Add the star ingredient: the composition

Just as your dessert has one or two star ingredients without which it would not work or would have a completely different flavor, the same thing happens in photography. One is lighting and the other is composition. Do not forget to take care of these aspects when composing your image:

• Blur. Use a wide aperture to blur the background. This will focus the viewer’s attention exactly where you want. Also, the bokeh can be very nice when there is a lot of color in the cake. A background approach can also give good results. Do several tests and keep the one you like best.

• Less is more. If you are going to photograph several cakes, scones or muffins at the same time, make sure that only one is in focus (like the image above), or isolated from the rest. In this way you will be creating a center of interest where the gaze rests and, in addition, the image will be more balanced.
• Perspective. Don’t just shoot from your normal position, in fact, avoid it. Bend down, get on a chair, move around the product, but don’t always stay in the same position. The closer you bring the product to the viewer’s eye, the more appetizing it will be, especially if you see it at the same eye level or from an attractive perspective, for example an extreme high angle (zenithal angle).

• Apply the rule of thirds, of the horizon, resort to negative space… but evita at all costs put the product in the center of the image unless it is intentionally and very carefully. As tempting as the sweet itself is to center it to give it prominence, however, you will achieve the opposite effect.

3. Convey sensations

Confectionery is mainly related to two senses, taste and smell. The photos can only be seen at first, but you can almost smell them. With some tricks you will make the viewer perceive the smell of biscuit or cinnamon, or the aroma of fresh from the oven and salivate without realizing it. To do this you can:

• Photograph the product in the same oven or on the tray, so you make sure that the freshly baked aroma reaches it.

• Emphasize the texture with an extreme close-up so you can feel it melting in your mouth.
• Fill the frame. If there is nothing else in sight, it will seem to have the candy so close that the urge to take a bite is inevitable.

• Show inside. The cake is not just what it looks like on the outside, displaying a slice or photographing the cake cut to reveal the filling will make it look that much more appetizing.

• Accompany the product with an aromatic plant and/or one of the ingredients. Not only will it serve as a decoration, it will also stimulate smell and/or taste.

Look at this example in which several of these tricks are applied: a wooden background, aromatic plants, the piece of cake served on the plate… don’t you feel a terrible desire to take that piece of cake or does it just happen to me?

4. Lighting

As I mentioned before, composition and lighting are the two most important factors. We have already dealt with the first one, now we are going to see how you can illuminate your delicious dessert so that the lack of light does not cloud its splendor 😉

• Natural light. I repeat myself again, but it is important… Whenever you can, stand near a window. Or even in the garden. Now, if the light is very harsh (central hours of the day and the sun shines directly on the window) you have to be careful because this type of light causes very pronounced shadows and they do not look good at all, your dessert must look soft and sweet ;). To do this, if you are in the garden, stand in the shade, under a large tree, under a roof… or take advantage of the first and last hours of the day when the light is softer or more diffused. And if it is through the window that sunlight enters directly, a very effective trick is to cover it with a white curtain or place tissue paper on the glass. Infallible. You will achieve a perfect light because the paper will work as a diffuser.

• Light box. If you can’t go for the first option and you have a lightbox, use it. You do not have? And you haven’t thought about getting one yet?? You can also build it yourself, it’s very easy! And the results will surprise you.

• Flash. As a last alternative, use the handheld flash (never the one that comes on the camera if you want to achieve a decent result). Bounce the flash or use a light window or diffuser. It is about lighting uniformly and in a way that is pleasing to the eye, a “flash” would create very annoying shadows.

• Reflector. If you have a great one, if not, don’t worry because a white card will serve to reflect the light you have and illuminate the other part of the dessert. In this photo You can see how its author lights up a miniature car with a homemade light window and two homemade reflectors (a cutting board and the base of a box). He explains everything to you and also includes a link to the result. You can use the reflector with both natural light and artificial light.
• White balance. If you don’t know what it is, read this article. To find out why it is important to take this aspect into account, look at the following photographs. Do you think the two are correct or do you think there is one that has “better color”?

5. Inspiration

Creativity is learned. And he finds himself looking for her. The muses don’t always come to visit us when we need them, just because. Browse the net for inspiring photos, flip through baking books, visit cooking blogs… in short, take a sweet walk anywhere you can find photos of cakes or the like. A piece of advice… don’t do it hungry 😉

Look at these from IKEA what originals.

If you knew the sweet sacrifice and torture that it has meant for me, look for images to illustrate this article with the best examples (with-how-greedy-I-am-I), you would not hesitate, in addition to putting it into practice, to give it a “Like” and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Google + to compensate for the kilo (or two) that I have gained writing it 😉 Thank you and until next time!