Tips On Taking Digital Photos Of Your Work
Decorating By ajoycake Updated 19 Sep 2007 , 12:20am by SugarFrosted
make sure you have a good camera that is digital that you can zoom with and has a higher number of megapixels.
my digital has only 2.0 megapixels and is NOT very good when I want to zoom in after I have the picture placed on the computer.
OR use a good 35 mm camera with a nice zoom. (it doesn't have to be expensive)
also a nice plain back ground makes the cake stand out.
I guess it really depends on how you want them to look. You could set up a 'fake' studio in your house.
I got the ideas from some ladies on here.
good luck!
I think lighting is the most important thing. I'm still trying to find what works best, but of the photos I admire the most that others have posted, I notice that natural lighting is the key element. Bright, indirect light looks great. No direct sun, no shade stripes, no indoor flash in a dark room, just beautiful, natural light. Of course, it's also the hardest thing to get right!
Good luck -
Good lighting also helps. Sometimes I get lucky if I take the pictures in the morining, b/c of the natural light I get from my windows. But also having a background that dosen't distract from the cake is a plus. I went to the store and bought some cheap fabric that I put over my counter or table and place the cake on that. I just started doing this though, so unfortuantley, some of my cake pics still have kitchen appliances and other stuff in them. I use a digital canon powershot 95, which I love!!
My digital camera is a very low megapixel like 1.8 but, it also has a very good zoom. One thing that i've noticed is that it takes a better picture if i stand closer to the cake without using the zoom rather than standing half way across the room and zooming in. I can get a pretty decent pic out of this camera as long as I don't try to blow it up big.
Unfortunatly it takes the pics directly onto a disc which my nifty new lap top does NOT accept 
that is why i have no pics posted. Oh maybe I can get a new camera soon....
I find the lighting to be the hardest thing to get right.. I seem to get a glare on my pics. This is a good thread , I need all the help I can get when it comes to taking pics.
Liz
I got a good advice from a pro photographer: take a white paper or something else what will reflect the light (cake pans work really good 
). So you can add an extra "highlight" to the cake. With this you can point out your top decoration or anything else what is the main focus of the cake. You need to hold the paper so it gets some light and than it can be reflected to the cake. It´s a bit tricky and you have to try a little bit, but it´s a cheap way to do little extra glam to the cake.
Wow you guys I was just showing my cake book to a lady a hopeful new order and first thing I said was my cakes always looks better then the photos. I been thinking I need a photo course so I can make a beter photo and here you go with tips I love it!
I have a 4.0 megapixel that I love to death.
Learned the hard way...I had about 10 cakes on a regular camera from Wal-mart and when I took the film to be developed, none of the pictures came out...all that work lost forever
I have a nice 35mm (well, it's actually my boyfriends) and it works pretty good. Walgreens will put them on a cd for you for only a few dollars.
I'd love a digital camera though.
This is an excellent post. It's difficult to take a good picture, and I'd love to learn how.
Take plenty of shots at different angles. Don't be afraid to stand on furniture to achieve this, just make sure you don't have a child trying to push you off while you're taking your photo. You know that little flower on your dial? That's for closeup pictures! We want to see all the details on your gumpaste flowers. I carry a sheet of aluminum foil around with my camera case for extra lighting. Just tilt it just so and voila a little more light. Don't forget cloudy days are wonderful for taking pictures, colors will be saturated and the lighting is neutral. Daniela made a wonderful point, since it's digital take as many pictures as you want the rest can be deleted. Out of twenty photos I usually find one or two that I really like. The last one being the most important! Read your manual, you might just learn something new. I have really enjoyed all the pictures that have been posted, you ladies are wonderful.
bikegal
I only take a few pictures with my digital. It doesn't really matter what the color is like; just get a decent picture, than all you need to do is edit the picture in any software that will allow you to alter the brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.
A good one is PhotoFiltre. And its FREE! You can download it online at www.photofiltre.com
It's fun and pretty easy with the quick buttons at the top. You can make it as simple or complex as you want.
Give it a try! ( I should get some kind of sales commission for them! ) 
I think that it is important that you take some with and without out the flash...alot of times you will find that cameras on the market today are set up with a automatic exposure reader which will help you get shot according to how much light is in the room.
Also the closer you get to it with the flash off it should default to a 5.6 appature so that it can blend or give the background a foggy effct.
this is just as a general rule doesnt mean all cameras do it.
if your camera has the picture buttons on top....you knwo with the flower/face stars etc....label to what your conditions are and it should change your shutter speed and appature on its own ....which is the main thing with automatic cameras....
You know that little flower on your dial? That's for closeup pictures!
thankyou lasting moments I have that flower on my 35mm camera and did not know what it was. I feel like I am wasting my camera because it has so many great features and such, it is a Cannon Rebel and was a little pricey so I should really figure it out. I usually just keep it on the little green box(automatic) it is a great camera, but I know there is so much more to it than I know. OK THATS IT I'M DIGGING THE MANUEL OUT NOW- I will.
thanks to all for your tips! My camera is usually pointed at a kid, it is actually very different taking a picture of a cake!
sunlover00 thanks for link to the photofilter I saved it and will try it out.. I usually use paint shop pro but this may have some different features.. 
Liz
I take pictures with both my digital camera and my 35mm camera. I guess you could call me paranoid, but I want to make sure I get a good shot w/both of my cameras. I too will stand on a chair, and move around from all angles and take pictures. My husband always asks me why I take so many pictures of my cakes and I tell him because I want to see it from all angles.. men just don't get it! lol It's kind of like standing and looking at a new outfit in the mirror.. you turn and look at the backside too, now don't you? 
ntertayneme
My husband always asks me why I take so many pictures of my cakes and I tell him because I want to see it from all angles.. men just don't get it!
MY Husband does this too!!! We will pick up a roll of film and he will be flipping through new pics saying cake cake cake cake --this whole roll is cakes!!!
I read an article about a Playboy phtographer that uses nothing but 35mm disposable cameras to take his photos.
I do use a digital camera but invested in a tripod to use to take pictures. No more blurry ones...and I also use a disposable 35mm...
I use the digital photos for my computer work and the 35mm for an inhouse album.
Yes i read that too...and I was taught that its not the camera its how you use it. ......
heres a basic breakdown of what the symbols mean sorry i forgot to put them in last time.
flower- close up (great for detail work)
person- portrait ( portarits, i would reccomend this one for cakes)
stars-night shot-- (when its dark out)
running man- action shot (anything moving fast)
landscape mountain- scenic for sharp deatil in background and forground)
ddog- the cannon rebel is a great camera you should get great shots with that.
good luck
yes alot of playboy photographers use 35mm.
I dont think disposable but regular cameras such as the rebel. which is a big deal because most professional photogrphers use meduim or large format with a larger negative for a better shot. but if your good your good.....so i guess it doesnt matter.
I take pictures with both my digital camera and my 35mm camera. I guess you could call me paranoid, but I want to make sure I get a good shot w/both of my cameras. I too will stand on a chair, and move around from all angles and take pictures. My husband always asks me why I take so many pictures of my cakes and I tell him because I want to see it from all angles.. men just don't get it! lol It's kind of like standing and looking at a new outfit in the mirror.. you turn and look at the backside too, now don't you?
Me too! The digital pic is to upload to my website, and the film camera is to get prints made for my clients to have a pic the next time they order a cake. Also, I have negatives if I ever want to have enlargements made (for a large size portfolio) and if there is ever a question whether an image is actually my property, I have proof.
True, a clutter free background really improves the look of your cake pictures.
I use those "daylight" flourescent lights in my kitchen. They improve the color a lot, with a very white light. Regular flourescent light is usually greenish in photographs. Incandescent light is sort of orange.
And I use the "fill-in" flash on both my cameras so there are no shadows.
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