I know there is a thread somewhere, but all I got with the search was about displaying and borrowing pictures. I really want to improve taking the pictures of my cakes. I have a good 5 megapixels camera but my pictures no matter what I do still come out horrible!!!! Is there special lighting some of you use Boonenati has some incredible pictures but than again she does have some incredible cakes!!! but like some of my cakes like my soccer ball cake actually looked a lot better in person. I was so proud of my nephews ball cake and in the picture it was horrible!!!! hopefully this helps someone else too

I have a great Nikon Coolpix, however I find that my pictures come out better when I take them outdoors. The natural lighting from outside shows the cakes better. When I shoot the photo indoors, the flash messes up the colors on the cakes. That's my experience anyway.

I read somewhere here on CC to use a black sheet for the backdrop, it makes the cake really stand out. I'm interested to see what everyone else says as I am experiencing the same thing with my pics.

waitin.... well I think pictures come out great outside but that's not always possible what if it's a large cake??? we'll wait

I learned some tips from a photographer friend of mine who took pictures for me a while back. I also dabble in photography since I take cake pics myself and have learned some stuff through trial and error.

It's better to take pictures outside in Natural light.

Best time to take pictures is between 2-4 pm (this depends on what time the sun sets in your area) Best to have no harsh sunlight.

Don't take pictures when the sun is in front of you.

If the cake is too big to be moved, clear an area on your work space and cover with any solid color cloth. It's also good to clean the background a bit. Better to have no whisks and spatulas in the picture background.

Take several shots (not a problem with digital cams) , some with flash and some without and several angles of cakes.

Check out all shots on computer and color correct some with auto correct function. Choose the best ones and always keep a copy on cd for your archives.

Hope this helped some. Happy Baking and picture-taking!

There is no beating natural sunlight. If you cannot go outside, at least be next to (parallel to ) a window (but not with the camera facing the window, but parallel).

Ive taken countless photo classes, art classes, architecture classes, and whenever we needed to take pics of anything, whether it was a drawing, model, objects, etc., we were always advised to take it outside in natural light. Ive tried and tested and you can't beat natural lighting!

Natural light with no flash is best but for indoors you can --

Make sure your display spot is clear and clean. Use a solid colored fabric for backdrop. If you can place a lamp or have someone hold a flashlight behind the cake (back lighting) Try to make the light source out of the frame but direct the light so it comes from behind the cake on an angle and not directed towards the camera directly. Leave on all possible lights in the room to create as much light as possible. Take photos of the cake. Try some with and without the flash but be aware that with out the flash indoors you usually either get a yellower or greener tint to the colors due to the type of lighting in the room. You also need to have very steady hands or use a tripod if you are trying with no flash as your camera will be more prone to shake in this case. I hope these tips can help you out. I often place my cake on a table near my picture window so I get the best use of natural light possible. Colors and definition are always 100 percent better in natural lighting.

I need a table by my bedroom window!!!!

I actually find I get the best results with a white background. I usually use my small kitchen table that has the white mini blinds behind it, or I'll use a pc of white posterboard. Then when I download the images, I can open the photo up in Photoshop and auto adjust the contrast and it'll compensate for the low lighting problems. "most" of my photos are pretty clear I think.

I bought a large piece of black foam core board and scored the middle so that it folds and unfolds as needed. I open it and prop it up with something from behind. The cake sits on one black half and the other black half is behind it. If you have photoshop you can use the paint bucket and make the black background even more black. It doesn't change the cake but makes the background deep black. I found I get good photos in a dim room with a flash. I stand as far away as I can and zoom in so the flash is not so harsh.

I finally broke down and got a black project board. well, it was white, and i had a can of black spray paint. this whole process only goes to show that i am a cake designer, not a photographer. my pics still turn out poor.

I put my cakes on my turning wheel to lift it off the counter. Then, crouch down a bit. I find this helps to get the side and the top of the cake in the same shot. I don't seem to have as much "interference" from the table or countertop this way. I put my cakes in the corner of my white countertop by the window or outside. Take shot parallel to the window. If I decorate at night, I wait until the next the morning to take the picture with the sun. You might try getting very close to the cake, or cropping your final image. I like the pictures that are close up, as more detail is revealed.

I find that my pics have gotten better because I am aware of everything. I did have a wedding cake that the lighting was bad and even used a flash.
I just took a bunch of pics that I thin turned out well in my whimsical cakes gallery on my website. They are all the wayat the bottom. I bought a dark blue Bed sheet that I use for backbround.