Thursday, February 11, 2010

Adventures in Cake





Experiences, good or bad always teach you something. What you take from the lesson is always up to you. Thought I'd ramble on about a recent adventure in photography that had both it's good moments, and bad, and a few of the resulting images!
I was commissioned recently to photograph these beautiful wedding cakes, and was very excited. This kind of request looks great on one's resume, and helps you connect with more local businesses. The session went well, but unfortunately had to take place in the bridal show venue the company was participating in (the only time so many freshly decorated cakes are all on display together,understandably) and this was less than ideal, as I was soon to discover, lol!
Word to the wise, in situations like this, insist on being able to shoot them either before the show opens, or within a more controlled environment. Shooting during the show meant I couldn't control the lighting (there was a booth across from the cakes who's lighting kept flashing and changing, reflecting off the cakes and messing up my metering), and that I had to time my shots quickly while there were lulls in the crowds. My tripod was getting in the way, as was my assistant with the giant reflector which I was hoping would help me bounce some added light. I also had to shoot within the display, not able to position each cake ideally.

It certainly was a challenge I wasn't as prepared for as I thought. And it was a lesson well learned. I now know what I would push for when setting up an opportunity like this, as well as gear I would need for in the future in situations like this. An off camera flash unit comes to mind, lol.
This was still a very rewarding experience, don't get me wrong, and a very valuable one. And I'd be interested in hearing if any of you have had similar experiences where you realized a job or shoot was going to be more difficult than originally thought.

I thank Grace, The Artist of Cake for allowing me to expand my portfolio and trusting me to capture the beauty so evident in her work. You can find her at

Thanks for letting me ramble on, have a good one folks!