A cake designer’s guide to: Portfolio boosting photo shoots
Well-planned editorial photo shoots are a powerful way to build images for your portfolio, especially when you're just starting out. And the quieter wedding months are the perfect time to experiment with new techniques and ideas ready for the season ahead.
Today we’re exploring the ways that you can maximise your presence at photo shoots for the best images possible, ensuring that your cake is a focal part of the day and that you leave everyone with a lasting impression that’ll help on the road to building a brilliant network of industry colleagues.
Before the shoot: Ask the right questions
Before deciding on the design for your cake, find out as much as you can about the style of the shoot. It may sound obvious but ask to see any creative mood boards and an overall plan of the day so that you understand the theme, look and feel. This will help you create something that is cohesive with every aspect of the shoot - from the florals to the venue – and translate into beautiful imagery.
Finding out as much as you can about the venue is also a great starting point – is it a barn, outdoor meadow, manor house or castle? Is the décor modern and minimal, rustic and relaxed or grand and stately? Different venues will lend themselves to different styles and understanding these aspects will help inspire you for your cake design!
Oxfordshire-based wedding and family portrait photographer, Laura Hutson always recommends visiting the venue first: “If you can, book a time to go and see the venue to get an idea of the spaces available. It’ll help you to work out the best place to set up your cake, so that you’re not trying to plan on the day.”
Image credit: Imogen Xiana
And if it’s a venue that you’ve never been to before, this is a brilliant way to start forging relationships with the venue team.
Think about what you could place your cake on at the venue, is there a table, bureau or sideboard available to use, do you need to source a plinth or hire anything in? The shoot organiser may already have a plan for this, so ask the question in advance and don’t be afraid to suggest alternative options if it doesn’t fit what you had in mind – when it comes to the design of the cake, you are the expert!
Sometimes visiting the venue first isn’t a practical option – particularly if its further afield or you’re too busy to make a prior visit. Don’t worry if this is the case – you can use the venue’s website and social media pages to build up a picture of the venue and get a feel for the spaces there.
Once you’ve decided on the design of your cake, map it out in artificial tiers (or do what I often do and improvise by stacking cake tins!). Positioning them on cake stands will help inform what size tiers and cake stands you’d like to work with.
Smaller tiers or multiple cake displays often work best for shoot photography and will allow a photographer to capture the detail and whole configuration, without having to pan out too much to fit the whole cake in the frame. Using smaller tiers also saves you time and spend in decorating and materials.
During the shoot:
Laura Hutson adds: “Capture your wedding cake in more than one place so that you can make the most of multiple angles, lights and backdrops – this will give you more images to use afterwards.” Chat to the organiser and photographer in advance or at the beginning of shoot day to make sure they have it on their radar and can block out the time needed for you - some shoots are on quite tight timescales so asking in advance will ensure the best opportunities for fitting it in.
If your shoot involves a model or a model couple, choose one area for your cake to be captured on its own, and another part of the venue for a ‘cake cutting’. There may be multiple backdrops - indoor and outdoor – that allow you to capture your cake in different lights, giving you even more image options at the end.
Wedding photographer, Chloe Ely told me that she has seen an increase in wedding couples having a ‘Sweetheart Cake’ for a moment together on their wedding day. These traditional cakes are small, single-tier cakes, traditionally created in a heart-shape as a symbol of the couple’s love for each other: “Sweetheart cakes give couples an extra sweet opportunity for a moment together and would be a great concept to take to an editorial shoot.”
Chloe adds: “Cake designers don’t have to invest lots of time in making larger cakes for shoots, they can have fun with smaller cakes and multiple cake displays too.”
Photo shoots are fantastic, relaxed opportunities to meet other likeminded suppliers who share your passion for weddings. I am still in touch with the team I met on my first ever photo shoot in 2019. Forging these relationships at the start of my cake business journey massively helped open doors with other suppliers too! So I wholeheartedly recommend some fun mingling behind the scenes whilst other elements are being photographed.
I’m a natural feeder and have always tried to make an extra cake, brownies or otherwise to share with the team on the day. Editorial shoots can shape up to be long days, so it’s lovely to be able to share your passion and skills, and a brilliant way to leave a lasting impression.
Wedding and event specialist, Kerry Poulter, recommends going one step further and gifting cake samples to the key suppliers involved: “If you have time, make sure the venue and wedding planner get to sample your cakes – leave them with a cake tasting box or a flavour or two, so they know how brilliant you are.”
Image credit: Lara Jacques Photography
Capture little videos throughout the shoot that you can turn into a reel and tag everyone in during and after the day – it’s a good idea to save everyone’s social media handles in advance of the day, so that on the day you can share imagery and tag your fellow suppliers as you go! This in turn will lead to more story shares and increased chances of other industry suppliers and potential wedding couples discovering you.
It might require a bit of extra effort but after the shoot, make a note to email or message the suppliers you met and connected with – it’ll further cement you in their minds and help develop the relationship you’ve started.
If the opportunity for a shoot hasn’t yet come to you – don’t be afraid to organise your own! While it’s the quiet season, approach one of your favourite local venues and ask if you can host a photo shoot there.
You don’t have to bring in a model couple or other suppliers if it feels like too big a task. You can literally just create a wedding cake and commission a photographer to capture it for you. Alternatively, if you’re confident with a camera and looking to save on budget, take the photographs yourself. There are camera hire companies offering one-day hire on great cameras if you don’t have your own so get behind the lens and get creative!
And finally, have fun and don’t be afraid to ask questions – it’ll only show how eager you are to get stuck in!
Daisy
X
Daisy Pratt, Very Vanilla
With huge thanks to our contributors:
