After my cupcake experience a couple weeks ago I was determined to create a better quality product shot. Yesterday I shared with you the much better results of the second shoot, thanks to Classic and Crazy Cakes. Today I thought I’d let you in on how I shot it. This may look complicated, but to seasoned pros who are in the business this is actually a very simple set up. Since our business is out of our home, my dining room ends up being my studio. There is lots of great window light, and my kitchen table that is taller than the normal table is a great starting point for any product photography. I have taken quite a few headshots in here as well.
Cupcakes are soft and delicate and I wanted the light and scene to reflect that. So I started off with white linens. It’s incredibly difficult to get all the wrinkles ironed out of a bedsheets, so I added a textured background to the image. Thanks to my friend who lent me the cake stands and Elements, a great home decor store in Moses Lake, I was able to pull together some props to add to the image. The lighting starts with a large softbox. The bigger the light source, the softer the light.
There wasn’t enough light on right side of the cupcake
So I grabbed a white plate that was already on the table and set it up as close to the cupcake as possible. This allowed light from the softbox to bounce back at the right side of the cupcake evening out the light side to side. I also opened up the window shade directly in front of the cupcake to allow light to hit the bottom of the cupcake. And there you have it. A simple picture to show off a wonderfully classy cupcake.
