How to photograph a cake topper

How to photograph a cake topper: use soft light and the right angle. A phone is enough. A topper is a small figure on a big cake, and the steps work at home and at the venue.

• A window with no direct sun, or a desk lamp
• A sheet of plain white printer paper

1. 1. Find soft light

   Set the topper close to a window the sun is not shining through, with the light coming from the side. Light straight from the front washes it out. With a desk lamp, tape baking paper over it to soften the light. Turn the flash off.

2. 2. Clear the background

   Move bottles and other bright things out of the frame. At home, put printer paper under and behind the figure. Skip colored paper, because its color can bounce onto the figure.

   From across the table, the bottles and the painting pull the eye away from the topper.

3. 3. Get down to eye level

   Lower the phone until it is level with the figure's faces. Start from the front, then try each side.

   The phone level with the faces.

4. 4. Get close and focus

   Hold the phone about 11¾ inches (30 cm) from the figure. Tap and hold the figure on the screen to lock the focus. Then slide the exposure down a little.

A glossy figure reflects anything bright in the room. Angle the light so it does not bounce straight back into the phone. If a spot stays, change the angle of the lamp a little and look again.

We print a matte or a glossy surface. In the same sun, our glossy one shows bright spots on the suit and the gown folds. The matte one keeps one even color.

Glossy: bright spots on the suit and gown.

Matte: no bright spots.

Still picking a finish? Read glossy or matte.

Put the cake topper on your photographer's shot list. Photographers take the cake on its own before it is cut, starting from the front.

Cutting times vary a lot, so ask the caterer to give the photographer a few minutes with the cake before it is served. Tell whoever sets the topper on the cake which side the photographer will shoot from, so the figure faces the camera.

Setting it on the cake yourself? Read how to insert a cake topper.

Should I use portrait mode?

Yes, for close shots. It keeps the figure sharp and blurs what is behind it. Zoom in on the photo after, and check the edges of the hair and the dress.

Can I photograph the topper inside a shadow box?

Take the photos before it goes behind glass. Glass adds its own reflections.