What It Takes To Plan A Shoot

When I was allowed to work for a food corporation that makes jars of cake, I was hit immediately by how unique their product was. Their jars of cake were superior in every way, and it hit me immediately that this concept could be shown off in an entirely new way. They had tried to thoughtfully create each type of flavour, and the result was nothing short of indulgent nirvana.

However, upon viewing their previous content and web marketing, they hadn't yet presented the product's uniqueness. Their quality was fantastic, but the feel of the layers and fillings inside every jar had been left out of previous photography. Therefore, when I was eventually able to sample their products, I knew I had to put these features front and centre on my shoot.

Cake Jar Creator: @Esha Chandarana

One of the key things that made this photo shoot stand out was highlighting the delicate layers of cake and icing that made every jar distinctive. I wanted the layers to appear suspended in mid-air, nestled in their perfection before spilling into the jar. This image required great planning, and I spent a significant amount of time developing a concept that would allow me to execute this vision flawlessly.

To get this floating illusion, I used a combination of techniques. The cake layers were set in thin strands and carefully placed so that they appeared to float in mid-air as they made their way into the jar. Timing and placement needed to be carefully controlled. I had to grab each layer of icing and cake as they fell so that there was perfect visual flow.

Freezing this action wasn't simple. I employed a Speedlight in order to freeze the motion, preserving the subtle texture of the cake and icing. With the Speedlight, I would be able to freeze every soft crumb and stroke of the icing, allowing the textures to stand out. Lighting came into play as well to enhance the rich detail of the product, accentuating the smooth layers and rich fillings that make these cake jars unique.

With careful pre-planning and execution, I was able to capture the beauty and complexity of each jar and convey the quality of the product in a way previously lost. The final result was a body of photographs that captured not only the uniqueness of the cake jars but also the love and care with which each flavour was made.

It's story-telling using the camera in food photography. By highlighting the details—namely the layers, the fillings, and the textures—I was able to create a series of photos that did justice to the product's being. Those pictures are now part of the brand's marketing strategy, and it has helped differentiate them and introduce the world to how rich and tenderly crafted their cake jars are.