It’s now early April 2020 and we’d signed our website contract. Shantell was anxious to get started on the website and we were excited to get things moving too. One of the first things we knew we needed to do was have really good pictures of our cakes. By now, COVID-19 was well underway and the State of Florida, along with most other states, were under a stay-at-home quarantine.
While going out for essentials was allowed, we all knew it was unsafe and risky to venture out if there wasn’t a true need. We held off as long as we could, but eventually agreed, we needed to get the photos underway because we didn’t know how long the quarantine would last. We discussed how we’d coordinate the shoot. We baked the cakes and gathered Barbara’s endless supply of entertainment and hosting supplies to serve as background and staging pieces.
Now, when we say Barbara has an endless supply, we aren’t kidding. If Barbara was ever asked for a 6 footed, bear themed cake stand, she’d say “Wait, I know it’s tucked away in of one my storage bins in the garage”. Oh boy, Barbara’s garage – that’s a blog article for another time. We kid about what she has stored in that garage, but when we’re in a pinch and we need just that right platter, bowl or decoration, Barbara always comes through – hence her endless supply, made for some fabulous photos.
Along with her supplies, Barbara brought her Nikon camera. Unfortunately, our normal photographer (aka Barbara’s husband, Ernie, also known as our paparazzi) would have come but to minimize the number of people involved we kept it just to the three of us.
With our cakes baked and our supplies ready we got started on our photoshoot adventure. Since, none of us were what you’d called truly experienced photographers, there was a bit of trial and error as we tried different spots in the house, lighting techniques and staging props.
We ended up on the outside lanai and were thankful for the slightly overcast sky since it helped filter the sun’s glare. Although we were challenged with the shadows cast by the screened enclosure, we were happy with the lighting the outdoor environment provided (and we also knew a graphic artist who could touch up the photos…psst, It’s Tracey’s husband, Kevin).
Over the next two days, we completed our photo shoot. Always being careful to wash our hands often, continually cleaning surfaces and not touching our faces. It was exciting to work together, share visions for the photo staging and yes, we might have sampled some of the cake along the way.
Oh, don’t get us wrong, we had our share of frustrations, like chocolate shavings melting too quickly in the hot Florida sun, or dogs continually trying to snag a bite of cake off the staging tables when we weren’t looking – but overall, for our first photo shoot, we’d all agreed it was a success!
