It all started with a cardboard box full of my family’s photos - there are about twenty pictures of us celebrating birthdays with a cake. Later, I asked other relatives and friends if they also have these portraits. They do. So, I started searching for these snapshots at various online shops and from sellers of found photos.
It is really nothing special that we capture these moments; what is exciting, though, are the small details that link the photos across generations and different nationalities.
I’m interested in stories and the narrative that goes beyond everyday moments, rather than the total number of items in the collection. (Honestly, though, I feel a simple happiness when I go through my collection, counting them one by one.)

THE PROCESS
The original photo is scanned with an average scanner to create the digital version. The images shown on the cake photo pages are unaltered, raw scans. For the close-up images, basic software tools—such as cropping and sharpening adjustments—are used purely to highlight details. The photos are not modified in any way, and no AI tools are used at any stage.

@mycakephoto on Instagram

havezan[at]gmail.com