Food photography first attempt

[wangxu94]

1. in what area is critique to be sought?
Composition, depth of field, and post processing

2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
Hope to make the meal look attractive ;P

3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions)
Natural lighting from windows.

4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture
I think it's a pretty good shot, but i'm not too sure about the composition.

 

[mspriyan]

hi Wang. nice try. my remark on seeing the image is nice composition. but it does not reflect what you intended to display. probably a top angle shot should show more on the display of food

 

[marshalll]

The chopsticks, despite being OOF, still manages to draw the viewer's attention to it because it takes up too much of the frame and it is actually in the foreground of the picture because of its placement. Maybe you can consider moving it out of the way, or like what mspriyan said, change the angle of the shot. Food looks too delicious to be relegated to secondary subject in the picture, even if unintentionally

 

[daredevil123]

When you shoot food, you need to show the food as well as make it look appetizing. From your pic, I cannot recognize the food at first look and the placement of the elements on the food plate looks really haphazard. Does not make it look appetizing.

 

[wangxu94]

Thanks for all your comments guys I'll keep them in mind next time

 

[2.8photography]

probably something else to take note of would be frame dynamics (i.e. how the viewer's eye is lead through the frame). in this shot, both pairs of chopsticks lead the eye towards the back of the photo (as the lines converge/become thinner). i think especially for food photography, it's very useful to work the lines/curves of the plate in your favour and bring attention to the food. also, i usually overexpose my food shots slightly (around +0.7 to +1.3 sometimes, esp. if the plate is white) and you could have used a cooler wb (although not low enough to give a 'sterile' feel). this makes the food and plate/bowl look less 'grubby'. that's my personal preference and just for your consideration

 

[wangxu94]

probably something else to take note of would be frame dynamics (i.e. how the viewer's eye is lead through the frame). in this shot, both pairs of chopsticks lead the eye towards the back of the photo (as the lines converge/become thinner). i think especially for food photography, it's very useful to work the lines/curves of the plate in your favour and bring attention to the food. also, i usually overexpose my food shots slightly (around +0.7 to +1.3 sometimes, esp. if the plate is white) and you could have used a cooler wb (although not low enough to give a 'sterile' feel). this makes the food and plate/bowl look less 'grubby'. that's my personal preference and just for your consideration

Ah those are both very good points. Thanks for that!

 

[Stingrayangel]

I got a suggestion, maybe try framing 1/3 of the food, place your chopstick on the side of it. Create a few angles to get the best of the framing. In food photography, framing and lighting and focusing point are very important factors. Hope it help. We all learn from another in order to improve ourselves.

 

[wangxu94]

I got a suggestion, maybe try framing 1/3 of the food, place your chopstick on the side of it. Create a few angles to get the best of the framing. In food photography, framing and lighting and focusing point are very important factors. Hope it help. We all learn from another in order to improve ourselves.

Thanks for the advice

 

[shaoken]

To me, it's a little underexposed? :dunno:

 

[wangxu94]

To me, it's a little underexposed? :dunno:

Yea I'm editing on a laptop monitor that is just impossible to calibrate... I should probably learn to look at the histogram more. :') Thanks for the feedback

 

[daredevil123]

Yea I'm editing on a laptop monitor that is just impossible to calibrate... I should probably learn to look at the histogram more. :') Thanks for the feedback

Which laptop is that? Maybe I can point you to the right direction?

 

[EricS1]

A critique is beyond my comfort zone, but I just wanted to add another comment about the chopsticks that I hope will result in even more pictures I would enjoy looking at...

Yeah, the chopsticks are working against you in this photo, but I think (just my sense -- haven't tried it) you've really hit on a potential trick to use for future pictures: use chopsticks to introduce a strong graphic element (lines) into your food photos. I guess you were thinking about that as well, since the other pair of chopsticks in the background are perfectly parallel. The consensus is that it didn't work this time, but I don't see why you couldn't get it work if you thought about it. Just be sure to pay attention to the highlights (bright areas) -- those flat areas bounce lights directly from the source and can be distracting.

Also for your consideration: style the noodles more to have some elevation changes. They look soggy and overcooked if they are all laying at the water line.

 

[wangxu94]

Which laptop is that? Maybe I can point you to the right direction?

Emachines D725. The image looks brighter or darker if I just move my head up or down by 5 cm... I figured that out after about 10 mins trying to calibrate it manually lol... -.-

A critique is beyond my comfort zone, but I just wanted to add another comment about the chopsticks that I hope will result in even more pictures I would enjoy looking at...

Yeah, the chopsticks are working against you in this photo, but I think (just my sense -- haven't tried it) you've really hit on a potential trick to use for future pictures: use chopsticks to introduce a strong graphic element (lines) into your food photos. I guess you were thinking about that as well, since the other pair of chopsticks in the background are perfectly parallel. The consensus is that it didn't work this time, but I don't see why you couldn't get it work if you thought about it. Just be sure to pay attention to the highlights (bright areas) -- those flat areas bounce lights directly from the source and can be distracting.

Also for your consideration: style the noodles more to have some elevation changes. They look soggy and overcooked if they are all laying at the water line.

Thanks for the advice I guess I should have put more thought into the positioning and composition.

 

[daredevil123]

Emachines D725. The image looks brighter or darker if I just move my head up or down by 5 cm... I figured that out after about 10 mins trying to calibrate it manually lol... -.-

Have you tried any of the calibrators out there?

 

[wangxu94]

Have you tried any of the calibrators out there?

No I haven't, but given how inconsistent this monitor is depending on the viewing angle, I really don't think it'll help much.