Tomatoes and capcicum

[subrataofkris]

I took these 2 shots with different backgrounds, I am posting both of them together as they are related. The light source is natural soft light on a cloudy day falling from top.

#1 EXIF f/11, 1/20, -0.4 EV, 105mm, ISO 400


#2 EXIF F/11, 1/13, -0.7 EV, 120mm, ISO 400


Which looks better? What are the defects?

[wulf]

It is actually a difficult subject - the fruit (I think both are technically fruit because they contain seeds for the next generation of plants) are so reflective that they seem to magnify the light in their reflections. I've struggled to get decent pictures myself.

I prefer the top one. I am surprised that the reading suggests a lower exposure (or should I be reading -0.7EV as more overexposed than -0.4EV? Perhaps it is to do with the background?) as the colours seem richer.

Wulf

[aadam_21]

I like the first shot better. To me, the background works much better blending in unnoticed. In the second shot, it looks like a cloth background with a wrinkle that is catching a little light which draws the eye off of the subject. I also like the water droplets on the tomatoes in the first shot.

Really nice shot with just natural light.

[subrataofkris]

Wulf, the first shot has a pale green wall background, the second shot has a black cloth as background. The exposure is also attributed by the shutter speed, which is 1/20 in the first case and 1/13 in the second. In addition to that natural light is never constant. Do you want me to PS the reflections down?

aadam_21, you have sharp eyes, I did not notice that, thanks.

[wulf]

Is the EV rating what you have applied on top of the given settings rather than a reading for what they add up to? I normally seem to end up shooting in manual mode where all adjustments are done via ISO, aperture and shutter speed rather than letting the camera calculate furthe shifts with an exposure button which is why the ratings surprised me - by eye, I would say the second looks over exposed compared to the first.

I'm not sure about the best path to take with the reflections. On a recent shot I took even pulling the curtains and using a slower shutter speed did not deal with it satisfactorily. The danger with relying on Photoshop is that you take it too far and end up with something unnatural. I would be interested in other people's thoughts on this.

Wulf

[clockdoc]

Both are very good shots so it is difficult to say wich is "best." I think you have opened the door to becoming a student of light in addition to a student of photography. When we use studio lights, we often use "barn doors" or scrims to control the light falling on the subject. Here you used natural light from an overcast sky. Experiment with using some dark cards to block part of the light as it falls on the subject(s) and see what a difference it will make. A large translucent screen (as is used in motion picture work) would provide a different end result than from a solid card. Thanks for sharing these two images with us and stimulating some constructive comments.

[jiminyClickit]

subrataofkris,

Both shots have subjects "kissing" the frame, just not a good compositional trait. Why that crop at the bottom of each, eludes me, as there probably exist some nice shadows there. If you cropped in closer, or shot from a little farther back, both these issues are remedied.

[subrataofkris]

clockdoc, thanks for pushing me to try more innovative light sources, I will give it a try.

JC, as I opened the shot today and the screen was getting refreshed from top, it also occured to be that there is an abrupt ending at the bottom. This was a compromise to prevent showing the edge of the white tray that I placed the tomatoes. Thanks a lot, for pointing that out and letting me know the compositional defects.

wulf, you are right, I should have gone to manual mode.

[jiminyClickit]

subrataofkris,

The whole story, if this were advertising work, would also include showing undamaged goods, freshly cutting the stem and soaking in lemon juice, and not lining up the tomatoes (three in front, three on the sides). Yours does have reality in it.

[Nicole]

I prefer the second one because I like things against simple backgrounds, so I like the black because it makes it all kind of pop more. What I do wish was that the area underneath the fruit/veg was also black, giving it more uniformity. Also, I wish that the pepper wasn't buried among the tomatoes. But then, this gives it more of the advertising feel than the reality feel as other's have mentioned