Dinner by Candlelight

[RainPacket]

This was an attempt at capturing a shallow depth-of-field shot of two candlesticks on a dinner table. I'm fairly pleased with how it came out, though I'm still a bit pensive over whether or not the composition was what I wanted. I'd be interested to hear what others think.

[Nicole]

I really like this shot a lot. I like the DoF and composition of it, personally I wouldn't change anything, I think it looks great

[JoshKeefer]

overall, very nice, my favorite part is the purple reflection in the holder, id gives it a nice sharp vivid color. but maybe up the exposure just a tad, see what happens, it could make it worse, or better...never know..but very nice

[jiminyClickit]

RainPacket,

Opposites can create tension: left candle smaller, less sharp, and yet brighter. I like that. Yes on the purple. Can't decide if the space between the candles should be smaller than the candle-to-edge distance, like 3" | 2" | 3" . What part would you change?

[RainPacket]

Not sure; I feel vaguely like the right candle could've been further inwards slightly, and created a better balance. That close to the border may be a bit too MUCH tension...

But I took this shot handheld in a crowd with a prime lens, so I can't be too picky about composition! And overall, I'm still rather pleased with how it came out.

[jiminyClickit]

Yes
Yes
Right
Agree

[Rommel]

I like this shot quite a bit too. There definitely is a stark contrast between the near and far candle. Since the focus of this image for me is on the difference, the only thing I might have done differently is shot this in a landscape orientation so that you could show greater distance between them - but then maybe the difference would be emphasized and not so much the tension between the two. The other possibility would be to shoot it closer to the foreground candle so that the size difference is magnified.

I am not sure either of these would be better than the already nice composition, but just some thoughts I had. What it is the theme you are trying to tell? That might help a little. To me the picture is fascinating since one normally thinks of candelight dinners as symbolizing closeness and yet this image has the antithesis in the portayal of the two candles.

[RainPacket]

I actually took this at a goodbye dinner this week for my younger brother and his GF, who are moving to Arizona this weekend. There was this beautifully-laid-out table with two lit candles and all this food... and rather than sitting there, everyone just sort of congregated in the brightly-lit kitchen, standing around the counter or leaning against things as they ate.

I was asked to take pictures of the whole gathering, and a lot of the portrait shots came out well. But when I was stuck sort of in the edge of the large crowd, I noticed the candles and thought I should try to get a shot of them.

I suppose something about this beautifully-laid-out table and candles and centerpiece arrangement, left completely alone and forgotten as everyone gathered in the kitchen, caught me. It was a peaceful image, and beautiful, and a touch melancholy somehow. So I grabbed the opportunity to take a couple of candle shots before going back to portrait and snapshot images. I'm not sure I was trying to tell a particular theme, so much as capture that one image/moment I saw.

I actually mostly forgot about this picture until I was pulling the images off at home to send the various pictures/portraits to the appropriate families. When I saw it in the batch of RAW images, I grabbed it and uploaded it because I still liked the imagery.

[Digidave]

This really is a cool looking shot. I think the one little thing that throws it off is the fact that the far candle's flame isn't as pointed as the near one. Then it would look like an exact replica but unfocused. I believe that would complete the balance issue. Next time ask that darn flame to behave & get with the program!!

[Gunsotsu]

I wouldn't change a thing. Well done.