Pasta Della California

[lobsteriffic]

This is my first time posting in the critique section. I'm fairly new to photography...I have only been playing around with my SLR for a couple of months.

One of my favourite things to photograph is food. This is a plate of pasta with various veggies and avocado.

I am looking for feedback so I can improve. Do you think the composition is alright? The piece of avocado in the front annoys me, I think it should be turned sideways a bit. Also, I think the pasta looks oily and greasy, even though it wasn't at all.



Camera Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Exposure 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800
Exposure Bias +1 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

[lobsteriffic]

Anyone? Please?

[mrteacherdude]

I'll bite Looks delicious.

Disclaimer first: I'm trying to be a serious amateur as well and by no means an expert. That being said...

I also love to take pictures of food, but it turns out to be more of a love/hate relationship because the photos of food that I prepare rarely come out like I would like them to, and it seems that taking really good photos is not an easy thing to do.

Your dish looks appealing to me as the colors are vibrant except for the tomatoes in the lower left corner. There is a lot more light coming in from the left (and front?), which is washing this out and highlighting the top of the piece of avocado that annoys you. Did you have the dish set next to a window? I'm thinking even or diffused, but bright lighting would enhance the dish and eliminate the bright spots.

I'm also looking for your photo to be level (it tilts to the left a little), and would like to see the rest of the dish on the right side. I'm not sure if this is framing or cropping of the photo, but it's relatively small and symmetrical looking, so I'm looking for the rest of it.

The placement of the avocado that seems to be bugging you isn't bothering me, but it does have that highlight off the surface that's taking away from the texture. The dish doesn't appear to be oily or greasy to me, but with a small amount of moisture which may be what you are seeing as oily.

[lobsteriffic]

Thank-you for the feedback!

Yes I see what you are sayin about the composition.

It was taken next to a window which explains the lighting. I need to get a better lighting set-up.

All very helpful stuff.

[breathbeing]

Originally Posted by lobsteriffic

Anyone? Please?

Not bad! nice color, good exposure, nice choice in depth of field. Tiny suggestions: the food looks a bit swallowed up by the plate -- either get more food heaped up on the plate so you could get a little lower and emphasize the food more . . . or get a plate with lower sides -- also, maybe a smaller plate would have worked better . . . that one piece of avacado in the front? moving it a tiny bit so it wouldn't reflect the light so much, solve that little matter some way -- that would have been extra cool! Now that I look at the picture again, really, maybe all you needed was a little higher mound of food, then the plate wouldn't appear so big and that front edge of the plate wouldn't be quite so distracting!

Still and all, a nice picture. Well done.

[lobsteriffic]

Thanks! I agree with you about the plate. I wish I had used a smaller one. Good to know for next time.