Wine and candle

[limitedvista]

Couple of questions about this shot.
1) Is it too dark?
2) Is it too structured?
3) How can I get rid of my reflection in the bottle?

Thanks for any help / advice / criticism.



EXIF
Camera: Pentax *ist DL
Lens: 50mm 1:2
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/180)
Aperture: f/5.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV
Flash: Flash fired

Full EXIF on flickr.

[Junior_co]

I don't think that this shot is too dark... In fact, I'd kinda like to see it a little bit darker... I think if done more by candle light, it might show the mood that I tend to be in when drinking wine with my SO by candle light...

As for if it is too structured... I think the picture is kinda busy for so few items in it... Maybe try to stagger wine top right, candle middle left, and glass of wine bottom right... Maybe just spread them all out just a tad and leave some room around them with the crop??

I like where you're going with this though... I think I might try something similar in the near future...

BTW... How is that wine??

J

[limitedvista]

Thanks Junior. I took some with just one glass to try and cut down on the busyness, but I wasn't as pleased with those. Guess I'll just have to open another bottle tonight and try again.

The Rosenblum wasn't bad. Nothing special, but not bad.

[LeslieDigs]

I would like to see this with no flash so you get that "by the light of the candle" feel. And a lower view, not from on top of it all. Bring it in to make it more intimate. But I agree I like where you are going with it.

I'm new at this too, but experimentation seems to be my best friend. Trying things from all different angles, with flash on and flash off till I get what I like. :-)

[peeperita]

i can appreciate the mood you were trying to set with this image....it would make a nice gift to your SO......since that's who you seem to be thinking of when you shot this....

it's not too dark over all.....but, i do think it could benefit with a different lighting configuration.....turing off your flash would be a good first move, but then your only light source would be the candle.....i suggest lighting the scene with a few out of the frame candles to shed light more light on your subjects...adding light without appearing in the image...try modeling them with candles to the right and left for a warm, more evenly lit scene....

to me, still life is all about structure.....so no, it's not too "perfect".....i think you're headed on the right path by reshooting with just one glass, but as another suggested, lowering your perspective on more of an even plane with the label of the bottle just might be the answer.......that does present the problem of choosing a suitable background as you would have in the frame both the surface that your subjects are sitting on as well as what's behind them.....sometimes, i solve that problem with fabric as in this image...



the reflections on your glass objects can be solved both by again turning off that flash or redirecting it onto a surface that will diffuse it's effect......

i'd love to see where you go with this....

peeper