Mini Cake for C&C

Got a chance to revisit the post processing the photo above. I was able to get some detail out of the whipped cream but I'm not quite sure how it turned out. I feel that the overall photo became underexposed.


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7nO3EBpvAsc/Sz..._cake_01_c.jpg


Moreover, I was lucky to have a chance again to take photos of the mini cakes. I changed the perspective. I shot lower almost level to the table the cake was on. Your C&Cs again will be very much appreciated.


18-55mm IS @ 55mm, f/5.6, 1/20sec, ISO 100


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_7nO3EBpvAsc/Sz...0/IMG_0902.jpg


Thank you again for viewing.

Just fixing the white balance on the original shot was a vast improvement. Accurate WB is absolutely critical to food photography--people are very sensitive to color casts for food.


Second image is good. I think you actually need to strike a balance between the two angles; one is too high, the other too low. Try something in between. Try making the background more color-neutral.


If you want to see really professional food photography, just visit Martha Stewart's website. Study how they shot the image. How did they make the food as appealing as possible?

Ok - wow, I'm impressed.


First, the fix to the original picture seemed to me for the first moment like you had taken the picture again. Now it looks much better (but all the original comments/suggestion still hold).


As for the new shot - awesome! the low angle and the fork that is now more in focus look great - almost like a professional shot [H]


With that said, it's still to tight in my opinion - specifically on the left hand side of the frame.


Good job!

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Originally Posted by wickerprints

Just fixing the white balance on
the original shot was a vast improvement. Accurate WB is absolutely
critical to food photography--people are very sensitive to color casts
for food.


Second image is good. I think you actually need to strike a balance
between the two angles; one is too high, the other too low. Try
something in between. Try making the background more color-neutral.


If you want to see really professional food photography, just visit
Martha Stewart's website. Study how they shot the image. How did they
make the food as appealing as possible?

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Thank you wickerprints for your comments and suggestions. Thank you for pointing out about the WB and color cast for food, I haven't read upon that yet. I'll look at MS website soon. Thanks for referring a site.

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Originally Posted by Oren

Ok - wow, I'm impressed.


First, the fix to the original picture seemed to me for the first moment like you had taken the picture again. Now it looks much better (but all the original comments/suggestion still hold).


As for the new shot - awesome! the low angle and the fork that is now more in focus look great - almost like a professional shot [img]/emoticons/emotion-11.gif[/img]


With that said, it's still to tight in my opinion - specifically on the left hand side of the frame.


Good job!
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Thanks Oren! Composition wise on the first photo can't be change in PS. [:D]


About the second photo, thank you! As I have limited space to work with, I opted to take tight shots or else I'd be including the rest of the unwanted background. [:D]


Thank you again guys for the wonderful comments, suggestions, and support!


Cheers!

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Originally Posted by MrGreenBug

I opted to take tight shots or else I'd be including the rest of the unwanted background.
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I hate when it happens (and it happens too many times!).

Here's a suggestion that might or might not be helpful...the overall mood of both shots would be a better match for breakfast than for cake. It's not just the yellowish-green cast of the first image, although that does contribute to the "morning" look. Have you considered using background colors that are more in the earth tone range, or a dark wood table with a dark brown or maroon linen napkin? One other idea would be to use lighting that's a little less smooth -- think evening and drama and moodiness. It will accentuate the specialness of the cake. Another suggestion would be to put the fork on the left or very carefully arrange it on the plate.


This just occurred to me, but you could also try putting an ad on Craigslist for a food stylist -- professional stylists have all kinds of tricks. It might be worth hiring one for a couple of sessions just for the learning experience.


Good luck and good cake!

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Originally Posted by Oren

I hate when it happens (and it happens too many times!).
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I can't say it better than this.. [:D]

Love the redo! The whole thing looks new with just a shift in white balance. I also like the lower angle. There are a lot of things that make it cool, but I think that the color is too flat. Not that it is particularly bad, but there is an element that is missing with so little color in the image. I would suggest that the mug be a muted color that is not the same as the background. You don't want to have a bright color on it since that would draw attention from the subject but it looks flat with a background the same color as the mug. The reason that I noticed this was the large amount of blue you have for a background and it seems to just give it that amount of color that make it attractive to look at as a whole.


Just my two cents,


Samuel

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Originally Posted by Jeff Lucia

Here's a suggestion that might or might not be helpful...the overall mood of both shots would be a better match for breakfast than for cake. It's not just the yellowish-green cast of the first image, although that does contribute to the "morning" look. Have you considered using background colors that are more in the earth tone range, or a dark wood table with a dark brown or maroon linen napkin? One other idea would be to use lighting that's a little less smooth -- think evening and drama and moodiness. It will accentuate the specialness of the cake. Another suggestion would be to put the fork on the left or very carefully arrange it on the plate.



This just occurred to me, but you could also try putting an ad on Craigslist for a food stylist -- professional stylists have all kinds of tricks. It might be worth hiring one for a couple of sessions just for the learning experience.
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Thanks Jeff for the wonderful input. Indeed, the photos have a "breakfast feeling" in it. I'll try on your suggestions when I get the chance to have one those mini cakes again. [:)]

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Originally Posted by Jeff Lucia

Good luck and good cake!



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Wonderful!

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Originally Posted by Flaming

Love the redo! The whole thing looks new with just a shift in white balance. I also like the lower angle. There are a lot of things that make it cool, but I think that the color is too flat. Not that it is particularly bad, but there is an element that is missing with so little color in the image. I would suggest that the mug be a muted color that is not the same as the background. You don't want to have a bright color on it since that would draw attention from the subject but it looks flat with a background the same color as the mug. The reason that I noticed this was the large amount of blue you have for a background and it seems to just give it that amount of color that make it attractive to look at as a whole.


Just my two cents,


Samuel
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Thank you, Samuel for the comments and suggestions. I like your suggestion regarding the mug. I'll try to do a combination of your suggestion and Jeff's when I get the chance to get some of those mini cakes again -- hopefully soon!


Cheers!