Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by CNovack:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

Wow, this is a great close-up show off the rich texture of the chocolate cake. I like that you arranged three slices to show off the shapes and texture of the dessert rather than just a very close up shot of one slice. The arrangement adds visual interest and allows my eye to wander up and down to explore the tasty chocolate. The additional element of the fork adds to the imagery for it draws/places your audience into the scene - it is as if I have picked up the fork and am digging in. I do have 2 critiques. First is that I think the fork would look better if it was clean of any chocolate - it plays into the saying 'the first bite is always the best'. I think that giving your audience the impression of getting the first bite will make the mouth water with anticipation of tasting the cake as opposed to an impression that we have already had several bites & and are getting full. Lastly the condensation on the chocolate frosting on the left slice calls gives the top layer a 'bumpy' texture and sheen. Keep the impression of a dessert being rich, silky and smooth. I know picky picky right:-) But the devil is in the details - if you do all you can to make it look dazzling then it will. By lightly brushing the areas with a Q-tip or tissue paper you will absorb the moisture off of the chocolate without wrecking the dessert.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by EOSail:
I really like your cropping choice and the composition moves the eyes around the image well and there's good depth. There isn't a lot of variation in the color, though. Maybe white frosting would have looked nice and provided more contrast in the image.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by hajeka:
I can smell the chocolate here! Nice idea to use a used fork.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by FtWorthphotog:
death by chocolate indeed. nice enough shot good setup and lines created by layers help draw you all the way around the shot.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by wejna:
But I'd die HAPPY!

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by Skip:
This is a tough challenge to vote. I'm torn between "what are you trying to do here" and "what do I expect here". Further complicating matters is the question "what would I do here".

What I would expect would be a technically strong piece of eye-candy that would present the dessert in a way that I would want to at least sample it, if not order it. Along these lines I'm looking at technicals: backgrounds, distracting elements, exposure, sharpness. I'm also looking for creativity, imagination, and originality, which can make up for less than perfect technicals.

So, where does this leave me with your image?

Not a bad idea, but a couple qualms. It's a little too tight. I see what it is, but it's so in-your-face that it leaves little to the imagination. My biggest problem, though, is the dirty fork. I don't want to eat anything after someone else has had their fork in it.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by Kelli:
But, what a way to go!

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by eyestrange:
you have captured the moistness of this choc cake - yummy

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment by Agricio:
Excellent!