A mother's touch
by DomD

Comment by sfalice:
Well photographed and perfect for the challenge.
If it was mine, I'd probably crop out just some of mom's head/neck
to draw complete attention to the child, and keep a 1/3 - 2/3 ratio.

A mother's touch
by DomD

Comment by dbosse:
Nice... improvements suggested... crop more of the woman out and right side and bottom which will also get rid of the distracting hot spot on her neck and the distracting black bra strap. All you need of her is about an inch past her ear and only a sliver of her left shoulder. Next time bounce a little light into the child's face which will also brighten up the eyes that are a little dead. The lighting from the top is a bit bright washing out the child's hair and giving the shadow on the face. Nice pose but needs more thought as to distracting elements and lighting.

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by Stagolee:
cool..... I have this all the time just add a bit of onion and perfect

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by timfythetoo:
Love eating food like this. Fresh and clean. I think your plate is a bit overkill with color and pattern. Draws away from the colors on your food.

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by monkeypirate:
I love the use of a painted plate, with colors found in the tomato basil.

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by vawendy:
ooooh! I love bruschetta! The lighting seems a little harsh (the highlights on the basil are a tad bright), and the plate is very busy. A simpler background may have served you a little better. It did make my mouth water, though...

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by BrennanOB:
I think the vivid colors of the plate steal the drama from the food. A simpler plate or even a cutting board would have made the bruschetta the soloist, while here it seems to be playing a duette.

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by TheDruid:
mmmm, yum 10

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by CNovack:
Coming back to leave comments now. Lovely presentation of this tasty appetizer. Love the design on the plate for it adds a nod to this being an italian recipe. Lighting on the subject is lovely and the colors really pop. My critiques are small but I feel it would have made this even more mouthwatering. The bread looks a little too dry and toasty - visually it makes me want to reach out for the bottle of olive oil that I am sure that is just out of sight of the composition. Don't get me wrong a good crisp crunchy bread is good but with a dash of olive oil when toasted or after will make it taste divine. It may have had that olive oil added to the bread but don't 'see' any evidence of that - if that is the case then pulling back a bit to include an attractive bottle of olive and maybe a pepper shaker in the background bokeh style would have added some punch to the shot. The other critique is that the basil doesn't look 100% tip top fresh - the edges of the cut basil look bruised with the deeper green edges - it looks like it has had time to sit and either absorb the juices from the tomatoes or it shows the bruising after x amount of time after cutting. It is still fresh but just not '30 seconds straight out from the kitchen prepared fresh'. Still a simple, tasty, and well presented snack that garners an 8.

Oven-Crisped Bread with Tomato and Fresh Basil
by DomD

Comment by Jutilda:
YUMM My basil plants go wild every summer but with this heat wave, I have to water them twice a day. Isn't your dish called bruscetta? Whatever, it sure does make me hungry.