Summer Evening
by Haneck

Comment by KarenNfld:
I see I gave this a 9 when it was in voting....no wonder! The light is magical, it is a beautiful photo.

g l o w
by Haneck

Comment by KarenNfld:
This is stunning! The colours, the light, the smoke, all combine to create an amazing photo.

Watching, Waiting
by Haneck

Comment by kteach:
My favorite part of this image is the tiny wag of the tip of her tail. It gives just a hint of passing time and the patient watching that cats are so good at. Beautifully processed, and I think I like the empty space at the bottom. I don't know why, but I do.

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by kteach:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

First Impression: Nice setup, meets the challenge. Now I need a glass of OJ, since that looks yummy, but the toast needs some butter or jelly to go with it. A few wrinkles in the cloth are a little distracting, but the toaster is so shiny. There seems to be some odd stuff in the corners... background behind the toaster and extra dark corners where it's black... burning perhaps? The reflected light on the corner of the toaster kind of catches my eye as I look back and forth between the plate and reflection.

After reading your photographers comments: Oof. I'm the wrong person to ask about lighting setups. I have a few desk lamps, a white sheet and some white posterboard. But let's see. It seems like all of the light is coming from the right side... the left side of the toaster is dark, and almost blends in with the background. I guess putting anything in front of/to the left would have shown up in the reflection? What about a little light behind the toaster instead to give it some separation from the background? Maybe use some color somehow to give a warm glow to the toaster? I guess I'm thinking of those flashes with the colored gels that I've seen people use though, not softboxes?

After reading the voters comments: Seems like I just repeated what some of them have said. Looks like shamer had some good information on lighting. Perhaps try a reshoot with his suggestions and post this shot and the reshoot for some more critiques?

Hope this has been helpful! If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me!

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by VictoriaSecretGarden:
I liked the light in the upper right corner of the toaster... gave it a bit of light in an otherwise sombre picture... awesome toaster, great concept.

Really nice.

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by pineapple:
Thanks to you both for the learning experience.

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by Haneck:
Thank you so much for the comment!

Originally posted by shamer: When it comes to reflective surfaces, a good rule of thumb is to make your light source as large as possible in relation to the subject. You enlarge light sources via bounce or diffusion (large pieces of vellum, gatorboard/white cardboard, or fabric). I liked your concept here, but confess I got hung up on the details: 1) fabric wrinkles 2) diffuse surface on the inside of the glass which made it look dirty 3) unmotivated knife (a pat of butter to go along with it would have sufficed) and 4) the sharp reflections of your light source in the toaster and on the glass. Not a bad final placement, though, so congrats!

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by shamer:
When it comes to reflective surfaces, a good rule of thumb is to make your light source as large as possible in relation to the subject. You enlarge light sources via bounce or diffusion (large pieces of vellum, gatorboard/white cardboard, or fabric).

I liked your concept here, but confess I got hung up on the details: 1) fabric wrinkles 2) diffuse surface on the inside of the glass which made it look dirty 3) unmotivated knife (a pat of butter to go along with it would have sufficed) and 4) the sharp reflections of your light source in the toaster and on the glass.

Not a bad final placement, though, so congrats!

The Wanderer
by Haneck

Comment by shamer:
Very nice! Congrats on a nice finish :)

Breakfast
by Haneck

Comment by Frankie_Lv:
Very nice clean cut image, the kitch light glare off the toaster top right was a bit off a distraction. 9