fresh blueberries
by skewsme

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

As an abstract study in shapes and color the image would do far better in an abstract challenge. For a food challenge in which typically one wants to clearly see what we eat (if it looks good it's fresh....) it suffers from lack of clear identification. Without the title, I cannot clearly tell with 100% accuracy that these are blueberries. When one follows the saying "Show, don't tell" the imagery is stronger because the audience can readily connect to it. Title should be just icing on the cake (so to speak) and not carry the full weight of telling us what we should be seeing. One thing that throws me off on the blueberries shown here is the color. Only one 'berry' matches the typical color of purple-blue-black while the others are green and make me think that they are grapes.

You CAN have it and EAT it too!!!
by maz001

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

I like how you included a person in the shot with that great expression! It captures the anticipation of getting the first bite. The arrangement and decoration on and around the cake looks very tasty. I do have two suggestions on how to further improve the visual appeal. First off I suggest to boast the contrast just a tad - the whipped cream puffs on the top of the cake needs a bit more contrast for the swirl pattern to pop - some areas have the highlights to high that I cannot see the details. Just a small boast would also increase the depth in the overall image resulting in all elements more defined with the difference between light and shadow. Lastly, I think it would show off the girl's expression better if you had the model stand a little higher. That way the cropped version would just have the mouth only and it would not be partially obscured by the strawberries.

Death by Chocolate
by p-chan

Comment:
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.

Berries and Kiwi
by Lawton

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

Love the presentation of the colorful fruits in the tapered glass. Whipped cream is laid on good and thick with a strawberry on top to finish it off. The prep and presentation 'on the plate' of the dessert if pleasing to the eye. The areas that need work to improve the appeal of the overall photo composition is lighting and choice of backdrop/ground plane. First off the lighting is not evenly balanced throughout the composition resulting in deep harsh shadows thrown on the backdrop and some glaring 'hotspots' highlights on the berries in the glass on the top right and a bit on the strawberry on top. Two lights, one on either side a few feet away could even out the exposure, use of natural light streaming in from a window so that it is diffused or even a light tent (some easy and inexpensive how to make ones are online). The choice of backdrop and setting which the main subject appears in/on can either compliment the image or detract. The light grain and striped texture of the wood distracts attention away from your main focus. A deep dark wood or wood with no texture stripes would be better in that it would not call attention away from the image. The backdrop also suffers from this in that it does not add anything to the dessert other than call attention away from it. The focus should stay on your main subject with all other elements be supporting cast that helps add mood or complementing it in subtle ways.

The Wedge
by pamb

Comment:
Wow, very nice!!! You *should* be proud of the capture...and the fact that you got to see this LIVE! Love the dramatic action going here with the just taking off flight of the eagle captured! The backlighting on the feathers is lovely and there is also some beautiful light that brings out golden jewel tones in the grasslands. I also like how the tree branch curls in an up and down motion with another bird ready to take flight itself. Can I make a suggestion - I hope so - I would love to see more of that main eagle and the take flight action (I truly mean that, I would love to see it closer). The ol' bring us closer so we can further appreciate what we are seeing. Cropping the left 1/3 would have it flush with the tree and then cropping some off the top to just a hair above the extended wing tip of the right wing would then fully place the eagle as the true center of attention with the bonus of you bringing us even closer to observe the beauty of this majestic bird and it's environment.

Message edited by author 2012-07-22 21:27:14.

Shot of Bourbon with Grilled Peach and Macerated Blueberries
by tvsometime

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

Making the food shot as a B&W makes it all so much harder for the photographer to make it visually appealing that one would want to reach in and take a bite. Without the color tones of blue/black of the blueberries and the white of the cream vibrantly contrasting off of the gold-orange of the grilled peach we can no longer 'taste' the image. We need those color cues to fully appreciate the dessert with our eyes and as the image is now we cannot do that at all. The other suggestion I have is that the dessert needs a better backdrop for it to shine as the star of the composition. The grain of the wood is far too distracting and calls attention away from your main subject.

Chocolate!
by PennyStreet

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

I am very curious to see how a black & white of a dessert will do. Making the food shot as a B&W makes it a harder challenge to the photographer to make it visually appealing that one would want to reach in and take a bite. Without the rich brown tones this black & white chocolate just doesn't make the mouth water with anticipation of taste. The overhead shot is an angle that doesn't do this dessert justice for it lacks a defining shape. Is it a cupcake or a muffin top or maybe a brownie baked in a muffin pan? The decoration (?) laying flat on the table hints that it might be a cupcake but if I look directly at the dessert I can't quite tell with a 100% accuracy - show it off at a different angle where the shape is more defined and I think it might be more visually appealing to a larger audience.

Well hello there rainbow sprinkles... have you met my tummy?
by O'Holleran

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

Great details on the sprinkles and it adds such color to this tasty cupcake treat. There is just a slight issue with blown highlights/exposure on the top of the cupcake(s). The vanilla icing swirl on the forefront cupcake is perfectly illuminated until it reaches the top. On my monitor some of the top looses the defining 'edge' and blends into the white icing of the cupcake in the backdrop. The lighting might be a little too strong on the cupcakes in the backdrop - I mention this because I see it is really bright white down the center right half and it tapers off on the harsh light when you venture out in either direction from that area. Is is me or are these cupcakes in different containers? The main focus cupcake has a brown chocolate wrapper while the trimmed one on the right looks like it is in a plastic cup. The impact is subtle but it does create an imbalance in symmetry. I think it would improve the visual appeal if they both had the same colored wrapping to keep a balanced symmetry.

Watermelon granita with chocolate-dipped strawberry
by snaffles

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

Ooooh, what a perfect summer dessert - cool, crisp watermellon in a cup:-) I like the angle you shot it at for it adds visual interest. However, the tradeoff is that it shows off the sparse dressing of the whipped cream that does not fully cover the top. Although if had you been generous with the whipped cream, it would cover up our peek into the glass to see the Watermelon Granita. So you have a composition that works on one hand but doesn't work on another. I think it would increase the visual impact if a better balance was achieved - whipped cream to cover the top and a different interesting angle. The composition has some blown highlights and challenges with handling reflections. I see some nice definition on the curl of the whipped cream mostly on the forefront right side but then the left back half totally loses definition and almost blends into the backdrop. There is a hard line strip effect reflection going down the side of the glass and two hot spots lights on the spoon that detracts from the visual treat. A light tent (and it is easy to make one - just look online) could help even out the lighting and exposure issues. You could also dial down the exposure stop by 1 or 2 to assist in making sure overexposure does not happen. A really good, quality polarizer can also help with minimalizing or even eliminating the reflections. Lastly the condensation on the chocolate strawberry calls attention away from the rich chocolate tones that lay underneath the sheen and gives it a texture when it should be nice and smooth. I know picky picky right:-) But the devil is in the details and if you do all you can to make it look stunning then it will. So how do you get rid of the condensatation without disturbing the dessert. Lightly brushing the areas with a Q-tip or tissue paper to absorb the moisture off of the chocolate is one thought.

minute on the lips... life time on the hips...
by Giles

Comment:
Voted earlier coming back to comment now.

Lighting and arrangement of the dessert of the plate is stunning - showcasing this dessert to the max. I love the details of the chocolate dusting on the top of the cheesecake. The whites look rich and creamy and the rasberries provide the burst of red to color the scene. You made the plate very inviting and tempting to your audience - one just wants to reach out, pick up that fork and start eating. Love the little detail of a slice cut out of the cake so we can see the inside. It also is a subtle way to project the audience into the scene - as it is like we cut the cake and are getting ready to sit down and eat. Stunning work - well done!