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DPChallenge Forums >> The Critique Club >> Critique requested by a beginner
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 07/04/2005 01:39:56 PM · #1
Hi guys, I'm relatively new to photography and know very little about even the most basic of concepts. I recently went canvasing what would be a good beginner cam and ended up buying the Canon Powershot A85.

I just got my Canon Powershot A85 a few hours ago and was tinkering with it and its settings. Here's my fave so far. How do you guys think it is?

Thanks!

07/04/2005 01:42:39 PM · #2
It's a great start.

Here are the things that shout out at me straight away.

Your white balance is not set correctly... whilst it can be nice to have a touch of yellow colour cast to suggest warmth - here it's too strong.

The background doesn't complement the main subject particularly (in my opinion) and I think I'd rather see the object with a completely white backdrop or a much plainer background.

I'd also experiment with different angles and compositions too.

What you do have is an image that shows the food item off well and makes it look appealing too and that's no mean feat!
 07/04/2005 01:43:02 PM · #3
The white stuff the cake is sitting on is blown out (meaning it's over-exposed). That's probably a tough shot to take because of the contrast difference (the cake is dark and what it's sitting on is white).

Maybe your camera is set on spot-metering (where it meters the light directly from the center of the image) instead of some sort of evaluative metering (where it takes a reading of all the light in the scene and tries to expose the whole scene properly).
 07/04/2005 01:48:24 PM · #4
Welcome! Congrats on the new camera, hope you will get a lot of enjoyment from using it.

As for your shot, I'll say one thing, it's quite a bright, sharp shot of a brownie with a bite out of it! There are many with more expertise than I have who will be able to give you more helpful advice. Generally, though, are you looking for input on the technical aspects of the photo (focus, exposure, etc) or the artistic aspect (the subject and context of the picture itself)?

Lastly, as you browse through the threads you'll see photo thumbnails that open into larger photos such as yours when clicked. I'll send you a PM (Private Message, ie DPC site email) showing you how to do that with your thread entries, too.

Again, welcome to the asylum!
 07/04/2005 01:51:24 PM · #5
Yeah, I was trying to do a self-critique and I agree that the white is a little too loud :) I guess I have to try and balance the settings a bit more with regards to the lighting... of course it did help that the brownie was on a white platter, and the platter was on white tissue. Hehehe.

Regarding the background not being complementary, I'll try to play around with the concepts a bit more. It was something my friend was eating and then it hit me "Oh cool, this looks promising." ...then I shot it. :p

I think I should also post the settings at which I shot the next time I post a pic... more help for the critics imho :)

deapee, I believe my cam was set on evaluative (by default) when I shot that :)

thanks! thanks!
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