food photography attempt.
Discussion
was nice food. ate all of it after i'd finished. mmm.
thanks for your input, a few people have been saying the same thing, they want to see the whole dish in focus.
whilst i agree there is a lot of interesting detail lost through the use of shallow DOF i kind of think its worth it for what you gain in atmosphere. less DOF more seduction (for want of a better word)
I like the phrase "you're selling the sizzle, not the sausages"
i may be the only one
thanks for your input, a few people have been saying the same thing, they want to see the whole dish in focus.
whilst i agree there is a lot of interesting detail lost through the use of shallow DOF i kind of think its worth it for what you gain in atmosphere. less DOF more seduction (for want of a better word)
I like the phrase "you're selling the sizzle, not the sausages"
i may be the only one
My 2p: Shallow depth of field does change the atmosphere and feel of a shot. However, too large an out of focus area looks confusing and works against you, particularly in number 7. I don't think people actually want to see all the plate in focus, just enough to see what's going on.
The other thing is that shallow DOF doesn't necessarily mean the least you can achieve. In number 1 it would have been nice for more of the tart to be in focus, so you could have stopped down one more and pulled the focus closer. The clearest example is number 2 where the out of focus bits are so soft I find them distracting.
I don't know if you were adding or modifying the light, but I would have used a mirror to fill in the dark area at the centre of number 5.
Number 3 I like a lot - not too soft, not too much background - 4 has a really nice feeling to it too.
I'm not a food specialist, but I've had to do a few - here's one with a fairly shallow DOF, but it's focussed on the most detailled part. As the out of focus bits didn't have much detail antway, they don't distract from the overall impression. I'll accept though that there is a world of difference between a studio set-up and doing a lot on location in a limited time.
The other thing is that shallow DOF doesn't necessarily mean the least you can achieve. In number 1 it would have been nice for more of the tart to be in focus, so you could have stopped down one more and pulled the focus closer. The clearest example is number 2 where the out of focus bits are so soft I find them distracting.
I don't know if you were adding or modifying the light, but I would have used a mirror to fill in the dark area at the centre of number 5.
Number 3 I like a lot - not too soft, not too much background - 4 has a really nice feeling to it too.
I'm not a food specialist, but I've had to do a few - here's one with a fairly shallow DOF, but it's focussed on the most detailled part. As the out of focus bits didn't have much detail antway, they don't distract from the overall impression. I'll accept though that there is a world of difference between a studio set-up and doing a lot on location in a limited time.
S. Gonzales Esq. said:
My 2p
thanks tony, i know what you mean about the lack of light in the centre of 5, was the last one i shot and i was HUNGRY! I shot it all in the shade at around lunch time. lit the whole lot using a mirror to throw some light at the tight angle. i really must get a laptop as it always looks like there's plenty of detail on the preview screen in the dark areas which vanishes when you get it on a monitor.
i'd agree with carter and yourself now that the backgrounds might have a bit much going on thats not doing anything for the pic. basically...too much stuff in the pic thats not telling us anything.
ps. that shot of yours looks great, nice and simple.
if you don't mind me asking, how much time would you be looking to turn a shot like that around in?
Edited by Scho on Tuesday 7th October 14:27
pauljc said:
Photography aside, you had some great looking food on holiday. 
GF's mum and dad run a B&B in portugal. cook this stuff for thier guests 
all the stuff in photos was on last weekends menu.
guess how much for three courses? BYOB
If you guess right, i'll pay for your meal
Edited by Scho on Tuesday 7th October 15:03
Scho said:
pauljc said:
Photography aside, you had some great looking food on holiday.
GF's mum and dad run a B&B in portugal. cook this stuff for thier guests all the stuff in photos was on last weekends menu.
guess how much for three courses? BYOB
If you guess right, i'll pay for your meal
Edited by Scho on Tuesday 7th October 15:03
Ok, I'll go for the it's cheaper than it looks option and say 15 euros. If I am right, will they deliver?
pauljc said:
Scho said:
pauljc said:
Photography aside, you had some great looking food on holiday.
GF's mum and dad run a B&B in portugal. cook this stuff for thier guests all the stuff in photos was on last weekends menu.
guess how much for three courses? BYOB
If you guess right, i'll pay for your meal
Edited by Scho on Tuesday 7th October 15:03
Ok, I'll go for the it's cheaper than it looks option and say 15 euros. If I am right, will they deliver?
you'll have to stop by and pick it up tho matey, great driving roads round there.
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