Critique Please?

[cupcake09]

I think I've finally perfected my studio set up. However, my photos never look "as good" as others that I see.

Any advice on improving these?
Used:
Sony A230 with 2.8 50 mm
2x flashpoint strobes both on the right to try to mimic the sun
Cropped, levels adjustment, and increased contrast in photoshop

Thanks in advance

 

[pgriz]

You're going to have to get some kind of softbox or diffuser, and the images will probably be a lot better if you can put some separation between the flashes and the camera. That will also help in reducing or eliminating the flash glare from the cookie rack. Photography aside, those are nice looking chocolate chip cookies!

 

[k4j98]

I agree with what pgriz already said about lighting. Also, unless the cookies are really green, your color is off. Lastly, try to avoid cropping--I usually only do when adjusting for a poor choice of framing. Way back when I was starting out, I cropped to get close to something, but that is counterproductive. Detail is lost during the cropping process.

 

[Heitz]

Yea, you've got several problems, actually
1) the lighting, as mentioned before, is weak
2) you need to put more thought into the composition. Your background includes a chair and other cookies in various stages of being cut off.
3) the texture on the table is a bit distracting

Hope that helps some!

 

[18.percent.gary]

100% of the flash is coming from the camera's perspective... as if you only used a pop-up flash. There's no evidence of a light source coming from the right side (check the shadows).

And yes, the white balance is WAY off unless the cookies were actually green.

 

[Derrel]

Your cookies would look better with a large, diffused source of light, such as a 48x48 inch, or bigger, diffusion screen placed between the cookies and one of the monolights. Even firing one of the monolights off of a white, kitchen or dining room wall, would help create a LARGE, diffused source of light. The shadows in between the stacked cookies appear very hard-edged, and that tells me that the light source is not large, and is not diffused.

In the cookie rack + stack of cookies shot: good concept, but needs refinement. The cookies on the rack are behind, and the light drops off in intensity, and the chair is ugly. Bouncing the second light off of the kitchen ceiling would have provided better "top fill" light, and would have made the shot look better.

Here's a link to soft-light chocolate chip cookie photos. chocolate chip cookie photos - Google Search

All you need are the cookies, soft lighting from a LARGE, diffused source, and a decent arrangement and a pretty simple close-in camera position aimed at a well-arranged selection of cookies.

 

[paigew]

yum cookies

I took this about 4-5 feet away from a huge window/sliding glass door.

day 103: Perfect day to bake chocolate chip cookies. Noah couldn't wait to grab one. by paige_w, on Flickr

 

[cupcake09]

Thanks all. I'll look into new ways to soften the lighting.

And just to clear this up the cookies are really green (Mint choc. chip).

 

[cupcake09]

Hey Derrell,
Would that be 48 inches or centimeters? I just did a search and it seems most are measured in centimeters on Amazon.

 

[Derrel]

Hey Derrell,
Would that be 48 inches or centimeters? I just did a search and it seems most are measured in centimeters on Amazon.

I was thinking of a USA-market, 48x48 inch square diffusion panel. A 48x48 centimeter source would be pretty small. See Paige W's cookie shot above? Keep in mind, she's used a low-contrast "soft processing" look, which is one of her trademarks, but look at the shadows of the cookie rack; see how soft the shadows are? And see how "open" the shadow is under Noah's arm? THAT is because the scene is small, but the sliding glass door is many,many times bigger than the subject. You can make a diffusion panel of this size by buying a window screen at Home Depot, and then covering it with very thin, sheer white fabric. Panels are often referred to as scrims.

I googled "inexpensive scrim lighting for food photography" for you. Some great results turned up! inexpensive scrim lighting for food photography - Google Search

If you lack a sliding glass door with daylight, the effect can be simulated by aiming one, or two monolights off of a wall, or a wall/ceiling juncture, and it does the same thing basically; it creates a BIG source of light, which will cast soft shadows.

 

[mmaria]

others critiqued photos and you have plenty to think about and go trough.

I would just say how I do food photography... natural light and some diffusers and reflectors

all you need is your camera, cookies and some time to think about what do you want to achieve and how to achieve that. Everything you need you have already inside your house. Not a penny to spend.

Sources of light, diffusers, reflectors, trust me, you have all that right now.


jmo

 

[TJNY]

Pictures of cookies, no matter how good or bad, always make me want to eat cookies!! The above posters know what they are talking about. I am gonna go eat some chocolate chip cookies!!!!