Need help critiquing my photo

[gossamer]

Hi all,

I'm a relative novice, and need help understanding why I can't get the exact shot I'm looking for here. I have a D300 with a 35mm prime lens, an SB700 with a Gary Fong collapsible diffuser, and the soft-white LCD kitchen lights, and trying to learn about food photography. This is a cinnamon-raisin bread I baked, and would like to present it in the best possible way. I have a very tough skin, so give it to me. As long as it's constructive, I'll take your advice seriously. I have a number of questions that I hoped you all could help me to answer.

First, what do you think of the composition? Is it attractive?

I'm trying to blur the background, yet get as much detail of the bread in focus as possible. Perhaps this isn't the right lens for this? I've tried every conceivable angle to get this right. Notice the bottom of the picture isn't fully in focus.

I've tried auto-area focus, as well as single-point, yet the area of focus only seems to be the portion of the picture that's inside of the oval in the viewfinder. Is that to be expected? Somehow I was thinking the full area that's viewable within the viewfinder can be the focus, but it's only those maximum 51 points, correct?

Does this mean I have to get my subject to fit within that oval in order for it to be in focus?

Or is this instead more of a depth-of-field issue? I've tried various apertures from f1.8 through f4, and haven't been able to get the foreground in focus while blurring the background, and also get enough detail in the bread without having to stand back too far. This is a new lens for me, and I'm not even sure if I understand how to use it fully.

 

[mmaria]

Other people will help you with technicalities, I'll comment on other things

That kitchen counter and pad is not the proper and appealing background for food photography. Think about "new" here. Do you usually serve that bread like that?

What is the relation between strawberries and that bread and butter?

#3 have the best composition but it's too tight and watch for the background

LIGHT! have to learn about it!

 

[Braineack]

I personally feel all the shots are too tightly cropped and too poorly lit.

In regards to the focus, DOF gets narrow reall fast the closer you focus on your subject. Take the last shot for exmaple, you have about 1" of actually in focus picture. Did you shoot it at 1.8? You probably needed about f/5.6-8.

for example, I shot this at f/10:

and the entire tart still isn't in focus.

 

[The_Traveler]

Use the online calculator at dofmaster.com and you can see exactly what the DOF is at various lens-subject distances and f stops.

for example.
see the image below.

 

[DSRay]

And if all that doesn't float your boat, get a focus stacking software package and dial your own custom DOF exactly as you want it at any f stop.

 

[gossamer]

Other people will help you with technicalities, I'll comment on other things

That kitchen counter and pad is not the proper and appealing background for food photography. Think about "new" here. Do you usually serve that bread like that?

What is the relation between strawberries and that bread and butter?

#3 have the best composition but it's too tight and watch for the background

LIGHT! have to learn about it!

Thanks so much. Do you have any suggestions for a better environment to display the bread? I was just working with what I had, so I thought the strawberries would also make a nice addition.

Lighting is definitely a topic I need to learn more about.

 

[gossamer]

I personally feel all the shots are too tightly cropped and too poorly lit.

In regards to the focus, DOF gets narrow reall fast the closer you focus on your subject. Take the last shot for exmaple, you have about 1" of actually in focus picture. Did you shoot it at 1.8? You probably needed about f/5.6-8.

for example, I shot this at f/10:

Yes, I believe it was a very low aperture. I'll try again using the DOF calculator.

I don't understand the part about them being too tightly cropped. Is it better to show more free space, in this case, my counter?

Do you have any suggestions for a better background, given that I'm just doing this at home and not in a studio? Should it be sitting on something white, such as what you've done?

 

[wh0c4rez]

I'm a fan of the xxxx-bread-1 photo, but I'd like to see more of the upfront slices in focus instead of just the crust. As for the background, the only thing in that photo that is slightly distracting is the "board" that it's sitting on. I'd try a large monochrome serving platter instead, but that's just my very humble opinion.

 

[JerryVenz]

This type of photography is EXTREMELY CHALLENGING both technically and artistically. When I get a job doing food, products, or three dimentional art it's a whole day sometimes a two day session.

And you are asking questions that are way down the line--f-stops and depth of field-- from where we usually start, which is: What is the best STYLE of lighting and ENVIRONMENT that will entice the viewer to WANT THIS PRODUCT!

Despite the fact that I really like and have used Gary Fong's Lightspheres for over 10-years it is exactly the WRONG piece of gear for this type of photography. It's producing just a flat, directionless, dull light.

May I suggest either real or created WINDOW LIGHT bathing the bread from one side...

Start with a LOAF of the bread with only one slice cut on a solid color table cloth..

Don't butter the bread but have an elegent butter knife in the scene--at some point maybe a melting pat of butter on one piece of bread.

A steaming cup of coffee or a fancy expresso in the scene as well...

Create a scene that invites the viewer into a fantasy--a sunny morning at little Italian bistro on the Isle of Capri...

And, have fun...Jerry V.