pasta with pesto of basil and chicken prepared at home

[Angela Lourenço]

 

[Didereaux]

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

 

[Didereaux]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

close you lens down to F13 or better still F16 to get a greater depth of field Don't worry about shutter speed (I take it you had this on a tri-pod) Food/product shots almost demand the use of a tripod because of the need for low ISO's and closed down apertures. I am assuming you are using the canon 'Nifty-Fifty' lens. If so then you are using one of the acknowledged best lens ever put out.

As for the white balance take one of your photos down to the local WalMart/Walgreen and have a small print made you will have a better idea of where you stand. Also look at your photos on someone elses monitor (preferably several) that is also a crude way to see your WB.

 

[Ysarex]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you, Joe!
It really bumped up! How did you do it? Sharpening on Photoshop?

 

[jaomul]

Mmmmmmmmmmm..........

 

[Ysarex]

Thank you, Joe!
It really bumped up! How did you do it? Sharpening on Photoshop?

Sharpening is a tricky business and there's all kinds of ways to do it. I used a little frequency separation sharpening which I like for screen images. There are lots of software options to do different things. What processing software do you have available?

Joe

 

[Didereaux]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you, Joe!
It really bumped up! How did you do it? Sharpening on Photoshop?

Sharpening is a tricky business and there's all kinds of ways to do it. I used a little frequency separation sharpening which I like for screen images. There are lots of software options to do different things. What processing software do you have available?

Joe

Photoshop, Lightroom and Camera Raw. I usually duplicate the layer, then I transform it with high pass, then I use sharpening filter, then I overlay it. But it often makes the photo noisy and harsh.

 

[Ysarex]

Thank you, Joe!
It really bumped up! How did you do it? Sharpening on Photoshop?

Sharpening is a tricky business and there's all kinds of ways to do it. I used a little frequency separation sharpening which I like for screen images. There are lots of software options to do different things. What processing software do you have available?

Joe

Photoshop, Lightroom and Camera Raw. I usually duplicate the layer, then I transform it with high pass, then I use sharpening filter, then I overlay it. But it often makes the photo noisy and harsh.

Got it, you're an Adobe person. Sharpening is always a double-edged sword. There is always harm done in the form of increased artifacts and noise so the game is to trade how much harm best balances with maximum benefit. The method you note above is common but has the disadvantage of raising contrast at the same time. Adobe's Smart Sharpen adjustment is pretty good if you take the time to go through the Advanced options.

What I did: In Photoshop try creating a couple actions based on this sequence:

Start with a flattened image.
In Layers make two duplicates of the image.
Select the first dupe (middle layer) and apply a Median filter [Filter->Noise->Median] which will blur that layer. Set a median radius value of 2. (Lower value less sharpening, higher value more sharpening). Consider three actions saved with Median radius values 1, 2, 3.
Select the top layer (second dupe) and go to Apply Image [Image->Apply Image] -- see dialog values in illustration below.
Delete the middle dupe layer (Median).
Set the blend mode for the remaining dupe to Linear light and use the opacity slider to adjust the sharpening amount.

Joe

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

close you lens down to F13 or better still F16 to get a greater depth of field Don't worry about shutter speed (I take it you had this on a tri-pod) Food/product shots almost demand the use of a tripod because of the need for low ISO's and closed down apertures. I am assuming you are using the canon 'Nifty-Fifty' lens. If so then you are using one of the acknowledged best lens ever put out.

As for the white balance take one of your photos down to the local WalMart/Walgreen and have a small print made you will have a better idea of where you stand. Also look at your photos on someone elses monitor (preferably several) that is also a crude way to see your WB.

Is it bad to have a warmer WB? What about the blurry DOF on the background? I thought It would be nice to suggest the ingredients (since I want to "talk" about the cooking process), but not stealing the attention from the main subject. And yes, I was using the Nifty-Fifty lens.
Good to know that I've chosen well

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you, Joe!
It really bumped up! How did you do it? Sharpening on Photoshop?

Sharpening is a tricky business and there's all kinds of ways to do it. I used a little frequency separation sharpening which I like for screen images. There are lots of software options to do different things. What processing software do you have available?

Joe

Photoshop, Lightroom and Camera Raw. I usually duplicate the layer, then I transform it with high pass, then I use sharpening filter, then I overlay it. But it often makes the photo noisy and harsh.

Got it, you're an Adobe person. Sharpening is always a double-edged sword. There is always harm done in the form of increased artifacts and noise so the game is to trade how much harm best balances with maximum benefit. The method you note above is common but has the disadvantage of raising contrast at the same time. Adobe's Smart Sharpen adjustment is pretty good if you take the time to go through the Advanced options.

What I did: In Photoshop try creating a couple actions based on this sequence:

Start with a flattened image.
In Layers make two duplicates of the image.
Select the first dupe (middle layer) and apply a Median filter [Filter->Noise->Median] which will blur that layer. Set a median radius value of 2. (Lower value less sharpening, higher value more sharpening). Consider three actions saved with Median radius values 1, 2, 3.
Select the top layer (second dupe) and go to Apply Image [Image->Apply Image] -- see dialog values in illustration below.
Delete the middle dupe layer (Median).
Set the blend mode for the remaining dupe to Linear light and use the opacity slider to adjust the sharpening amount.

Joe

View attachment 114347 View attachment 114348

I'll try it!
Thank you! =)

 

[Didereaux]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

close you lens down to F13 or better still F16 to get a greater depth of field Don't worry about shutter speed (I take it you had this on a tri-pod) Food/product shots almost demand the use of a tripod because of the need for low ISO's and closed down apertures. I am assuming you are using the canon 'Nifty-Fifty' lens. If so then you are using one of the acknowledged best lens ever put out.

As for the white balance take one of your photos down to the local WalMart/Walgreen and have a small print made you will have a better idea of where you stand. Also look at your photos on someone elses monitor (preferably several) that is also a crude way to see your WB.

Is it bad to have a warmer WB? What about the blurry DOF on the background? I thought It would be nice to suggest the ingredients (since I want to "talk" about the cooking process), but not stealing the attention from the main subject. And yes, I was using the Nifty-Fifty lens.
Good to know that I've chosen well

WB should compliment the subject generally. So exactly how much if any it deviates from the actual lighting depends entirely upon the subject, and what the photographer is trying to convey....again like all things in photography there are no set rules. In this instance I think it detracts from the basil, which is normally a deep green, and the pasta a very, very pale yellow. With food it is critical, peoples eye judge the picture by what they like a food to look like...anything else is unappetizing.

 

[Angela Lourenço]

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

Nice photo -- the WB is good. The exposure is spot on and contrast in the photo is just right -- all very good. The slight DOF fall off in the foreground doesn't bother me but that's personal preference. There's no focus failure and you don't have a sensor sharpness problem. Sharpening is an integral part of digital image processing and when a photo is down-sampled for screen display, as is the case here, some output sharpening is appropriate.

Welcome to TPF -- if you're going to stick around change your edit flag to OK. I'm going to presume here that's it's OK and here's your photo with a little output sharpening appropriate for display on an LCD monitor post down-sampling:

Joe

P.S. When I downloaded your photo I noticed it was missing an ICC profile -- that happened in post when you processed or sized the photo or uploaded the photo -- the ICC profile was attached to the photo initially. You want to find out where it got removed and prevent that in the future.

The WB is NOT good it is off to the warm side, aided I suspect by a slight under exposure. Look at the pasta, look at the basil. I take it you are not a cook? I am assuming the dish is porcelain white or at least bone china. More indication that the WB is on the warm side. It doesn't matter what your tastes are concerning photos, if this is meant to be a food/product photo then DoF is of the prime importance. The OP has done a good job on composition and the lighting is satisfactory, she is well on her way to making a very good photo, but it needs the tweaks. She ask for comment and critique which indicates she wants to improve. Mindless back patting can be had from friends and relatives, but it doesn't further skill or knowledge.

Thank you for your comment! About the WB, I'm having some issues with my notebook monitor and I'm looking for a way to make it closer to the average contrast.
The EXIF: ƒ/8.0 50.0 mm 1/100 ISO 200 with flash. I think my Canon T4i doesn't have a very sharp sensor, but at least the focus is right at the leaf.
I'm glad it looked tasty to you, that's the point of food photography! =)

One of our very favorite meals that we make at home. Your WB is a bit off, and the focus a bit soft...but my mouth is watering nonetheless!

close you lens down to F13 or better still F16 to get a greater depth of field Don't worry about shutter speed (I take it you had this on a tri-pod) Food/product shots almost demand the use of a tripod because of the need for low ISO's and closed down apertures. I am assuming you are using the canon 'Nifty-Fifty' lens. If so then you are using one of the acknowledged best lens ever put out.

As for the white balance take one of your photos down to the local WalMart/Walgreen and have a small print made you will have a better idea of where you stand. Also look at your photos on someone elses monitor (preferably several) that is also a crude way to see your WB.

Is it bad to have a warmer WB? What about the blurry DOF on the background? I thought It would be nice to suggest the ingredients (since I want to "talk" about the cooking process), but not stealing the attention from the main subject. And yes, I was using the Nifty-Fifty lens.
Good to know that I've chosen well

WB should compliment the subject generally. So exactly how much if any it deviates from the actual lighting depends entirely upon the subject, and what the photographer is trying to convey....again like all things in photography there are no set rules. In this instance I think it detracts from the basil, which is normally a deep green, and the pasta a very, very pale yellow. With food it is critical, peoples eye judge the picture by what they like a food to look like...anything else is unappetizing.

I see. I also forgot to mention that the pasta is whole-wheat.