Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Everything that needs to be said has been said!!!!
Suggestions: Take many shot at different settings, And changes in the comp and the props.
Now I have a question:Do you have the stopper for the ice chamber in your bottle?
Frank

riffmax

I really appreciate all the specific points and suggestions - all of which are good.

Incidentally, I did try it with a glass, but wasn't happy with what I got. But now, with all the input I've gotten, I will try this again and come back with the results. I only get to shoot on weekends, so I'll update this thread then.

Yes, I have the stopper - you can't really see it, but it's there.

Annie-Get-Your-Gun Loc: Byron Center, Mi

[quote=riffmax]I tried this classic still life but didn't see how shallow the depth of field was in the viewfinder. Should have, but didn't. Yes, I knew I was going for shallow dof because I wanted the background to be blurred, so it's not like I'm surprised. So, my question is if the blur on the decanter is ok because of the style of the scene? My gut tells me no, but I'm not sure.

If I do need the decanter to be sharp, is the scene otherwise worth a reshoot? I know that may not be the only issue - the mixed light temperatures, the close crop on top. I feel like I'm talking myself into liking anything about it, but I also feel like it's close.[/quote


A picture doesn't necessarily have to be tack sharp to be a good image. I think this still-life looks like an oil painting. I have no idea what the black object is in the foreground. May I suggest you get rid of it.

riffmax

That is the bottle top - a glass stopper. It's also amethyst colored - when I light the front better, that will be more obvious. But perhaps not obvious enough. I took it off the bottle because it adds quite a bit of height to the bottle and that would really change the general composition, creating what would be (to me) too much negative space in this image.

I could be wrong.

And thank you -- I've actually done a couple different paint filters on it that look kind of nice.

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee

I really like the layout. Great work on that. In my opinion, all the subjects except the background should be in reasonably sharp focus. If it were mine, I would leave more room at the top and capture more of the basket and fruit on the right side. This is a great start and a really fine picture will result with a little more work.

riffmax

Here is the reshoot.

Annie-Get-Your-Gun Loc: Byron Center, Mi

I like it, 'tho I saw nothing wrong with the first one except I thought the bottle stopper needed to be removed. It also looked like an oil painting whereas this one just looks like a typical still life image.
What's sticking out of or into the apple?

riffmax

It's a pomegranate.

Thanks for coming back with new feedback!

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Looks very nice!!!!
Now see how many different images you can make using some of the Items ( for instance just three) different arrangements ect. you can have all kinds of fun.