Inspiring Photo: Salad fixings #11637676

Salad fixings

Uploaded: April 14, 2011

Description

1/15sec; f8; ISO 400; 50mm fl
Built-in flash plus handheld 6v Dorcy spot lamp

Exif: F Number: 8, Exposure Bias Value: 0.33, ExposureTime: 1/15 seconds, Flash: fired, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 400, White balance: Manual white balance, FocalLength: 50.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 50D

Comments

Teresa H. Hunt April 25, 2011

That looks like it's going to be a good salad . . . aside from the mushrooms. :)

I like your lighting here. Is it just window light?

My only issue is the line where the table ends kind of interrupts the photo and the celery looks a bit washed out.

So was the salad yummy? :) #1372101

Teresa H. Hunt April 25, 2011

ok so I'm a dork . . . I didn't read your description and now I know what your light source is. :) #9368706

Peter W. Marks April 25, 2011

Hi Teresa. the celery was well past eating and was the center of the bunch that had never seen daylight I'm thinking so was white. I had already chopped all the good stuff and it was only then I decided to photograph this. The Romain was limp, the grapes well past their prime but the olives were tastier than they look and with plenty of Asiago peppercorn dressing the salad was palatable to a poor starving artist like myself!
It was really just an experiment with color, composition and light and I wanted criticism.
BTW I am not keen on raw mushrooms either so the way I prepare them is to slice them, saute them in a single layer in a little olive oil till brown on both sides then sprinkle lightly with Pimienta Roja Molida (OK that's crushed red pepper but it's a teaching moment) plus a splash of Louisiana pepper sauce; Stir until the mushroom are coated then dry on kitchen paper and serve while still hot. mm, mm. mmm!
So thanks Teresa and will accept a C- for this effort and perhaps a couple of bonus marks for the recipe? :0) #9368766

Susan M. Reynolds April 25, 2011

Glad to see we're not the only ones who like grapes in some of our salads!
I thought it looked colorful and a tasty combination (including the mushrooms for me both raw or sautéed!)
Didn't pay enough close attention I guess to see that some of the items were past their prime, until it was explained.
I think for the lighting used it turned out okay. Have you ever tried putting a small white piece of paper over your pop-up flash? That has worked for me to keep from having blown highlights when not using the SB800 with it's cover, but then I don't see a whole lot of blown highlights here anyway.
At least give yourself a C++ though!
#9369568

Stephen Shoff April 25, 2011

Looks like a nice, cohesive set of elements for a still life, Peter. Your arrangement has a diagonal going in the same direction as the light. That seems appropriate. Colors are fine with me.

The two items I'll bring up...1) the wall in the background needs to be changed out (and maybe the table edge levelled). 2) I think if you had placed the spotlight little further away so that it covered more area, you could have had a light showing on the table behind the two bowls on the left and the glass. I think that would have strengthened it some.

I wasn't noticing blown highlights as much as I was noticing the hard reflections. I often keep the polarizer on my lenses just to reduce these reflections. With a fixed light like the strobe, you could have checked that out. #9369587

Aimee C. Eisaman April 26, 2011

I'll take that glass of wine thank you! :~) I love a good salad too! I think the lighting is a bit harsh and agree that maybe it could have been held out further or diffused in some way. As for the wall in the background you could easily set up a blanket or something to fill in that area with something solid. I think the image could have used a bit more breathing room and not clipped off the handle of the knife.

Hope you give this another try with some fresher produce too! :~) #9370150

Dale Hardin April 26, 2011

Valiant effort Peter. I never try this because I just can't seem to get it right. I can't do it but I know when it is right.

The biggest issue for me was the composition. Very crowded, items clipped and no real defined form other than the slight diagonal that Stephen pointed out.

I made some changes on a screen shot and do not mean it to reflect a good comp or a corrected image because it is not. this was quick and dirty so try to ignore the obvious flaws.

I only did it to show that there are things that could be done to an image like this that may or may not help it. Such as moving the glass so that it was in the diagonal light, filling in the wall space to create a more interesting background, eliminating some elements to cut down on the clutter, cropping to compensate for clipped items etc., etc.

All of these are tools that can help enhance an image after the fact. In this case, however, a re-shoot would be the easiest. #9370413

Jeff E Jensen April 26, 2011

Hmm, I hope lunch is soon cause this is making me hungry.

Glad to see you branching out a bit Peter! You've received some good suggestions. So, get the dishes done, and get back at this. :o) #9370468

Rita K. Connell April 26, 2011

wow are you branching out Peter I like the everything placement except the wine glass is to close to the top of the picture needs some head room, but why did you have to go spoil this nice salad with how old everything was.

I with jeff you have recieved some good suggestions So, get the dishes done, and get back at this. #9370526

Peter W. Marks April 26, 2011

OK my friends, there have been some interesting responses and I do thank you. There is a consensus on the wall and I am happy with you nailing a few inches onto my 50 yr old pine kitchen table that I brought from England with me twenty years ago to cover that.
Thanks Susan, I could have used my 580EX 11 Speedlight that has a swivel and tilt head plus a shade but this was the usual Pete of the 'let's get on with it, the wifey will be home soon so I need to get the meal on the table!'
There is always a glass or two of cabernet-sauvignon here Aimee, just drop by. There is also some Stilton cheese; not only England's but the world's finest cheese bar none and I have some Jacobs water biscuits, also from the old country. Don't tell the others Aimee, the cheese is $21 a pound!!
Stephen, like you I do keep my circular polarizers on my lenses but no I didn't think to rotate it so that it was effective.
But now things get even more interesting. Aimee makes a valid point about the knife handle but I would contend that in this particular composition the knife only plays a minor part and shows sufficiently to indicate that this is a food preparation shot. But our friend, the old desert wanderer Dale; I have no idea where he's coming from. Having excused his down and dirty suggestions he comes up with an image that having told us his crop would eliminate my single, solitary, one inch of knife handle what does he do? He chops up my tomatoes,cuts my stainless steel bowl of mushrooms in half, cuts the red grapes and talks about 'clutter'. Usually I understand your great suggestions on folks' images but with this one you are so wide of the mark that I think you must have been looking at some other person's photo. But after my next trip to the market I might just try a reshoot.
Rita, I understand what you said about the headroom and agree, thanks. At this time of the year produce seems to only have a life of two or three days and I think this was day three but I did pitch the celery. #9370566

Dale Hardin April 26, 2011

LOL! You haven't changed Peter. My weird suggestions go in one ear and out the other. :o) But at least I got you to consider a re-shoot so chalk up one point for the old desert wanderer. Hoorah! #9370661

Debbie E. Payne April 26, 2011

Peter -- Still life is something that most of us don't do so thanks for putting yourself out on the limb. SL requires a lot of patience and placement, not to mention, in most instances, artificial light which turns me off almost immediately. Thanks for trying. Did your wife like your salad? If I were to say anything, it would be to clone out all the mushrooms because they aren't a favorite of mine. I'd definitely go for the wine, however! Maybe we all need to do a still life for May. #9370832

Peter W. Marks April 26, 2011

Anything to please you Dale. But I get the feeling that if I made a shot of a black labrador inside a windowless cellar with black walls and with no lights, you would suggest I face the dog the other way around.
And thank you Debbie. I have done all the food shopping, prepared all the dinners and the lunches that Elizabeth has had for the past four years at SIUE getting her two bachelors (Summa cum laude!! then her masters while teaching art at a middle school for the past three years so she likes everything I cook and prepare and wouldn't you if you were relieved of all that work!
Strange that you should suggest that perhaps we do a still-life as the May challenge as yesterday I wrote to Aimee and suggested just that. What I wrote was-
“I liked Dale's 'Strangers' challenge although I sensed that some of our friends were not quite so comfortable with that subject. So, how about this? We rarely see any Phellos images that haven't been fairly extensively altered in PS and indeed we encourage that by suggesting how the images might be manipulated. Nothing wrong with that but just as 'Strangers' extended our choice of subject matter and self-confidence how about the next challenge being 'Any still life subject in your kitchen, with natural light only and absolutely zero adjustments in PS or the like; not even cropping. This would encourage us to think creatively with our cameras not a computer program and I suspect we might all become better photographers. I would further stipulate that the images be shot only in JPEG not RAW, as the latter has dozens of built in adjustments such as contrast, color temperature adjustment, sharpening, etc etc. No plug-ins or commercial actions and maybe also limit it to using a 50mm lens or 50mm setting on a zoom. (The full-frame owners would use the equivalent which is about 80mm). In a nutshell, only use the dials and settings on the camera . I think it might be a fun challenge and a level playing field as everyone has a kitchen and it can be done 'in the privacy of your own home” :0)

Aimee didn’t think it would be fun at all, but she is a benevolent dictator so I think democracy would prevail, lol Wouldn’t it Aimee? :0)

#9370990

Teresa H. Hunt April 26, 2011

Peter, I think it would be an interesting challenge. Though I despise being in the kitchen, not even photography would make it interesting. Thought I'm not opposed to my dining room table . . . :) #9371597

Dale Hardin April 26, 2011

Peter there is no question that striving to be PS free would be a good exercise for a photographer. And I strive do to that when composing an image in the viewfinder and by setting the parameters on my camera.

But all artists are not photographers and all photographers are not artists. We all have a blending of each in our repertoire. This club uses the critique to help each balance the two skills so that each can be the best they can be.

There are clubs in PS that do just as you suggested, and even though this club was not created with that aim in mind, it would be an interesting exercise. But I would not limit it to a specific subject matter because we each have different preferences for imagery. #9371841

Carla Capra Anderson April 27, 2011

Hi Peter;
Well, it looks like I'm late to the salad bar and everyone has shared great thoughts and suggestions. I love the rich colors.
;) CC #9373145

Michael Kelly April 27, 2011

Me too - way late. I like the color and the clarity on this on Peter. All else has been said.

The only caveat on your suggestion is that when shooting raw you need some basic processing (which would happen in the camera when shooting jpeg). #9374669

Peter W. Marks April 27, 2011

Thanks friends. I think I might not have made myself clear about why I suggested a still life in a kitchen. It was because a kitchen is fairly neutral. Everyone has one, every kitchen has a coffee pot, a range, a microwave, pot and pans,cutlery, etc - but you get the idea! This would give us that level playing field I mentioned and we can concentrate on mastering our camera and the viewfinder. Our critiques could work in a similar way to our PS suggestions except that now we could discuss how a change of aperture, shutter speed, high viewpoint, low viewpoint, exposure etc could affect our images.
Mike, the reason I suggested using only JPEG was that one would have to decide on the camera settings BEFORE shooting, whereas if one uses RAW then one can put it on the monitor and try a dozen settings to get it right. I fully understand that with JPEG the in-camera processor can also do this but it will be because you have made the initial setting and there will be no further manipulations.
If folk aren't comfortable with putting themselves out there and trying what is after all the basis of photography then no sweat, let's not try it. By the way, I wasn't suggesting you have to enter them in a contest.
And Dale, what are you on about? I doubt if you could find any artist that doesn't have a camera, therefore is a photographer and equally there is unlikely to be any one on the whole of BP, let alone Phellos who isn't an artist by any definition. And so yes there is a blending of the two so who's arguing? #9375104

Dale Hardin April 27, 2011

:o) Peter, I only brought it up because you are always saying we are knit picking and that we should not clone things because "that is what was in the scene and is natural", so leave it alone.

I have a challenge for you. Your wife is a super talented artists and you admire her talent. Ask her if she includes "everything" she sees in a painting, or if she is selective in order to get the image she envisions.

If she says she includes everything then I'll shut up. :o) #9375491

Debbie E. Payne April 27, 2011

Amen. #9375496

Peter W. Marks April 28, 2011

OK Debbie, you can get up off your knees now. #9375958

Aimee C. Eisaman April 28, 2011

Peter...I'm not sure what to say...I'm a bit hurt that you consider me a dictator. My response to you was that I personally would not find much joy in working on a still life without being allowed to use my computer. My joy in photography comes from my being able to manipulate a photo and mold it into my own vision of reality. I did say that it would be a challenge and one that we have done as a group once before, a few years ago. I always listen to the suggestions of this group and in fact Dale is the one who is in charge of the monthly challenge not me.

Yes I must be strict at times to keep things running around here, but I like to think of myself as an active member of the club and not the Queen.

And I disagree with you 100% that the basis of photography is to create an image in camera and nothing more. If Ansel Adams did not have his darkroom, none of us would know who he is.

#9377375

Teresa H. Hunt April 28, 2011

I like Peter's suggestion because I think it would be an interesting exercise. Like Dale's Strangers challenge was to get us comfortable with talking to others . . . Peter's suggestion would get us to think about the inital photography process in a different way.

We all have different styles and different talents. But in the end we all take pictures. And I think Peter's suggestion would be helpful in making the picture taking process better.

I know I have a tendency to just start shooting. I'd like to slow down and really think about what I'm doing. I'd like to get my photo's right "in-camera", especially since I don't enjoy the editing process as much. And that's what I see that Peter was suggesting. A way for us to slow down and really think about what we're doing. Anyway . . .

Thats just my 2 cents worth. #9377413

Dale Hardin April 28, 2011

Whoa. :o) Aimee, I'm know that Peter said that tongue in cheek as evidenced by his smile and LOL and reference to your benevolence. Being the butt of his friendly jibes I can assure you that he had no intent of hurting you. #9377595

Michael Kelly April 28, 2011

Aimee I certainly agree that you are not a dictator and value the fact that you are willing to take on the tasks that keep this club running smoothly. Without someone in charge to set rules and boundaries things can become chaotic and that leads to people leaving. You do a great job!

As to the suggestion: Everyone should take the time to set up a shot and get it as good as possible in the camera. Shooting a jpeg image is not something I want to do as camera RAW is the only way I shoot and I don't know or care about the camera settings that will do the processing of the shot in the camera. I believe these settings and jpeg is for snapshot shooters not photographers. Having the camera do the processing rather than your editor where you control all aspects of your shot is not the way I have learned to shoot and is a step backward at least to me.

Now if the challenge was to use only a basic work flow (IE no cloning or area adjustments) and not crop I could go along with that. This would force the majority of the standard camera skills to be used. Comp, exposure, DOF, etc. Also remember that the challenge is not mandatory for club membership so it can be anything and if it is not your or my cup of tea we can choose not to participate. My camera time is pretty limited so I often do not get a chance to participate even when I want to. One of the reasons I like trips is that camera time on them is significantly more than I normally have. #9377659

Aimee C. Eisaman April 28, 2011

Sorry I've been known to take things way to personally! lol I don't mind having this as a club theme...maybe Dale could write the rules for it and leave room for those who shoot in RAW. :~) #9377807

Dale Hardin April 28, 2011

Since I will be gone next month, I've already submitted a challenge to Aimee for May. When I return, let's give it a try. Should be very challenging. Will include parameters that will include everyone. #9377818

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