A nice setup, but it's underexposed, and the composition favors the right side of the frame. A little pop, and proper framing, would've made this much better.
The eye-level viewing angle and conservative cropping make the presentation very plain. It also feels like too much of it is in shadow and could do with more even lighting.
Love the rich reds of the strawberries - they really pop visually of the black backdrop. I do like that you zoomed/cropped the focus to be fully on the dessert - getting us up nice and close. The drawback is that the choice of dish to serve it to the public looks chopped and as such that stem draws a little focus away for in a subtle way it makes it feel 'unfinished'. Maybe a bowl would have better presented this treat. I was going to say the the cherry was an odd choice to place on the top when the dessert mostly is of strawberries and cream when I saw the title. I do get what you want to present but a part of me still thinks it is an odd mix. Perhaps because a cherry on top is *usually* topping a dessert that is ice cream or cake. Or perhaps it is that there is two very different fruits that different shades of red that draw my eye back and forth creating a competition for attention. The whipped cream is nice and creamy white but there is a bit of loss of detail on definition of the curves/swirl of the cream. I found from a past photoshoot I did of a Banana Split that the whipped cream from the store just doesn't hold it's shape/definition long. I read that somewhere that food photographers use cake icing to get that nice swirl pattern that hold it's shape when photographing a dessert topped with whipped cream. I know that it is not what the dessert to eat calls for but when photographing a dessert it does increase the visual appeal because it looks like the real thing while holding that pleasing curled on top shape:-) Hope this critique helps.
This is a tough challenge to vote. I'm torn between "what are you trying to do here" and "what do I expect here". Further complicating matters is the question "what would I do here".
What I would expect would be a technically strong piece of eye-candy that would present the dessert in a way that I would want to at least sample it, if not order it. Along these lines I'm looking at technicals: backgrounds, distracting elements, exposure, sharpness. I'm also looking for creativity, imagination, and originality, which can make up for less than perfect technicals.
So, where does this leave me with your image?
Nice idea, but needs some work on the technical side. When using a flat background, I recommend as much depth of field as possible. Here, the front edge is sharp, but the cherry on top is soft. Also, the lighting needs a little attention. While the highlights are blowing out your detail on the left, the reflections are distracting on the right. This is not easy, is it? However, you are close enough that it shouldn't take a lot more practice to be able to nail this type of shot on demand.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
