Some food pictures

[snousle]

These photos were taken using the new lighting setup. This begins the "shortlist" of photos that will be used for the web page. This also represents the limits of my abilities so far, both in presentation and actual photography. Photographic suggestions would be welcome, since I have a sense that these could be further improved, but other than some focus issues I'm not sure exactly what's wrong. (I don't know about the wide-aperture approach, it's starting to annoy me more than please me, but I see it in magazines all the time.)



Uncooked squash agnolotti:



...with some beurre blanc, caramelized shallots, and parsley. This, or something like it, is going to be one of my standards, since it's popular, vegetarian, and not very difficult to make.



I'm unsure whether this faux-grungy-antique plate is going to work. It's from a set my mother gave me a few years back. Would you want to eat off of that?

Another presentation:



Some pork and zucchini with said agnolotti. This particular arrangement is not actually something I would serve, but it illustrates some difficulties I'm having with color. Things in the red range look indistinct and washed out, while the zucchini is so dark as to lose all detail.



A presentation I'm thinking of for a "tapas party" where many small plates are served and shared:

Comments

[sfbootdog.livejournal.com]

I am neither a photographer nor a foodsmith, but my initial impression is that your lighting is making the food look dry. You've got good coverage and the shadows are bringing out the dimensionality of the food, but you're getting a matte finish, particularly on the pork. Perhaps a very light mist of water and a very low-brightness key light could bring some gloss back to the meat without throwing the overall lighting levels off.

I think you're right about your color gamut, but I have no idea how to adjust it, other than Photoshop.

And the antique white plate does not appetize me, at all.