LaraF

Michael, Yes! Very helpful. Thank you so much! As for the cropped out composition thing... it is mostly intentional, but as to the theory behind it, um, I really don't have one. It's something I've seen in other photographers photos that I like, so I've given it a try to see how it goes (ie, that's my very typical way of learning). Most of the time, though, I kind of like the tension from only telling part of the story. To me, it often adds energy... and helps the viewer to see the food differently. That said, the fact that not all the hands were in the photo? That was a mistake... I hadn't noticed the problem until working the photos later. I definitely agree that the full hands (but not necessarily the face) should be in the shot. Thanks again for the detailed feedback! It's great and definitely gives me something more to consider as I shoot! -L

Hi All, I'm fairly new to eGullet, so I'm hoping that adding this reply to the original message was the right thing to do... also, I'm hoping folks don't mind me linking off to another site for the photos. Feel free to guide me if I'm doing this all wrong! Anyway... I'm hoping to get some good, constructive critical feedback on my food photography work. Feel free to tell it like it is. For some context, I'm completely amatuer at this point, although I do have hopes that I might do more than that someday. But, I realize that I have lots of work to do before I get there. I'm shooting with a Canon20D, and tend to gravitate towards my 100mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.4, always on a tripod. My shooting location is a nook off of my kitchen, so I use natural light when I can... but on most of these I am using a couple of Tota halogens (generally there is natural light leaking in as well)... and I'm using a Mole Richardson mini-mole spot in a couple. I haven't moved to strobes yet. For most of these photos, I did everything soup to nuts... recipes, cooking, stying, shooting, etc. I'm really looking for more tips on the photography itself, but if you have styling feedback, that's ok too. A small sampling of my photos are here: http://flickr.com/photos/laraferroni/sets/72157594181896104/ Feel free to leave feedback here, or on the individual photos on Flickr. Thanks! -L http://www.laraferrroni.com/

I know your list is full, but there are a few more you really should check out: Matt Bites Tea & Cookies Cupcake Bakeshop Simply Recipes The WellFed Network Plus, I'll add a little self-promo plug: Cookbook411 -L