Photo Friday - How to improve this cheesecake composition; and it isn't about baking

Play with your food to improve the overall effect

In a perfect world, I would have taken more time to set up this shot, removed the spoon, and whatever is in the upper right corner. However, when your dining partner is anxious to dig into the cheesecake, you do the job quickly and move on.

I knew I would be cropping this photo in post-production, so I gave the subject enough room for creativity later.

Composition Trick

Notice I did not place the cheesecake in the middle of the frame. I put it in the upper third, using the graphics to make this photo more impactful.

After cropping, fixing the white balance, and removing glare.

White Balance and Cropping

After adjusting the white balance so the meringue was truly white and removing the yellow color cast by the restaurant lights, I cropped the image to the edge of the top circle (a reflection of an overhead light fixture) on the left, and the point of the reflection on the lower right.

I didn’t see this reflection until I was cropping in post-production, so I used it to full advantage. It became a prominent feature in the overall composition. When we place an element (the subject or, in this case, a reflection) near or touching the edge of the frame, it causes tension in the viewer.

Our eyes unconsciously go to the lightest part of a picture first (it’s a human tendency). This reflection is the brightest part of this cheesecake photo. It’s also in a powerful corner based on the Rule of Thirds (more about this in another post).

Last, I removed the glare under the circle, because it distracted from the round reflection. Notice I cropped out the glare under the plate on the lower right rather than retouched it.

Note

If you can crop out an imperfection to enhance the overall story, do so. It will save you time spent on unnecessary retouching. Remember, however, that every time you crop an image, you reduce the file size and lose resolution.

Caution

A good photographer will get it correct in the camera first. While all photos benefit from enhancing in post-production, don’t depend on Photoshop (or other photo-manipulating tools) to fix what could have been avoided from the start.

Takeaways

1. Make a conscious decision about composition when capturing the shot.

2. Get it right in the camera first.

3. Use creative cropping to bring attention to key elements.

4. Adjust the white balance for photo realism.

5. Retouch when necessary.

Did this help you see the visual tricks I used? Let me know your thoughts.

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Photo Friday is a weekly critique of a photograph I captured. I discuss elements like composition, lighting, and color balance so you learn how I “see” and pick up tips to improve your images. If you'd like to participate, please send me one of your photos, and I'll review it in a post on Photo Friday.