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I took this photo last February. I was invited to lunch by my brother and
his wife, Carmina. She prepared this typical Spanish dish. What appeals to
me are the clasing elements red wine with a fish dish, the lack of alignment
and also the the distorting effect of the lens I used 17 - 55 at 20mm and yet
somehow I like it. Does it work for you?

I'm afraid it doesn't work for me.
I am happy enough with the elements you mention, but the lack of clarity in the dish itself, and the clash between the intense colour of the paella & the washed out tablecloth ruin it for me. Also the formalism of the tablecloth against the chaos in the pan is a negative. Mind you, tomorrow I might think differently.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is that it works for you.

The Paella looks very tasty, bur unfortunately the image is not doing it for me either.

Thank you for the comments.

Zafra, get rid of the vignette and brighten the corners to balance the intense yellows from the dish vs the background.

There are too many elements in this image. I think you need to figure out what the subject is. Then remove all distractions etc...

Carmina makes a damn fine looking paella.

By popular request...



Difficult to keep the details of the image and the file small, also the yellow looks like an overcast.

Yes, Greg, Carmina cooked a finger-licker paella.

No, definitely the original for me! I didn't find that it left any doubt about what the main subject is, mostly because of the vignette which made the paella shine like the sun. The surrounding props make this a very inviting image for me.

The only small niggle I have about the original is the appearance of the paella itself, I would have preferred if the ingredients had been distributed a bit more interestingly.

Cheers
Steffen.

I definitely think this needs a reshoot. Preferably in Wentworth Falls. I may not be much help with the shoot, but I will definitely help with cleaning up the mess afterwards

Indeed. A half (or mostly) eaten paella might make for a much better subject anyway - who knows?

Cheers
Steffen.

Well, I am afraid I will have to bring my sister
in-law, Carmina, from Spain to prepare the
subject and as you suggest we will have to decide
a suitable background.
But in the meantime, may 2010 see you enjoying
lots of parties with good food and drinks in the
company of your family and good friends.