Apple Streusel Cake

Jestertheclown (e2 Member)

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30 Aug 2011 - 10:16 PM

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It has to be V1 for me too, so that's the one on which I'll concentrate.
I think that the fork, or something in its place, is necessary but what you need is a proper cake fork. One of those delicate little things with a "blade" along one edge for hacking up the cake.
The background needs to be all gingham, or none at all. A plain background in a neutral colour perhaps. And lose that seam (?) running diagonaly upwards.
The black part of the pattern in the bottom right is a bit overpowering but I think you could lose that simply by cropping some from the bottom. That might help the comopsition too. I don't think that the remaining red bit is too much.
You could remove a little from the top too, leaving you with a square crop. That will place the cake in the centre and although someone will be along in a minute to tell you that you should apply the RoT, it's not really essential.
The edge of the cake where you made your selection isn't quite sharp but you could rectify that easily enough next time.
The noise you mention is still there and as you haven't given us any EXIF or details, I can only assume that it's caused by whatever camera setting you were using.
I've got a Fuji S5700 which is older but similar to yours and that can produce shots like this without noise but I do have to set it up accordingly. Were you using "Auto" perhaps?
I hope that this isn't too critical or off putting. It's certainly not intended to be.
Rather, I hope it helps.

Bren.

Constructive Critique!

Jestertheclown (e2 Member)

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31 Aug 2011 - 6:26 PM

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Hi Rachel,
ISO 400 doesn't seem particularly high with regard to producing noise although it does seem a bit high for the taking of this shot.
It depends of course on the aperture and shutter speed you find that you can get way with at lower ISOs.
I sometimes set the ISO on my Fuji to "Auto 400" which allows the camera to select the ISO up to a maximum of 400, above which, some noise becomes apparent and at 800 it's pretty grim.
So, that setting wouldn't cause noise on my camera but if, as you say, noise is a problem for you, then my comparison is probably unjust anyway.
If you're going to try a shot with a much plainer background, I'd suggest lowering the ISO to 200 (100 if you can get away with it) and trying "Programme" mode. That way the ISO will remain constant and the camera will decide upon the shutter speed and aperture. They'll change together, in conjunction with each other as you make your adjustments so it will be up to you to decide where to stop!
There's a little histogram displayed in the viewfinder on mine. In "P" I can use it constantly to adjust the exposure from shot to shot as I take them. I know that going to "P" seems perhaps a retrograde step but it might just help in this case.
Try taking lots of the same shot at different settings and discard the really naff ones later, rather than going for one or two good ones in the first place. Sometimes, the scattergun approach can be the best!
And please kep posting your results here. I'm watching out for you now!
Good luck,

Bren.

Oh, and use a tripod.

Constructive Critique!