Hi Alane: The common denominator here is that the subjects are all vegetables of various colors which blend together well. The subjects seem just borderline sharp, shooting handheld at 1/40 second is pushing it as far as tack sharp images. Did you have your vibration reduction turned on ??

The shadows give some perspective to the picture.   Posted: 12/12/2024 05:00:54

This is a wonderfully simple yet effective still life image. The subjects, composition and arrangement are great. I like how the shapes and colors of the subject contrast yet support each other, I also like how you resisted the temptation of adding more subjects. In this case your choice of "less is more' works well. One suggestion I might make is to take this shot as more of an angle and less from the overhead (top down). This might require more shots to get an appropriate depth of field, but these types of images tend to be a bit more compelling. I believe that the exposure here was a bit hot, and some of the native detail and color of the subjects has been lost due to the slight over exposure. Luckily, this can be addressed in post processing. One might also consider adding a bit more fall-off of light across the subjects, by deepening the shadows more (in lighting the scene and/or in post processing). To me it looks as though the image is cropped too severely. Adding more space on all sides would allow the subjects to sit in this space with less tension. Finally, you might also consider adding a hit of texture to the background. There is considerable contrast between the smooth background and the textured subjects. Adding a hint of texture (such as a layer image of concrete in the overlay mode at 30 %) might blend the subjects with the background a bit more effectively I have stated to add this type of texture to my images which have smooth backgrounds. I have included a version of this image to illustrate my thoughts. Wonderful image though. You have all of the essential elements, and now we are only discussing fine-tunning steps,   Posted: 12/12/2024 17:52:05

Alane...this photo is a great reminder to be thankful for what we have as many people in this world don't have this much to eat. You have made a nice selection of veggies and placed them accordingly. The potato appears to have one eye that looks at you too! The only suggestion I have is perhaps burning the left side of the potato in Photoshop that has a slight glare to it to blend it in with the rest of the potato. Great still life selection!   Posted: 12/14/2024 00:35:40

Where is the rest of the stew? Nice colors and shapes. It is difficult to add further comments in addition to Charles'.   Posted: 12/15/2024 19:26:44

Hi Alane,
Very nice still life image. I agree with all the comments above. No additional suggestion.
Keep on the good work.   Posted: 12/16/2024 22:56:55