Gifts that keep on giving -- Take 2

[Mike Buckley]

You might have seen my first version of the same subjects though without the spatula. Some people felt the wok wasn't recognized as a wok in the first version and Dan suggested that displaying it from above might help solve that issue. I also included a larger portion of the wok, which then required adding the spatula, which is shaped for use with a wok. (A regular rectangular spatula does not conform well to a wok's curved shape.)

The spatula is about the same age as the wok and book (33 years old). When I examined it closely for use in the photograph, I noticed for the first time that the handle has a crack, which is displayed in the photo. I will probably never be able to cook with this spatula again.

Please click to display the photo larger to appreciate the detail.

Setup
The tabletop is a piece of granite countertop and the background is textured art paper, both the same as in the first version. A medium continuous-light lamp on the front right side lights the scene in general. A small continuous-light lamp on the left side and high above brightens the book's spine and parts of the wok to help define its shape. A reflector on the left side strategically brightens parts of the spatula to define its shape. An overhead reflector brightens the book's gold letters, adds a reflection that helps define the foreground and middle ground area of the wok's rim, and makes some bright areas of the spatula brighter.

[Shadowman]

Not as dynamic as the first take, I think this one would work better as B & W as the relationship with the items is less evident and the composition is all about the shapes.

[Sergio M.]

Mike,

I like what you have done here with the lighting and making the wok more identifiable, but my preference is for your original composition.

Sergio

[Manfred M]

I think I see the crack in the spatula! It looks to be on the verge of the blade and handle ending up as two separate pieces.

While this is a nice image, I will join with John and Sergio in suggesting I liked the first image better. I wonder if the dark granite might be the issue, as the dark wok and dark granite overwhelm the bottom part of the image, in spite of the shiny spatula doing its best to break things up a bit.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, all!

I'm confident, Manfred, that you did indeed identify the crack.

I agree with everyone that the composition is not as strong as the first one. My thinking about that comes as no surprise to me, as I gave the composition considerable thought before making both photos. The only reason I made this second image is because so many people felt the wok was not immediately recognizable on its own as a wok. That fact is interesting to me but not important; even if everyone needed to be told it's a wok (some people don't need to be told that), that fact wouldn't be indicative of a weakness of the image for me.