Feedback request- Food photo

[CIC]

Hello everyone

The attached photo was shot using one Godox SK400 MKII strobe with a Godox 90cm softbox and a grid attached to the front. The light was placed left to the camera and reflectors were placed to the right.
I would love to hear your thoughts regarding the image. It was a freshly prepared traditional Bengali delicacy. The coriander lees were a bit of trouble as this is not the season for that.

I am enclosing two variants and the square crops for each (used on my Instagram account).

I am not sure to which section this should go as there is no dedicated section for food and/or product photography, hence I am posting it here. I hope that it is fine.

Thank you all.

[Manfred M]

This image should go in the Nature & Architecture section for comments. I have moved it there.

Overall a nicely arranged food setting; your set-creation skills are much improved. The lighting design works well and complements the subject. The warm tones are effective and inviting.

The square format images are not as effective as the rectangular ones as the the placement of the left-most wooden spoon, where it cuts across the edge of the frame is distracting. The rectangular framing works better in that regard.

The following comments might seem trivial, but for the type of work you are trying to do, they are worth thinking about.

There is a small leaf cutting across the top of the frame in the first two images as well and that should not be there. I don't love the heavy dark spot (shadow) in the top left corner of the first image.

The stain under the right wooden spoon should not be there; it looks like the contents spilled onto the set. It looks like an accident rather than something that was done with purpose.

I find that the chilies and the coriander leaves look over-saturated (too much yellow in those areas).

I hope that these comments make sense to you.

[CIC]

Thank you so much for your feedback. Whatever improvement I have done; a substantial credit goes to your guidance. So please accept my heartfelt gratitude.

I shall try to reedit the photo considering the points you raised and post that here for review.

Should the oil stain be more random or it should be omitted altogether?

I hope that I have nailed the exposure correctly.

Thanks again.

[Manfred M]

Thank you so much for your feedback. Whatever improvement I have done; a substantial credit goes to your guidance. So please accept my heartfelt gratitude.

I'm more than happy to make suggestions and comments.

Should the oil stain be more random or it should be omitted altogether?

The viewer should never have to determine whether it was an accident or done on purpose. That should be clear to them when they look at the image.

In my view, there should not be an oil stain as it distracts.

Look at how Irving Penn handled this in his 1948 masterpiece "Salad Ingredients". No stain, but the image does look gritty.