single photos Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil)

My first attempt at a still life - inspired by a bottle of wine, rainy weather

and the work of Mikel A. Comments and Criticism requested.

I could not make out the details of the decorative pitcher (?) on the right side until I lightened the image. Then, the entire image became more interesting and meaningful (per your title). Since the framing is designed with the pitcher in mind, the image should show its beauty a little more. If this is your first time at such a set up, I applaud your effort and success. You have enough trappings of "demon rum" to sell the concept. Nice work.

Many thanks for taking the time to critique - it is much appreciated.

My intention with the grotesque flagon was to aid the composition by creating a diagonal - it was not meant to be seen as the subject, but rather an accent piece for the background. In fact, the flagon doesn't bear close inspection since it is much corroded and rather shabby. Also, by fading the top of the picture into gloom I was hoping to give the impression of being in a cellar. Perhaps where I have gone wrong is to have the lower part too well illuminated, bringing too much attention to it.

Nefiz - half the battle with this type of picture is assembling the artifacts - fortunately I have been collecting interesting and slighlty odd-ball junk for years!

Oh, and the Chilean cabernet Sauvignon was rather good at only $10! Cheers, RickDB