Donna-P4

Photo Assignment Name: Portrait

Student Name:Donna Owen

Group Name:The Snapshots



Title:James Owen

Tags: portrait, man, black and white, shadow, eyes

Self Evaluation

This is a photograph of Jim, my husband. I wanted a serious expression so that the viewer would focus on his eyes, his best facial feature.I converted the photo to watercolor art in Photoshop; then, I changed it to black and white. Doing this made the eyes more vibrant. Jim is a huge guy, 6'5" and 250 lbs. His physical presence is intimidating, but he has the kindest eyes, which reflect his inner personality. He's very generous and patient. His face is interesting because it has strong features (jawline, forehead, nose), yet his eyes are gentle.

I spent a lot of time practicing with Photoshop to get the image that I wanted. I like the way light plays on his face, and I like the shadows. There was a shadow on the wall that I didn't like, so I Photoshopped it away.This assignment helped me understand the importance of lighting, especially when the photograph needs to portray a specific concept, such as a person's personality.

(45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Critique Comments:
 * Category || Strong || Adequate || Weak ||
 * Concept || Does an outstanding job of communicating the concept. || Does an adequate job communicating the concept. || Does a poor job communicating the concept. ||
 * Composition || Photograph uses composition principles very effectively. || Photograph does a good job using composition principles. || Photograph does a poor job using composition principles. ||
 * Focus || Focus is a perfect match with the concept of the shot. || Focus is an adequate match with the concept of the shot. || Focus is a poor match with the concept of the shot. ||
 * Technical Aspects || Shutter speed and aperture were perfectly chosen to match concept. || Shutter speed and aperture were adequately chosen to match concept. || Shutter speed and aperture were poorly chosen and do not match the concept. ||
 * Depth of Field || Excellent use of depth-of-field. || Adequate use of depth-of-field. || Poor use of depth-of-field. ||
 * Title/tags  || Title and tags were perfectly chosen and written to express the content and concept. Spelling and word choice are excellent with no mistakes. || Title and tags were adequately chosen and written to express the content and concept. Spelling and word choice are good with only minor errors. || Title and tags were poorly chosen and written to express the content and concept. Contains multiple spelling errors or wrong word choices. ||
 * ** Instructor evaluates this section ** ||
 * Self Critique || Excellent self-assessment. Written comments meet or exceed requirements. || Adequate self-assessment. Written comments meet requirements. || Poor self-assessment. Written comments do not meet requirements. ||
 * Peer Critique || Excellent peer assessment. Written comments meet or exceed requirements. || Adequate peer assessment. Written comments meet requirements. || Poor peer assessment. Written comments do not meet requirements. ||
 * Peer Comments || Peer comments exceed expectations. || Peer comments meet expectations. One or two comments might be missing. || Three or more peer comments were missing, incomplete or poorly written. ||
 * Total Points || >89%
 * Total Points || >89%

Kevin- Donna, I definitely see your intended effect. I think the shadows to the left of his face add to this overall idea. The quality of the picture is fuzzy. Perhaps this is intended or it is an unintended byproduct of some of your other edits. I suggest too, if you were to reshoot this, that you try having him look more into (perhaps at a glance) the camera as the focus is really about his eyes. Well- you said he is 6-5, so unless you are 6-5 too, you may have to get him to kneel down to get this angle. And- as another consideration and in some manner allow us perspective on his physical size as this is important to your effect. (Thanks, Kevin. I agree. I need a better angle to emphasize his eyes.)

Other Comments: Emily -Donna,I like this photo of your husband; however, it is blurry when it comes up on my screen. I'm not sure if it is the original shot or the Photoshop elements that make it blurry. I'm still toying with my Photoshop elements so I understand that part. The angle of this shot makes me look at his nose and mouth instead of his eyes. I would suggest that you shoot this from a different angle and to include the original photo so that we can see the difference. Nice job, Donna. :O) (Thanks, Emily. I agree with your suggestions. I think the photo came out blurry because I had photoshopped it as art. I actually like the blurred effect created by the "art" component. I think it makes his eyes sparkle.)

Peer Critique Name: (45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Critique Comments:
 * Category || Strong || Adequate || Weak ||
 * Concept || Does an outstanding job of communicating the concept. || Does an adequate job communicating the concept. || Does a poor job communicating the concept. ||
 * Composition || Photograph uses composition principles very effectively. || Photograph does a good job using composition principles. || Photograph does a poor job using composition principles. ||
 * Focus || Focus is a perfect match with the concept of the shot. || Focus is an adequate match with the concept of the shot. || Focus is a poor match with the concept of the shot. ||
 * Technical Aspects || Shutter speed and aperture were perfectly chosen to match concept. || Shutter speed and aperture were adequately chosen to match concept. || Shutter speed and aperture were poorly chosen and do not match the concept. ||
 * Depth of Field || Excellent use of depth-of-field. || Adequate use of depth-of-field. || Poor use of depth-of-field. ||
 * Title/tags || Title and tags were perfectly chosen and written to express the content and concept. Spelling and word choice are excellent with no mistakes. || Title and tags were adequately chosen and written to express the content and concept. Spelling and word choice are good with only minor errors. || Title and tags were poorly chosen and written to express the content and concept. Contains multiple spelling errors or wrong word choices. ||
 * ** Instructor evaluates this section ** ||
 * Self Critique || Excellent self-assessment. Written comments meet or exceed requirements. || Adequate self-assessment. Written comments meet requirements. || Poor self-assessment. Written comments do not meet requirements. ||
 * Peer Critique || Excellent peer assessment. Written comments meet or exceed requirements. || Adequate peer assessment. Written comments meet requirements. || Poor peer assessment. Written comments do not meet requirements. ||
 * Peer Comments || Peer comments exceed expectations. || Peer comments meet expectations. One or two comments might be missing. || Three or more peer comments were missing, incomplete or poorly written. ||
 * Total Points || >89%
 * Total Points || >89%

Mike - Donna, James looks like a very thoughtful man. I don't know if the watercolor option in Photoshop made the focus a little soft, but, if it did and this is the effect yo were looking for, it works. Some may see the iamge as centered, but I have learned to see the "rule of thirds" focused on his left eye. The only thing I might suggest that you change is using some type of compression software for pictures. It takes a long time for the photo to load, compared to some others. I have been using Microsoft Digital Image Suite and it provides many of the same things that Photoshop does (I have it, too, but have not experimented with it enough yet) as well as a compression feature. Good photo!

Jacki - Donna, I love this picture! When I looked at it, I thought it was a picture of a painting. I really like the shadows on the left side of his face. My one suggestion is to put more focus on his eyes. Maybe he can be looking just to the side of the camera when the shot is taken. Good job!