Michael-P5

Photo Assignment Name: Ambiguous Space Student Name: Michael Wallace

Group Name: Snapshots



Title: The Closet Monster (aka **Terror in the Night**)

Tags: dark, closet, light


 * Self-Evaluation**

Comments: This assignment has been the most difficult for me, so far. Ambiguous is defined as something of doubtful or uncertain nature or something that is difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify. The examples given in the weekly assignments showed reflections, but also showed frames within frames. My closet door is one of the first things that came to mind. When you are small, a closet can mean adventure, if you think of it as a fort, but it can also represent a scary place, especially at night. It held great importance for me because I was one of the children who was scared of what might be inside at night. I will never forget the closet in the 1982 movie //Poltergeist// and little Carol Anne saying “no more.” A closed door at night with a light on inside can be interpreted differently, as either a nightlight for those who do not like the dark, or a place that you don’t want to see inside, much less journey into. This photo was created using a Nikon D-90 camera with the lens aperture set to f5.3 and the shutter held open for 8 seconds with an ISO setting of 800. I tried to compose the photo along the rule of thirds with the door photographed aling the right line. I made many attempts to get the desired effect, and was unsuccessful until I used an LED light source reflecting off of a bright wall behind me in a darkened room to achieve the low, diffused light condition you see represented in the photo. It met the requirement because it utilized reflected light on an object that is open for interpretation, and the picture itself can have two or more interpretations. This assignment was valuable to me, not only for learning how to compose the picture that I wanted to take and how to adjust the settings on my camera, but allowed me to share a moment from my childhood where I lived in fear of the “closet monster”.

(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%

Peer Critique Name: Emily Smith (45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Critique Comments: Emily -Michael, I like the look of this picture. It appears that you applied some type of effect to the picture using an image editing software. This really adds to the creepy effect of your closet monster. I really like the way the light from behind you helps to create the eerie feeling you were going for. Did you intend for the shot to not be straight? I might try to straightne this shot or use a totally different angle. I would suggest trying this shot with the focus only on the door or maybe have a flashlight on in the closet and take the shot at floor level. Either of these will give a different feeling to the photo. I also was afraid of the closet for a while after seeing Poltergeist. I'm glad my son is not afraid of the closet.
 * 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%

Other Comments: Jacki - Michael, I really like the look of your photograph. I can feel the scariness of the shot and I love the texture and feel of the picture. This is why I was scared of the dark when I was a kid:) I think you did a great job with the ambiguous space assignment. I found it hard to decide what to do as well. I also noticed that the shot is not level, so that is the one suggestion that I have, but that might be on purpose to add to the creepiness effect. Overall, great job!


 * __Kevin__**- Michael, this is a great picture which seems to very well fit the assignment and your intentions. The diffuse light is perfect, and the light coming from the closet is very ominous (in my interpretation). The pixely nature of the photo is a harmonious effect but may also be considered an improvement to make the picture more realistic or have the viewer feel like it is happening in the moment. What universe could be behind that door?

Donna - Michael, your photo is awesome. I like everything about it. The old photos and the antique furniture add to the ghostly effect, and the crooked door makes the image all the more disturbing. I wonder if you could remove the light switch and the metallic lock to make the room even more old fashioned. The light inside the closet is great!