Michael-P1

Rule of Thirds

Student Name: Michael Wallace

Group Name: The Snaphots



Title: The Return

Tags: football, kickoff, run back



Self Evaluation (45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Comments and Description: This is an action photograph from our second home football game of the 2009 season against our cross-town rivals. In this photo, the kickoff return man is lined up along the right vertical line with the action heading towards the left of the picture. According to the Rule of Thirds theory, any object of interest placed at the intersection points is more balanced and allows the viewer to interact with it more naturally. In the case of the player in the picture, you are drawn to him and the open field ahead of him. If I had framed this shot with the player at the center, it could have been viewed as awkward, and the possibility of the action that would immediately follow the photo could not be imagined. This assignment was valuable to me because of the many pictures I take each year for the yearbook at my school. I am only able to use the best photos out of thousands taken in the creation of the yearbook, and I would like to make more of my photographs interesting. By adhering to the rule of thirds on many photographs, the shots that I will make from this point forward will become more interesting because the subject is placed off-center and the action will be easier to see.
 * 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: Kevin Mobbs (45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Critique Comments: Michael: this is an excellent example of the ROT. As you stated and have shown with the grid lines, the center/focus of the picture is perfectly situated according to the concept. This picture is also a good example of capturing movement and action. To this end, I think you made a good choice in your editing and/or your framing of the shot to allow lots of room to the left for the subject to "run" through. The folks in the background are a disctraction, to me. How would it look if the depth of field were short such that these folks were out of focus? I know the shot was not taken that way, but I learned recently that you can create the effect with Photoshop. Take a look at []
 * 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: Emily -Michael, I really like this photo! This photo demonstrates that you understand the rule of thirds. I especially like how you left room for the player to run. I look forward to seeing more of your photos.

Jacki - Michael, you have done a really great job with the rule of thirds. I think I need a lot more practice! I really like how you captured the motion of the object and allow room for him to move. The only suggestion that I have is to maybe zoom in on the player more, so more of the focus is on him. Good Job!

Donna- Ditto to Emily's and Jacki's compliments about the rule of thirds and allowing room for your runner. Suggestion: I don't yet know how to do this, but I think the photo would be even better if you blurred the people in the background. Also, that orange chair catches my eye too much; I might photoshop it out.