Emily-P7

Photo Assignment: Light and Shadow

Student Name: Emily Smith

Group Name: The Snapshots Title: Bretta Girl Tags: Bretta, dog, shadows, deck

I struggled with choosing the photo for this assignment. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to photograph the shadows or the light that created the shadows. I feel like this photo fits the assignment. This is my aunt's dog, Bretta. She likes to sit on the deck with my dad. Bretta was being really still and calm, which is unusual for her; she is a watch dog and is usually barking at anything that moves. I really lilke how the angle of the sun created the shadows on the deck and on Bretta. It signifies that the end of the day is on its way.

I have to say, I really did not plan for this shot. I knew that we would eventually have to have a shot with light and/or shadow, so I decided to just start photographing things with shadows and interesting lighting. I made sure to get on Bretta's level to make this shot happen. If taken from above, I don't think it would have the same feeling as this angle. Next time I can try to take this shot from a different angle or from the front to capture her expression as she sits peacefully on the deck waiting for the end of the day.

Self Evaluation (45-50 pts.) || 80 – 89% (40 - 44 pts.) || <80% (<40 pts.) || Peer Critique:
 * 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%

Emily, this picture has a nice mix of shadows and light including the rails of the deck and the shadows in the background. The composition of the elements in the picture is well formed. You must have taken this prior to recently as there shadows and light have been hard to come by as of late. One suggestion is to try and tone down the bright spot on Bretta’s head.
 * 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 ||

Critique Comments: Mike - Emily, I love the dog. You did a great job of framing your picture and making sure that your foreground and the dog were in focus and the background was softly out of focus. Light and shadows a creatively conveyed. I wish I could see the dog's face looking at the camera. The only thing I might suggest doing is to do a light and shadows picture of the dog without the grass being in the light. This would definitely seem like day's end and would be an interesting photograph, if you could keep the dog still long enough to photograph. Good Job!

Jacki - Emily, I really like the soft focus around Bretta's head. I think the shadows make an interesting design against her white fur. I think you followed the rule of thirds, but I would like to see Bretta's whole body or framed around her face. I know it can be hard when photographing a pet, though. I think you did a great job with the light and shadow aspect!

Donna - I believe your photo gives an excellent example of the concepts for this assignment. The deck looks very inviting. There is a blurry blue area near Bretta's left ear and a few whitish blurry spots just above her head. Was she moving when you snapped the photo? I'm not sure if you can photoshop those away to make your photo sharper.