Emily-P4

Photo Assignment Name: Portrait Assignment

Student Name: Emily Smith

Group Name: The Snapshots



Title:Firefighter Creighton

Tags: portrait, firefighter, fire chief

I have often photographed my son in his firefighter gear; however, for this photo I got closer to him and I did not use a flash. The flash usually highlights the reflective yellow on the fire helmet. I think that this captures Creighton's personality. He was just explaining how he had been on shift and had one call that he had to run. He made sure he had his flashlight close to him in case he couldn't see in the fire. My son takes his firefighting seriously, so he told me he wasn't going to smile for this shot. I love this shot.

I took a few shots of my son with his gear on and I used flash for a few and a few without a flash. I know that I could have gotten closer to his face, but I wanted to really capture how he uses everyday things for his gear. He has a winter toboggan on his head under his helmet that serves as his protective gear for his mask. His old backpack serves as his air tank, and his store bought flashlight is just like Daddy's. I enjoyed taking the portrait shots at a closer angle, and I also used the portrait setting on my camera. I will continue to experiment with the lighting for shots like this one; I might take this same shot in the daytime to see the difference.

Edited Shot

Self Evaluation (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: Michael (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%

Other Comments: Jacki​ - First of all, cute! I love how you captured his face with all of his gear so it really shows his interests. You will probably always remember this picture because it really shows who he is. I was just going to say that maybe more light would help to brighten up his face under the helmet (either a lamp, or outside light as you said). I like how it is up-close!

Mike - Emily, I love the photograph. I love the improvisation on the equipment issue. Kids can make anything seem like it is something special. I personally like the yellow lighting. It brings to mind the yellow "emergency" colors. This photo also brings to mind the sadness and finality that I saw in firefighters faces on 9/11 as they journeyed up into the World Trade Center. My only improvement would be on the light on his face. A light shining up into his face from below would illuminate it and make his face have shadows, which would not make it a cheerful scene, but might make it seem sad, which would break your heart if it WAS something to remind us of 9/11. I thought the photo was well composed. Good Photo! Makes you stop and think. Very cute kid!!

Kevin- Emily, this photo does a great job of showing how a portrait is more than just a picture of someone. It should also convey emotion or insight. This photo does that well from the framing of the picture and to the expression caught on his face. Lighting would have certainly changed this shot not necessarily for the better, but perhaps to change the background- and/or some manipulation to distinguish between the color of the subject’s clothing and the wall. They are very similar. A distinction might have the subject come out more in the frame.

Donna- What a cute little fireman! I love the serious expression; it conveys his attitude about being a fireman. He really looks tired, as if he'd finished a long shift. As you indicated, you could have focused more on his face if you had wished to emphasize his attitude; however the suit is adorable. I wonder how this photo would have turned out if you had taken it outside at night.