Casey Chong Jing Ping (0318756)
Introduction to Photography
Exercise 4a (Rule of Thirds) and 4b (Principles underpinning composition)
Lecture
Today, we ventured into a new and different topic. We have learned that there are two main things to look at in photography. One is exposure, with the four important aspects, which are Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed, and Light. In the previous 5 weeks, we had learned about all four of those aspects. So this week, we started the second main thing in photography, which is Composition. Composition means arrangement, meaning how you arrange your subject in a photograph. This week, we discussed about the Rule of Thirds. After the discusion, Mr.Vinod gave us a presentation on that rule, or theory. Then Mr.Vinod gave us exercise 4a and 4b to do. We have to finish exercise 4a by next week, but we can take another weeks time to complete exercise 4b. After that we were excused from class and we can either choose to do our exercise or go have lunch. We choose to do the exercise after lunch as we were hungry.
For the lecture in week 7, Mr.Vinod started the class by giving us the general feedback for week 6. After that, we asked some questions regarding to the difficulties we had while doing week 6's exercise, then he gave us a short break before continuing to the next topic. We did not have a group discussion this week, so Mr.Vinod skipped right to the presentation part. During the presentation, Mr.Vinod talked about the various principles of composition and told us about the exercise 4b that we were supposed to do by next Thursday on our ePortfolios and also the hardcopies. After the explanations, we then asked questions on the things we were unsure about in this particular topic. When all our questions were answered and we were clear on what to do for exercise 4b, we were excused from class and can go for lunch.
Instructions
Exercise 4: The Rule of Thirds & Principals underpinning Composition.
The fourth exercise explores the rule of thirds composition and its limitations. Having understood the rule of thirds and the principals underlying composition students are given the task to explore and showcase their understanding. The task given will assess students’ ability to apply suitable composition of a pre-determined subject.
Exercise 4a: Rule of Thirds
Capture 3 Images adhering to the Rule of Thirds
-Using 1 person
-Using 3 persons
-Using a scenery
Capture 3 Images adhering to the Rule of Thirds
-Using 1 person
-Using 3 persons
-Using a scenery
When placing the image on the document for printing; place one image with the Rule of Third lines visible and another without the lines side by side (as instructed in class)
*(Put to use what you have learnt in the Zone system exercises here)
Exercise 4b: Principles underpinning composition
Capture 4 Images adhering to any of the mentioned principles below:
-Domination/Emphasis
Capture 4 Images adhering to any of the mentioned principles below:
-Domination/Emphasis
-Isolation
-Balance
-Repetition
-Alignment
-Contrast
-Rhythm
-Symmetry/Asymmetry
-Harmony
-Perspective
-Harmony
-Perspective
*Print all 4 images on an A4 as instructed in class.
*(Put to use what you have learnt in the Zone system exercises here)
Exercise 4a (Rule of Thirds):
ONE PERSON:
ONE PERSON:
(Personally, I like this photograph better, but I'll just put the other one up just in case.)
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/200
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/200
THREE PERSONS:
(Triangle, not very clear because it was a candid shot, but I still quite like it. Also can be dominant shot as Mae-Chel(right) can be the dominant point.)
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/30
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/30
(Could be Triangle or something else. Either Cigie(middle) or Mae-Chel(left) could be the dominant point, But I feel that Mae-Chel could be the dominant one.)
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/200
I can't choose between these two, so I put both up:)
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/10
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/25
SCENERY:
There can be two types in this photograph. It could be separated into three sections. This photograph can also be made into 1/3, which is the lake, and the building probably is the dominant part of the photo.
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/1250
The first one was too crowded for me so I took another photograph. This one shows that the ground is 2/3 of the photograph, and the dominant part is probably the top part.
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/800
(***For those photographs that I did
not comment on, I am very sure that you know who is the dominant subject as it
is quite obvious…)
Exercise 4b (Principles underpinning composition):
SYMMETRY
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/10
PERSPECTIVE
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 0''6
DOMINANT
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/60
REPETITION:
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/320
REPETITION (Extra)
Aperture: f5.6
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/640
Screenshots for Hardcopies:
The marking criteria for the above exercises are as follows:
4a) Rule of Thirds (5%)
Marking Criteria: The student must show evidence of knowledge and ability to use the Rule of Two-Thirds under the prescribed circumstances. Evidence of composition enhanced by cropping is acceptable in order to heighten the dynamism or intensity of the picture. Students must showcase their knowledge on exposure using the zone system.
4b) Principals underpinning composition (5%)
Marking Criteria: The image must show evidence of the dominant principle used and the supporting principles (if any) underpinning the composition. The principles underpinning the image must be named and should be visible within the image. Students must showcase their knowledge on exposure using the zone system.
Feedback:
Specific feedback:
Mr.Vinod's feedback for me is that when displaying the results of exercise 4a, it is very important to show the Rule of Thirds Lines, both with and without the lines, so that other observers will know that I am adhere to the rule and how closely I have adhered. Mr.Vinod also said that I have to be decisive as well, because I couldn't decide on which photograph to choose to be the photograph to be put up on the ePortfolio so I put all of the photographs that I took into the blog. He said that if I am not decisive, and decide on one photograph to put up on the blog, it will seem that I am abdicating the decision making to him, who is the assessor, which then begs the question of "Who is doing the learning?". Essentially, I will have to make an educated decision based on the knowledge I have gained through the process. Mr.Vinod said that the photographs of the 3 individuals and the scenery all comply to the Rule of Thirds, but as he had said earlier, the question is "How much does each of the photographs comply to that rule?", and for us to know that, we need to see the photographs both with and without the lines that have to be applied in the Rule of Thirds.
However, Mr.Vinod said that the findings in my reflection indicates a progressive shift in my self evaluation as a photographer and also in my ability to use a camera. He also mentioned that the confidence I have gained is an indicator of that progress. While my exercises lack of the Rule of Thirds Lines, Mr.Vinod said that I did a good job in my Reflection, and that he is very happy with that part of my ePortfolio. It makes me happy that he said that my reflections are getting better every time I write, and to keep it up. :)
For the feedback for week 7, Mr.Vinod said that my exercise 4b was well done and that I seem to have nailed it. It was much better than my exercise 4a, where I did not put grids on the photographs that I have posted up on the ePortfolio. Although my exercise 4b was good, Mr.Vinod said that he was still not too satisfied with one photograph, which is the photograph that portrays the principle of dominance (pebbles and lens cap) because he said that the photograph was taken for the exercise sake and not because the photograph was genuinely taken because it was a good picture, and that there was nothing artistic about it. That makes me sad because out of all the photographs that I had taken in exercise 4b, it was my favourite, because the photograph was simple and I just love to take photographs of the lens cap because it is round and has high contrast with the pebbles. There is just something about it that I like. Other than that, Mr.Vinod said that the rest of the shots were good. Also, he really liked how I combined the two theories in composition. On the ePortfolio part, Mr.Vinod said that it was detailed and articulate, and that did excellent work on it. YAY!!! But there is a catch in it, which is that I should and might want to indicate week 6 and week 7 as a subheading in the reflection part. Lastly, Mr.Vinod told me to keep up the good work of doing good exercises and writing good ePortfolios.
General feedback:
The general feedback given by Mr.Vinod is that exposure is not the only thing that makes a good photograph, because composition is a very essential part of taking a good photograph. Some even say that composition is the main thing in making a photograph beautiful. He also told us not to take a photograph and post it just for the sake of finishing the exercises given, but to take the photographs because the subject or scenery (or both) is beautiful. Mr.Vinod also told us that sometimes, photographs of subjects in the middle are also good too, for example a photograph of three people jumping in mid-air, because the subjects are already jumping, and that is enough to make the picture good. In the scenery scenes, we can either use the 2/3 and 1/3 tecnique, or use one of the 4 intersecting points to take a good photograph. Moreover, Mr.Vinod says that sometimes we have the difficulty to find an intersecting point or a horizontal or vertical line when the picture has too many subjects and curves in it, that is when the tricky part comes and we have to use the Rule of Thirds carefully. Mr.Vinod also emphasized that we have to use the grids on the photographs in the ePortfolio because then he will be able to see if we have used the Rule of Third or not. Lastly, Mr.Vinod told us to remember to bring the hardcopies to class next Friday so he can check our progress, and also to print out all our hardcopies in black and white, except for exercise 1 and 2.
The general feedback given by Mr.Vinod is that exposure is not the only thing that makes a good photograph, because composition is a very essential part of taking a good photograph. Some even say that composition is the main thing in making a photograph beautiful. He also told us not to take a photograph and post it just for the sake of finishing the exercises given, but to take the photographs because the subject or scenery (or both) is beautiful. Mr.Vinod also told us that sometimes, photographs of subjects in the middle are also good too, for example a photograph of three people jumping in mid-air, because the subjects are already jumping, and that is enough to make the picture good. In the scenery scenes, we can either use the 2/3 and 1/3 tecnique, or use one of the 4 intersecting points to take a good photograph. Moreover, Mr.Vinod says that sometimes we have the difficulty to find an intersecting point or a horizontal or vertical line when the picture has too many subjects and curves in it, that is when the tricky part comes and we have to use the Rule of Thirds carefully. Mr.Vinod also emphasized that we have to use the grids on the photographs in the ePortfolio because then he will be able to see if we have used the Rule of Third or not. Lastly, Mr.Vinod told us to remember to bring the hardcopies to class next Friday so he can check our progress, and also to print out all our hardcopies in black and white, except for exercise 1 and 2.
Reflections:
Experience:
What I have experienced while doing this exercise was that it is really fun to take photographs with a group, especially with friends. It is more fun and helpful to do the exercise with a group of friends as they can help you with any difficulties. They can also pose for you as your model in the photographs. You can also have bonding moments with them. Doing the exercises with your friends can help improve your skills and also helps you bond with your friends and have fun while getting work done. Also, I have experienced how it feels like to be an actual photographer that takes photographs of models and kind of orders the models around and asks them to pose while you take a long time to adjust the camera and finally take the picture. I feel very bad, to be honest. I feel bad for "ordering" my friends to pose for me, especially Cigie, who had to walk left and right and back again so many times as I attempted to take a good photograph of her walking that shows her movement. I also feel very bad because it took me quite a long time to take the photograph and poor Cigie had to keep walking left and right. I hope she wasn't too tired from all that exercise. Moreover, I have also experienced that you have to be very fast and quick to press the shutter button and also put your shutter speed on fast when you are taking a photograph of a fast moving subject, for example, Cigie when she was walking left and right. If you are just a little bit too slow (or sometimes even a little too fast) in pressing the shutter button, you will find yourself with a photograph of the subject a little too out of the frame or right in the middle of the frame, which is one thing that must be avoided if you want to show movement in a photograph. Lastly, getting good candid and random shots are one in a million.
My experience in week 7 is that my observation skills have to be better as sometimes others can observe a certain Principles of Composition in a photograph whereas I could not. That teaches me that different people tend to observe different things, and therefore have different observation skills. Also, what I have experienced many times as I did the exercise was that I tend to keep forgetting to change the camera settings to black and white before taking a photograph, and I ended up taking all my photographs in colour, so I had to retake all the photographs in black and white all over again. I also experienced that being lazy is not an option when you want to get your work done. I am often lazy to do my ePortfolio and most of the time, I am lazy to print out the hardcopies, so I mostly end up doing them last minute (especially printing out the hardcopies, and whenever I want to print them, the stationary shop would have closed already). I have also experienced that to be a photographer, you have to be brave. For example, sometimes you will randomly see potential in a place or subject where you can get a good photograph from ( for example, some geese by the lake stairs in the campus), but if you set up your tripod there and try to take the photograph, some passerbys will stare at you like you are crazy and weird, but if you really want to take that photograph, you have to be brave, take the chance, and sacrifice your pride to get that perfect photograph that you want. Another example is when you want to get a photograph from a low point of view, so you will have to lay down on the ground to take the photograph.
Observations:
From this exercise, I have observed that good photographs are very difficult to get because it need a LOT of patience to take a great photograph. I don't know if getting a perfect photograph is a possible feat, but it seems quite impossible to me. Because nothing is perfect, unless you are God. I have also observed that not all cameras have the grid system in them whereas some cameras have more than a 3 by 3 grid. One of my classmate's camera has no grid system, which makes things difficult for her in this exercise. And one of my other classmate's camera only has a 4 by 4 grid, which is most probably a more advanced feature then the 3 by 3 grid system. I have discovered that my camera had a 3 by 3 grid system, and something more, which is a multiple by multiple grid system. I do not know how many grids there are because I did not bother to count the grids as I was in a hurry to use the 3 by 3 grid system to take some experimental photographs during class. I guess my camera is quite advanced too, even if it is not the most advanced camera. Next, I observed that plans do not always work out the way you want them to. I actually planned to have June skateboard down a hallway as I take a photograph of her for the exercise 4a, but when class ended, June was nowhere to be found, and my group of friends wanted to eat lunch before doing the exercise as we were very hungry, so I did not get to take that photograph but instead took a photograph of Cigie walking, which I am very happy with too. Another thing I have observed, and also experienced, is that even though classes are pushed back by 2 hours and I have an extra one and a half hour of sleep, I will still be sleepy during class no matter how interesting the topic is. I have learned that the hard way. No matter how early I sleep the night before, it does not work, I will still be as sleepy or maybe even more sleepy. Maybe it's just me though...
From this exercise, I have observed that good photographs are very difficult to get because it need a LOT of patience to take a great photograph. I don't know if getting a perfect photograph is a possible feat, but it seems quite impossible to me. Because nothing is perfect, unless you are God. I have also observed that not all cameras have the grid system in them whereas some cameras have more than a 3 by 3 grid. One of my classmate's camera has no grid system, which makes things difficult for her in this exercise. And one of my other classmate's camera only has a 4 by 4 grid, which is most probably a more advanced feature then the 3 by 3 grid system. I have discovered that my camera had a 3 by 3 grid system, and something more, which is a multiple by multiple grid system. I do not know how many grids there are because I did not bother to count the grids as I was in a hurry to use the 3 by 3 grid system to take some experimental photographs during class. I guess my camera is quite advanced too, even if it is not the most advanced camera. Next, I observed that plans do not always work out the way you want them to. I actually planned to have June skateboard down a hallway as I take a photograph of her for the exercise 4a, but when class ended, June was nowhere to be found, and my group of friends wanted to eat lunch before doing the exercise as we were very hungry, so I did not get to take that photograph but instead took a photograph of Cigie walking, which I am very happy with too. Another thing I have observed, and also experienced, is that even though classes are pushed back by 2 hours and I have an extra one and a half hour of sleep, I will still be sleepy during class no matter how interesting the topic is. I have learned that the hard way. No matter how early I sleep the night before, it does not work, I will still be as sleepy or maybe even more sleepy. Maybe it's just me though...
The things that I have observed during week 7 is that some other classmates of mine also did not do the grid on the photographs, and that makes me feel a little bit better and relieved because I am not the only one who did not do that. But I am quite worried because this week's exercise requires me to do the grid on the photographs too, but I am sure I will be able to find a way to do the grids in time by Thursday (Hopefully). I also observed that it is difficult to apply the Rule of Thirds to a photograph when there are too many subjects in the photograph or scene. I have observed that a photograph with too many points of interest is not good, and a photograph with no points of interest is also not good. I have also observed that I have the difficulty to choose just one photograph from the many photographs that I have taken to post on the ePortfolio. Also, it is quite difficult to find the dominant or main Principle of Composition (for example, repetition and symmetry) in a photograph when there are too many principles in the photograph. Lastly, I have observed that composition is just as important as exposure in playing the part of taking a good photograph. Without one or the other, the photograph will most likely turn out bad or not as good as a photograph with both the right composition and exposure in the photograph.
Findings:
I have found out that as I progress through each class, I find it more and more easy to use a DSLR. Before I started this class, I've always looked at those who own a DSLR that always go everywhere with their cameras taking photographs and using such complicated buttons on the cameras, and I always thought to myself, "Such awesome professionals, I can't even hold such a heavy camera steadily." But now, I feel like I can be one of them. One of those people who always bring around their DSLRs in the camera bags going around helping people take beautiful photographs. Before this, I did not even dare to attempt to hold a DSLR as I was afraid that I might break it just by touching it. Now, I am much more confident with a camera and I even enjoy taking photographs, especially the random photographs. Moreover, I have also found out what the grid system in the camera or camera-phone is used for. Sometimes when I use my phone camera or my parent's camera last time, the grids will suddenly appear and I never knew what they were for, so I never really put them to good use. Now that I have learned the uses of these grids, I will be sure to put them to good use. I also found out that there are even some cameras that have more than 3 by 3 grids. A friend of mine has a 4 by 4 grid in her camera. In addition, I found that having fun is an essential thing to have while doing group work as it releases stress and allows you to bond with your group, especially if you don't know each other well enough yet. Last but not least, I have found out a very important thing, which is that Nikon cameras are much better off used by professionals. A few classmates of mine use Nikon cameras, and let me tell you, they had trouble looking for the features in the camera, such as the grid system and also the monochrome setting where the photographs taken will appear in black and white. If I recalled carefully, one of my classmates did not have the grid setting in her Nikon DSLR and another one of my friends who also happen to have a Nikon camera does not have the monochrome setting in her camera. I am so glad that I chose Canon as my starter camera, even if it is quite mainstream, but trust me, Nikon is mad for professionals only. You think you know how to control DSLRs? Well try getting a Nikon. Even the display and all the buttons are so different from the Canon's easy to manuaver settings and buttons. I'm not saying that Nikon is bad, in fact, I quite like Nikon. I'm just saying that Nikon cameras are too good to be used by amateurs like me.
I have found out that as I progress through each class, I find it more and more easy to use a DSLR. Before I started this class, I've always looked at those who own a DSLR that always go everywhere with their cameras taking photographs and using such complicated buttons on the cameras, and I always thought to myself, "Such awesome professionals, I can't even hold such a heavy camera steadily." But now, I feel like I can be one of them. One of those people who always bring around their DSLRs in the camera bags going around helping people take beautiful photographs. Before this, I did not even dare to attempt to hold a DSLR as I was afraid that I might break it just by touching it. Now, I am much more confident with a camera and I even enjoy taking photographs, especially the random photographs. Moreover, I have also found out what the grid system in the camera or camera-phone is used for. Sometimes when I use my phone camera or my parent's camera last time, the grids will suddenly appear and I never knew what they were for, so I never really put them to good use. Now that I have learned the uses of these grids, I will be sure to put them to good use. I also found out that there are even some cameras that have more than 3 by 3 grids. A friend of mine has a 4 by 4 grid in her camera. In addition, I found that having fun is an essential thing to have while doing group work as it releases stress and allows you to bond with your group, especially if you don't know each other well enough yet. Last but not least, I have found out a very important thing, which is that Nikon cameras are much better off used by professionals. A few classmates of mine use Nikon cameras, and let me tell you, they had trouble looking for the features in the camera, such as the grid system and also the monochrome setting where the photographs taken will appear in black and white. If I recalled carefully, one of my classmates did not have the grid setting in her Nikon DSLR and another one of my friends who also happen to have a Nikon camera does not have the monochrome setting in her camera. I am so glad that I chose Canon as my starter camera, even if it is quite mainstream, but trust me, Nikon is mad for professionals only. You think you know how to control DSLRs? Well try getting a Nikon. Even the display and all the buttons are so different from the Canon's easy to manuaver settings and buttons. I'm not saying that Nikon is bad, in fact, I quite like Nikon. I'm just saying that Nikon cameras are too good to be used by amateurs like me.
My findings for week 7 are I have found out that I have grown observant of things around me now. Even though I am still not as observant as my other classmates, I do observe more things than before I joined Introduction to Photography class. Also, I found out that it is quite difficult to find the dominant or main Principle of Composition in a photograph when there are too many principles in the photograph. For example, a photograph that I have taken contains both symmetry and repetition, or both contrast and isolation, and I do not know which principle I should choose as the dominant principle in that photograph. From that, I have found out that I am a very indecisive person, and that has to change. I have also found out that my typing skills on a keyboard are faster and better now as before this, I can probably only type a paragraph in one hour (I'm exaggerating, but you get the point). Furthermore, I have also found out that it take a lot of time and PATIENCE to take a good photograph. I have also found out that exposure and composition are equally important, and without one or the other, a photograph is not as good as one with both in it. Last but not least, I have discovered that as I go further into this module, I learn more things, and I also question everything (more things) more often.
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