Intro To Photography - Week 5

by Unknown - September 06, 2016

2/9/2016

ITP

Leanne Faye

Exercise 4a) Rule of Thirds

Lecture:

Today's lecture started off with Mr. Vinod checking and giving feedbacks on our e-portfolio. After that, we learned about a familiar topic, Rule of Thirds. Mr Vinod explained to us about how we should composite our picture when photographing by using a method of grid lines and intersection points. Mr. Vinod explained to us where to position our cameras after determining the horizon line if we were to take a landscape. Today's lecture was rather short, but after that, we were let out to do exercise 4a anywhere on campus ground because it involves people as subject matters and must be candid.

Exercise instructions

Exercise 4a) Rule of Thirds

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). All pictures must be in black and white.

(Put to use what you have learned in the Zone system exercises here)

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.

Learning goal: Students will be able to use the above mentioned rules or principle to make or capture interesting, dynamic or subtle compositions.
Learning outcome 1: Students will be able to use exposure settings (Aperture, Shutter Speed & ISO).
Learning outcome 3: Students will be able to distinguish a bad exposure from a good exposure.
Learning outcome 2: Students will be able to use the Zone System exposure technique to achieve desired results.
Learning outcome 4: Students will be able to apply the Rule of Thirds and principles underpinning composition.

Exercise 4a) Rule of Thirds

1 Person:

1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 100

1/1000. f/5.6, ISO 100

1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 100

3 Persons:

1/320, f/5.6, ISO 100

Retake (after receiving feedback):

1/50, f/5.6, ISO 100

Scenery:

1/1000, f/5.6, ISO 100

Screenshots:

Feedback:

Your images for the single person had potential and was exposed properly however the image had objects at the edge of the frame and as such lead the eye out of the frame. In the scenery it is difficult to determine the point of interest thus making it a unremarkable image, however the exposure was good. The 3 person image wasn't very good i'm afraid, you need more practise for all 3 again and again as often as possible.

Reflection

Experience

Today's topic was easier to digest as compared to the previous ones, however, it is hard to apply. When we went out of class to practice the exercise, it wasn't as easy as it seems. After we positioned our cameras and set the right setting, we had to wait for a subject matter to appear or pass-by which is time consuming. We were advised not to pose for each other because it would not look candid. Secondly, to be able to capture the person at the right intersection position of the grid lines is very challenging. Some people would also walk around us to avoid getting taken in the picture which makes it even harder for us. I personally find the scenery shot was easier to capture than the ones involving people. For the 3 person shot, it was really hard to get 3 person in one shot at the right intersection of the grid lines, a good triangular composition and a cleaner background with lesser distracting elements. There was many things to juggle at the time so I made a few mistakes and I had to retake, therefore, I used quite a long period of time for this exercise.

Observation

After looking at the results of my exercise, I realised that the background for the 3 person shot had to many distracting elements. I used the lowest aperture I have to narrow the depth of field but the background still turned out not blur enough to highlight my point of interest. I observed that after applying the Zone System, the exposure of the picture is more accurate than just following the camera's exposure meter. For all 3 categories, I think I should have explore more places in the campus ground because outdoors have more elements than indoors that can result a messy background that distracts from the point of interest whereas indoors have lesser elements.

Findings

What I have learned today is, we have to be spontaneous when photographing or not we would not be able to capture moving objects like today, we had to capture moving peoples. We have to react and adapt fast to different exposures because the sun is not always at the same exposure, it is constantly changing. Firstly, we have to develop a skill of having the grid lines in our mind and composite the image before taking the picture like Ansel Adams, he would always visualise how he wants the final image to look like and work out the scale and composition in his mind. I learned that the Rule of Third is a most often used reference in photography for beginners.

If a subject matter is placed at the cross-section, it will create an illusion of movement and dynamic. If a subject matter is placed out of the cross-section, near the frame, it will create a sense of tension. If a subject matter is placed at the middle, there will be no sense of movement. After understanding all this, we must not forget to make sure the point of interest must be clear, attractive and interesting. When doing landscapes, we have to utilise 2/3 or 1/2 of the point of interest like the picture I took above. The more point of interest the harder it is to capture but it keeps the viewer's eyes longer on the image. When capturing a picture, there will always be a triangular relationship if there is 3 point of interest.

When doing the exercise, I metered the scene then wait for a subject matter to pass by then quickly determine which zone does it belong to then adjust and take the shot.