Assignment 1 - Tutor report &

Feedback on assignment

I have referred to the images in order as they are presented in the work document.  For future assignments you may prefer to have the images on your blog or send images files as JPEGS. Putting images into word does do funny things sometimes and it is hard to tell if some of the images are really sharp.

The assignment asked for 6 – 12 images but you have included 14.  I have commented on all of them, but you may wish to revise the selection to fewer.

1

The family group is nicely posed.  The background is neutral and allows the bright reds to stand out of the coats and scarfs.  Positioning the two girls with the red on the outside edges allows for them to frame the shot.  I would consider cropping in even tighter around the group and trying to lose the hint of sky that can be seen, as it is so bright on the frame.

On a side note – do watch out for people wearing hats – they can cast shadows over the face and prevent the eyes from being seen.  The use of the flash here may have helped to add some fill onto the faces.

2

A nice casual shot, which shows a dynamic pose for the boy.  He could do with a little more space on the left hand edge as his knee is only just in the frame.  I would also consider lightening his face a little – actual image may be brighter as they could be something that word is making appear darker.

3

A lovely image where the sun rays have been used to really good effect.  The bright red of the coat stands out well as an accent colour.  The faming is good to have her offset to one side.

4

This is a very well framed portrait.  The post is relaxed and the framing excellent.  The use of a smaller depth of field has allowed the foliage to blur so it is not distracting.

5

This is in a similar vein to the previous.  The pose is not quite as effective – she has hunched her shoulders, a little which stops it being so relaxed.

6

A fun shot – the use of the diagonal framing allows for the image to be more dynamic.

7

A nice image with a different edge – they do need to be both looking at the camera I think for it to be more effective.

8

In this image the concept is very strong.  There is too much background however, which is cluttering the framing.  Using a longer lens may help as it not only helps you zoom in but also compressed the distance.

9

Again an idea with potential.  Do you think this has worked?  What would you change if you were to take it again?

10

This image has a fun quality to it.  However the image in the word document does not seem completely sharp.  A more neutral background may help as there is a distracting line caused by the edge of the water against the trees.  The other option is to try in black and white.

11

A nice group shot.  It is always hard to get a group of people looking at you, smiling and not blinking!  Do look at the framing here.  A tighter crop may help as the girls are at the edge of the frame and seem to unbalance it.

12

This image could be taken out from the selection.  The concept is there.  However the feet are clipped out of the frame and the action is not clearly captured.

13

In this image the sun is too bright across their faces and has caused very harsh shadows.  Although it shows a bright sunny day, the danger in reproduction is that detail will be lost in the highlights.

14

An interesting image where you have used the large canopy of the tree to fill the frame.  The family group stands out due to the red drawing the eye in as colour accent.  In this image it is hard to see if the family group are sharply in focus.

The range of images presented shows that you have tried a variety of techniques during the shoot.  If you were to redo the shoot what would you change?  Think about how planning for such a shoot may help – if you did do any planning – even if it is a scruffy few notes, do scan them in and add to your blog.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Your log is well presented and clear to read.  Please do remember to keep updating it.

You may find it helpful to set up tabs for each section of your work e.g. assignments, exercises, and research.

Do remember to show clear evidence of research for the course in your log – this is vital if you are planning on submitting work for formal assessment.

Suggested reading/viewing

I understand from your assignment that you are starting to switch to using Lightroom 3 – apologies if I have already mentioned this but the Scott Kelby book is very useful in helping you to firstly set up your Library and then work through your image processing. 

Whilst Lightroom does seem to be more complicated than PSE, having a simple set of steps to work through will dramatically speed up your image processing/workflow.  Not all steps need to be applied to every image.  There are also times when an image may also need to adjust in PSE, as it needs something specific to Photoshop.