Canon DSLR Speed Challenge # 184--RULE OF THIRDS

Rihanna

Rihanna

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Just a note, this challenge will end tomorrow at 6:00 PM Pacific Time. I will be unavailable to post a winner at that time, but I will announce the winner and post words on all submissions by midnight Pacific time tomorrow night.

Thank you


Jason C

Curious Cat

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/e-cox/5446745977/

Dying for a Drink

Sadly this was originally shot on film using a T90 and copied using my 1dsmk2 so no original exif data is available. If this isn't within the spirit of the competition then please disqualify.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/corkneyfonz/4​988448192/

Hawg, anyone?

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Ok still new to all this hope this is ok.
This is one of the first shots of my son with my new 70-200 2.8 on my 7D

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I have been writing critique for this challenge for almost an hour, and I've got one hour to go. I should have the winner posted at midnight my time.

Great work everyone.

Jason C

Rule of Thirds (RoT) is how I begin most of my compositions, but it is not always the answer. Thats why I kind of feel it should be more like a "guideline" than a Rule. However, RoT works great and guides the viewer's eyes naturally to the subject. This is my perception.

This comp has seen an excellent turnout, and I thank you all for participating.

I am going to post some words about each submission, which is of course purely subjective and as how I see your world through your capture.


Ingerson"PCD" (Eric), My new buddy--Your 'buddy' is fairly well RoT, but the rock on the left splits the frame, distracts from the subject and gives you composition an odd "weight". I can understand your 'buddy' is young and shy, keeping to the comfort of the large rock making you shot challenging. Otherwise cute image.

Flo (Gail), Leaning--Nice exposure, detail and focus. I like the bi-secting angle of the branch. I'd prefer to see your subject a little (just a little) higher in the crop. Nice capture. Curious about the background and it's vertical lines, is that a screen?

ions, Winters Last Dirty Satnd--Nice exposure, dof, and PP. This is a tough one, for I see the split of ocean and sky to be center in the frame. Now, the darker cloud bank nicely covers the top third. But the eye pulling stong point of your capture for me is the razor split between ocean and sky. With two pieces of paper I find that the crop that works best for me is cropping most of the dark cloud bank on top and a small crop on the right to where the smoke stops. This leaves a picture that the shore line pulls me up into the factory on the right and leads me to the sun rays breaking the clouds. Still, very nice capture.

John_B (John), Lunch Stop--John and his trusty Wrangler! Essence of RoT; sky, trees and land with subject in the left lower third. Nicely done. What was for lunch that day?

Warl0rd, Coast View--Very nice colors, exposure and dof. Question: what view did your vantage point give you if you had shot this landscape? Nice capture.

GarryKirsch (Garry), together--Nice focus and exposure. Subject duck is near enough RoT, but the background duck is distractiong to me (I know its probably Mr and Mrs Duck). I also find the background a little distracting, too. I feel tour capture would have been stronger with one duck. Still, nice capture.

eastcoastsponger (Chris), Fight Night--Oh I am a sucker for gritty b&w captures, and it fits well with your subject. You have the essence of RoT here, and i like the corner ropes cutting through the capture at that angle, and it nicley frames your subject. Is this a big crop of the original file? It seems that way. From what I can see focus appears to be on the subjects left eye, but I am looking more at the subject's right. Nicley done.

Maureen Souza (Mo), Irish Sheep Herder--Nice exposure and focus. I like the fence and the rolling hills, but I find the two cropped sheep on the left distracting. Using my home crop method, cropping most of the sheep on the left and a little off the bottom makes for a more pleasing image to me. Even though some of the left sheep are still in frame, they are less distracting. By the way, funky and scary subject... Nice capture.

monty28428 (Monty), Blue Bird--Lovely capture of a blue bird, with very nice exposure, focus and dof. Well done on the backgroung blur. Nive portrait RoT.

airfrogusmc (Allen), "Beyond"--Very nice composition, exposure, dof and focus. Capture is stronger with part of the subject out-of-frame, it adds mystique and it forces me to focus on the most important part of a living subject; the eyes, and they tell a story here. Essence of RoT. Nitpick; I think there is a little too much dead space in the left. Very well done.

RandallC (Randy), Empty chairs--Well done landscape RoT. Simple, yet effective. However, I would have preferred one or two chairs as oppossed to the seven in the capture, in my mind one or two chairs provokes more drama in this type of capture. Nicely done.

jon_wiz, Foggy morning--Nicely doe RoT here, and again simple with little clutter. I like the juxtaposition between the Spider's home on the left and the Farmer's oof home to the right. Well done.

PINNACLE, JUMP--Nicely done RoT, simple and clean. I like the leading of the shoreline, and the distant person to the upper left adds a line to the subject. It may be my eyes, but I think your horizon is a shade (or a hair) not level. Nicely done.

kent andersen, (Kent), Linnea at the river--Nice dof, color, focus and fill light on subject. Cute, non standard pose makes it fun, spontaneous. I just find the river a little (a hair) too distractlingly 'hot'...just a little. Very cute capture.

Robuk (Rob), Rihanna--Very nice exposure, focus and colors on what appears to be a concert capture, in which this would be a unique pose to capture. Oddly enough, I like the light in the upper left and it merges the elements of "live in concert" and a glamour shot. Essence of RoT. Nicely done.

ecox, curious cat--Exposure on the subject is good, but I find the hanging vines to split your frame in fourths. Try framing the cat's head to the upper left third, and avoid distracting 'lines' such as those vines. Also, I cannot tell if you PP the background to be b&w, or if it's the flare, but there are a few areas that have color if you were going for a selective color type of PP. Nice effort.

corkneyfonz, Dying for a Drink--Don't sweat the camera thing, its been allowed before. I like the concept, and the exposure is very good. Nice RoT. When I look at your capture, I think I would have also tried the same exposure but three rows of similar bricks in the same framing (curved), whereas your capture has the big bricks, small bricks then big. Thats just me. Very nicley done.

tonylong (Tony), Hawg, anyone?--Boy those are some bright colors. Sorry, I'm not getting the RoT vibe here with your capture, unless we're thinking bikes, street and buildings. And the backgroung clutter is just too distracting to me along with the dof. Still, there is no denying that this image is full of Hawgs.

simjay, --no title given--One of your first shots of many, no need to post an embarrssed emoticon. Just off on the RoT, but you are close. Had your son been sitting a little straighter and perhaps angled slightly more to his left you would have been there. Still, a nice memory you had captured. And just one more thing, when you enter more of these Challenges , I hope you do, please include the title of your capture in the "Message Title" in your post where it says Re: Canon DSLR Speed Challenge # . Thanks!


Thank you all for making this a tough competition, and for such the nice turnout of photographers. Also, sorry it took me so long to critique, I wanted to give everyone some words.

So no fanfare, here we go...


HM RandallC
I love the simplicty, spot-on RoT, but I wish there were less chairs. Well done.

Runner-Up airfrogusmc
Allen, this was close and I hemmed and hawed about you or the eventual winner, but my guts (and the other photographer) won out. Excellent image but I still think there is a bit too much dead space in the left (perhaps your whole 4/5ths frame explanation). Thumbs-up!

Winner eastcoastsponger
Chris, you won this one by a hair. I like the lines, grityness, the boxer's determination and candid nature of your capture, though I still feel your focus was off a little and the background is a tad on the noisey side. Congrats! Now you get to host the next challenge.

Thanks all for the patience.


Jason C

Heh! Well, it was fun while it lasted! Congrats to the winners!

I know I'm too late, but what the heck.

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Jason C

Thank you for choosing such a great topic and for your time in writing up all the informative comments.

I learnt an awful lot from this challenge. I admit I did have to Google “Rule of Thirds” at the start but now thanks to this challenge and all the contributors great photos I feel I now understand it and will put it into practice whilst shooting.

Jason I really did not envy you picking a winner but at least you chose my favourite.

Well done “eastcoastsponger” I loved that shot as soon as I saw it but please don’t choose boxing for the next challenge

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Congrats eastcoastsponger

airfrogusmc, yes many of us did and still do move beyond the rule of thirds
Congrats on 2nd place

Congrats eastcoastsponger and RandallC. Good stuff everyone. Great topic Jason and thanks for the 2nd.

WTG WInners!

Jason, thanks for taking the time to C&C. Its really appreciated!

Terrific photos everyone!!
Congrats easty, Allen, and Randall.
Big thanks to Jason for all the work on this challenge. I learned a lot.