Fortnightly Challenge October 29-November 11: Rule of Thirds

[Designer Dale]

Welcome to the Fortnightly Challenge

The purpose of the Challenge is to provide a venue where photographers of all skill levels can work to improve their craft by shooting along a common topic for two weeks - one fortnight. Helpful comments and critiques are key to reaching the intended goal - better photography.

About Your Photos

Shoot for the topics listed on the schedule. You may shoot for upcoming topics, but post photos only to their matching Challenges. Try to avoid using photos from your archives just for participations sake. If you really want input on an older image that fits the Challenge topic, please let us see it.

You may post as many photos as you wish for any one Challenge.

About Your Comments

Comments are critical to the success of the Challenge. If you post a photo, add a comment to another one. If you are only viewing, please add your comments, too.

Comments should be meaningful, something that the photographer can use to improve his/her work. Explain why you like or dislike a photo. Spend a moment looking at a photo before commenting on it. Try to answer the question "I like this photo because…" It really helps the photographer.

Note: This is a special edition of the Fortnightly Challenge. Topics based on accepted photography guidelines will be supplemented with user suggested topics. For more on the basic rules of good photography look at this link:

10 Top Photography Composition Rules


The Topic Schedule

• 
  [*]Rule of Thirds October 29 - November 11
  [*]Black and White November 12 - 25
  [*]Balancing Elements November 26 - December 9

Dale

 

[Designer Dale]

Last of the Fall colors from Mt. Rainier. It would be better with a shallower DOF. The Aperture screenshot is included for comments on my hit or miss on the topic. No cropping in post.



Dale

 

[Melizard]

Stunning, and subtle. My photo is far less subtle...

 

[Rich-212]

Cakes

I don't have access to Dale's funky tool, but I hope the grid would justify inclusion of this photo in this thread!

Dale, I love the Autumnal colours in your picture - very seasonal! Melizard, I like the top of the dandylion, but it seems to me that the stalk is out of focus - hope you don't mind me saying so, it's all meant as constructive criticism!

This is one of my first attempts shooting in RAW - but I've not cropped or carried out any other PP.

 

[Designer Dale]

Stunning, and subtle. My photo is far less subtle...

Very nice. I like the cool colors and the great separation between the subject and the background. The curve in the stalk is a nice touch.

I don't have access to Dale's funky tool, but I hope the grid would justify inclusion of this photo in this thread!

Dale, I love the Autumnal colours in your picture - very seasonal! Melizard, I like the top of the dandylion, but it seems to me that the stalk is out of focus - hope you don't mind me saying so, it's all meant as constructive criticism!

This is one of my first attempts shooting in RAW - but I've not cropped or carried out any other PP.

Thanks for the compliment. The "funky tool" is a screenshot of the crop tool in Aperture3. Not necessary, but it helped me see the placement of the subject.

Good photo for this topic. Your subject is well defined by the plane of focus. Nice warm color pallet, too.

Dale

 

[fireman32]

DSC_3182 by dspector32, on Flickr

 

[fcortese]

I agree with Dale. We have a very good start to this challenge. Love this one ^^^. Here's my contribution for today:

 

[Keleko]

I agree with Dale. We have a very good start to this challenge. Love this one ^^^. Here's my contribution for today:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/1140/flatheadlake18582011100.jpg[img][/QUOTE]

This is a really good entry, too. Rule of thirds is very well done here the three separations of the landscape as well as the placement of the barn. I also like the separation of warm and cool colors.

Yesterday I made a business day trip to Tallahassee. I took my camera with me, and I was pleased that I had a chance to shoot some live oaks covered in Spanish moss. I used Snapseed on my iPad on the ride home (I wasn't the driver) to process the photos.

[IMG]http://gerg1967.smugmug.com/Nature/Nature/i-w4k3pjx/0/XL/IMG0009-XL.jpg

 

[cherry su]

 

[Hankster]

I agree with Dale. We have a very good start to this challenge. Love this one ^^^. Here's my contribution for today:

I like the barn's red in contrast with the rest of the colors. Nice photo. My photo below.

Autumn

 

[AlphaDogg]

Taken with my iPhone. I thought it looked pretty good and followed the rule of thirds. Taken just off of the Cherry Creek bicycle trail (I do 30 miles a day on it on the weekends and I have done approximately 1800 of my 2000 miles this year that I put on my bike on this trail).

 

[AlphaDogg]

Can I enter twice? Here's a picture that I took the same day. It's about a quarter mile off of the North Platte River Trail.

 

[mackmgg]

One of the few shots where I actually considered the rule of thirds while composing. Usually I just go for what looks nice, but this came out well anyway.

 

[fcortese]

One of the few shots where I actually considered the rule of thirds while composing. Usually I just go for what looks nice, but this came out well anyway.

I love the coloring and layering in this photo. Very nicely done.
Here's another on the leaf theme (not as nice was Han kster's-thanks for the kind words) :

 

[Ish]

Last of the Fall colors from Mt. Rainier. It would be better with a shallower DOF. The Aperture screenshot is included for comments on my hit or miss on the topic. No cropping in post.



Dale

I like the way that, though the colours are similar throughout the shot, you've got a good separation of the point of focus from the background. Nice.

Autumn

This is a nice picture with isolated colours. The main focus is on one 'power point' and a secondary one, the sharpest part of the tree bark, on another. Good job!

This is one I took during the summer:

 

[Ravaroo]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravaroo/6327270678/]
Dana and Randy by Ravaroo, on Flickr[/URL]

Wish I had allowed for a little more room for Dana's hand on the left but these two move so damn fast

 

[fcortese]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravaroo/6327270678/]
Dana and Randy by Ravaroo, on Flickr[/URL]

Wish I had allowed for a little more room for Dana's hand on the left but these two move so damn fast

Wow, a very dynamic picture!

 

[fcortese]

I can't seem to break away from the leaf theme. One last photo:

 

[Designer Dale]

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravaroo/6327270678/]
Dana and Randy by Ravaroo, on Flickr[/URL]

Wish I had allowed for a little more room for Dana's hand on the left but these two move so damn fast

Great dynamics here. I love the fluid motion around the frame.

-------------------------------------------

Another from Penn Cove on Whidbey Island here in Washington State.



This topic has made me realize just how often I fail to pay attention to the basics notions of photography and design that I should use by instinct. Too often I shoot with focus in mind and crop to get the image I wanted in the first place. This is full frame.

Dale

 

[fireman32]

I agree with Dale. We have a very good start to this challenge. Love this one ^^^. Here's my contribution for today:

Image

Thanks for the nice comment. It means a lot to me as I have always enjoyed looking at your photos. I love this one.