holly0817
03-01-2011, 08:06 PM
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s92/lizzy9801/shutterbug4.png
Hello my Bloomie friends! I am so excited to be hosting the Shutterbug challenge at 9th & Bloom. My name is Holly and I love photography. A good photograph can make your layout really beautiful so I will be challenging you to take extraordinary pictures. It doesn't matter if you have a point-and-shoot or a DSLR, it's the memory you capture that makes a special photo.
This month, I want to challenge you to think about your composition and incorporating the rule of thirds into your photo. The rule of thirds (ROT) is composed of a grid of three lines by three lines that is overlaid on your photo. Studies have shown that viewers are naturally drawn to elements placed at the intersection of these lines so this forces you to be more thoughtful in how you compose or crop your shot. Generally you want to try to line up your horizon along the lower horizontal line but either line is good depending on what else is going on in your scene. Aligning your subject along one of the vertical lines is also pleasing. If you are taking a portrait, putting the intersection on an eye or a smile works well. You want to be aware of the pose of your subject as well as the surrounding scene. Some portraits are better left as a center-focused shot. If your subject is looking away from the camera, be sure to allow the negative space to exist where they are looking; you don't want them looking out of the frame and wondering what they are looking at.
Challenge theme: Composition and the Rule of Thirds
Take a photo this month keeping in mind the composition of your scene. Place your subject along one of the lines and put a point of interest at one of the intersections. You may do this in camera or in post-processing by using your crop tool. If you are using Lightroom 3 or Photoshop CS5, the rule-of-thirds overlay is included in your crop tool. If you are using an earlier version of PS or even PSE, I've found an action that you can download that will place the overlay on your photo along with instructions: Rule of Thirds Action (http://www.panosfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:ruleofthirds&catid=42:free-stuff&Itemid=57). I tested the action and it worked for me in PS CS4. You can also turn on your grid option (Preferences->General->Guides, Grids, and Slices {in PS CS4}) and use these settings in the grid area: gridlines = every 33.3 percent, style = lines, subdivision = 1. This option won't scale with your crop so it's not helpful when you are cropping but it will show you the ROT overlay when you are opening a photo or post-crop. If you use the linked action to crop your photo, turn off the grid so you don't get confused.
Here is the same image in PS CS4 with the grid option turned on. You can see that my point of interest (Dominic's eye) isn't exactly at one of the intersection points though his smile is. Since I want the focus to be on his eyes, I will crop this using the ROT action.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/beforeROT-1.png
Using the ROT action, I line up Dominic's eye within the points.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/duringROT.png
After cropping, this photo now follows the rule of thirds.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/afterROT-1.png
Here is a screenshot of my image in Lightroom using the ROT crop tool:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/LRcropROT.png
Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/beforeROT.jpg
After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/afterROT.jpg
If you run into any problems with this tutorial, let me know and I'll see what I can to help you.
Some cameras have built-in ROT displays. On your camera, go to your Menu>Settings>Display (or something to that effect on your camera). The option is usually called "Grid" and usually defaults to "Off"; turn this option "On"* and when you look through your viewfinder or Live Display, the ROT grid will appear as faint lines over your image. You can then line up your shot accordingly.
*Note: some cameras have more than one Grid option. Rotate through the options until you see the ROT display appear. Some cameras may not offer this function, but with a little practice, you will become proficient in achieving this composition on your own. Remember that not every scene will lend itself to the ROT composition... use your judgment and follow your instincts.
How to enter your photo:
Please submit your entry in the Shutterbug gallery (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=521). Please title your photo “March Shutterbug,” then come back to this (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2776) thread and post a link to your photo in the gallery. Your photo doesn't have to be a new one, you may use one you have already taken and crop it using the rule of thirds. I will personally be providing feedback for each entry!
One entry per person please!
Deadline for all challenges is the last day of the month, 11:59 p.m. (CST).
Here are two examples from me using the rule of thirds. I included a red circle to show you where my intersecting point falls but you should not include this in your entry.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/ROTexample2.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/ROTexample.png
This challenge will earn you one point. You may participate in the other 9th & Bloom challenges this month to earn more points. When you earn 12 points, you can redeem them for a $10 gift certificate to our store! Visit the Challenge District (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13) for more information. Thank you for taking a look and hope to see you at 9th & Bloom!
Hello my Bloomie friends! I am so excited to be hosting the Shutterbug challenge at 9th & Bloom. My name is Holly and I love photography. A good photograph can make your layout really beautiful so I will be challenging you to take extraordinary pictures. It doesn't matter if you have a point-and-shoot or a DSLR, it's the memory you capture that makes a special photo.
This month, I want to challenge you to think about your composition and incorporating the rule of thirds into your photo. The rule of thirds (ROT) is composed of a grid of three lines by three lines that is overlaid on your photo. Studies have shown that viewers are naturally drawn to elements placed at the intersection of these lines so this forces you to be more thoughtful in how you compose or crop your shot. Generally you want to try to line up your horizon along the lower horizontal line but either line is good depending on what else is going on in your scene. Aligning your subject along one of the vertical lines is also pleasing. If you are taking a portrait, putting the intersection on an eye or a smile works well. You want to be aware of the pose of your subject as well as the surrounding scene. Some portraits are better left as a center-focused shot. If your subject is looking away from the camera, be sure to allow the negative space to exist where they are looking; you don't want them looking out of the frame and wondering what they are looking at.
Challenge theme: Composition and the Rule of Thirds
Take a photo this month keeping in mind the composition of your scene. Place your subject along one of the lines and put a point of interest at one of the intersections. You may do this in camera or in post-processing by using your crop tool. If you are using Lightroom 3 or Photoshop CS5, the rule-of-thirds overlay is included in your crop tool. If you are using an earlier version of PS or even PSE, I've found an action that you can download that will place the overlay on your photo along with instructions: Rule of Thirds Action (http://www.panosfx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:ruleofthirds&catid=42:free-stuff&Itemid=57). I tested the action and it worked for me in PS CS4. You can also turn on your grid option (Preferences->General->Guides, Grids, and Slices {in PS CS4}) and use these settings in the grid area: gridlines = every 33.3 percent, style = lines, subdivision = 1. This option won't scale with your crop so it's not helpful when you are cropping but it will show you the ROT overlay when you are opening a photo or post-crop. If you use the linked action to crop your photo, turn off the grid so you don't get confused.
Here is the same image in PS CS4 with the grid option turned on. You can see that my point of interest (Dominic's eye) isn't exactly at one of the intersection points though his smile is. Since I want the focus to be on his eyes, I will crop this using the ROT action.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/beforeROT-1.png
Using the ROT action, I line up Dominic's eye within the points.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/duringROT.png
After cropping, this photo now follows the rule of thirds.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/afterROT-1.png
Here is a screenshot of my image in Lightroom using the ROT crop tool:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/LRcropROT.png
Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/beforeROT.jpg
After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/afterROT.jpg
If you run into any problems with this tutorial, let me know and I'll see what I can to help you.
Some cameras have built-in ROT displays. On your camera, go to your Menu>Settings>Display (or something to that effect on your camera). The option is usually called "Grid" and usually defaults to "Off"; turn this option "On"* and when you look through your viewfinder or Live Display, the ROT grid will appear as faint lines over your image. You can then line up your shot accordingly.
*Note: some cameras have more than one Grid option. Rotate through the options until you see the ROT display appear. Some cameras may not offer this function, but with a little practice, you will become proficient in achieving this composition on your own. Remember that not every scene will lend itself to the ROT composition... use your judgment and follow your instincts.
How to enter your photo:
Please submit your entry in the Shutterbug gallery (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=521). Please title your photo “March Shutterbug,” then come back to this (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2776) thread and post a link to your photo in the gallery. Your photo doesn't have to be a new one, you may use one you have already taken and crop it using the rule of thirds. I will personally be providing feedback for each entry!
One entry per person please!
Deadline for all challenges is the last day of the month, 11:59 p.m. (CST).
Here are two examples from me using the rule of thirds. I included a red circle to show you where my intersecting point falls but you should not include this in your entry.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/ROTexample2.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v37/Holly0817/Digital%20Star%20Design/ROTexample.png
This challenge will earn you one point. You may participate in the other 9th & Bloom challenges this month to earn more points. When you earn 12 points, you can redeem them for a $10 gift certificate to our store! Visit the Challenge District (http://www.ninthandbloom.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13) for more information. Thank you for taking a look and hope to see you at 9th & Bloom!