Evaluating Your Work

Now that you have a collection of photos, navigate to the place they live on your computer. Make two new folders and call them "like" and "don't like" or something along those lines. The idea is to start evaluating the shots you've taken and separate them into two "piles" - the ones that work and that you like and the ones that don't work so well.

Take a good, long look at each of the shots you've taken and, based on the techniques learned so far, decide which fit into each category and move each into the appropriate folder. As a reminder, these are the things you should be looking for:

• Where is my main subject or the horizon line placed? Is it in the middle of the shot, the lower third, upper third, right or left? Does this work for you and if so, why?
• Is there dead space in the rest of the frame? What, if anything occupies the rest of the space and does it compete with the main subject?
• Is the shot in portrait or landscape orientation? Why is one orientation better than the other for the series of shots taken in that assignment?
• Where do your leading lines take you? Do they follow a path throughout the shot or most of it? Where do your eyes go and do they follow that line or do they get "stuck" at one particular area?
• Most of the "rules" in photography are just guidelines. Is there a shot in your collection that doesn't follow the guidelines, but still works well and that you prefer over one that does follow the compositional guidelines? Why? What is it about that makes for a strong image?

Upcoming

The "KISS" principle and filling your frame.