Sports Portfolio Evaluation

Part 1- Portfolios 
1. Watch 3 of the 11 Runner-up videos, and answer the following on your blog for EACH:

a. Name of photographer - Alyssa Schukar

b. General focus of portfolio (photo j, sports, stories, etc.) - stories

c. List three problems that the judges noted with the portfolio - photos were very repetitive when it came to angles, there wasn't much variety, and photos were very pessimistic.

d. List two things the judges like - The photo of the boys in the stair well, and the photo of the main cleaning.

e. What is your overall impression of the photographer? What did you like or not like?
 I liked her backstory, and the kind of depressing tone that she had in her work. It gave her work some sort of character.

a. Name of photographer - Nick Adams

b. General focus of portfolio (photo j, sports, stories, etc.) - photo j

c. List three problems that the judges noted with the portfolio - boring/typical photos, safe photos, photos lack a clear story or reason for photos.

d. List two things the judges like - photo of football players fill four corners, liked idea of the cheerleading picture and how the photo was composed.

e. What is your overall impression of the photographer? What did you like or not like? 
I did not like this photographer, he lacked a clear style for all of his photos, there is no reason for some of his photos to be in the portfolio.

a. Name of photographer - Melissa Golden 

b. General focus of portfolio (photo j, sports, stories, etc.) - 

c. List three problems that the judges noted with the portfolio - no purpose for many photos, photos are poorly executed. The pictures were boring and were basically the same pictures.

d. List two things the judges like - Took a nice portrait of an old man, that was well in focus and told a story, they liked some portraits but nothing else.

e. What is your overall impression of the photographer? What did you like or not like?
I feel like they could have made the pictures more interesting if they just thought out what they wanted to do with the photos instead of just taking pictures.
2. Watch the winning portfolio critique (Dustin Snipes), and post the following:

a. What did the judges note as strengths as they were critiquing it?
He had interesting beautifully edited and shot photos that had a purpose in the portfolio.

b. What do you see as strengths? Do you see any weaknesses?
He had a purpose, all subjects are doing something in the photo, he really isn't doing anything that is negative in the eyes of the judges.

3. Watch the contest recap video at the very bottom.


a. Briefly describe the process the judges went through in deciding the winner.
They looked over all the photos, and said concluding comments about the photographer and their photos.

Part 2- Individual Images


1. Describe one photo that you agree with the judges on. Explain why you and the judges do or do not like it.
I agree with the judges on the photo with the man sweeping. I was an interesting picture that had texture and grit that made the viewer want to keep looking at the photo.

2. Describe one photo that you do NOT agree with the judges on. Explain why you think the judges are wrong.

In the photo with the gymnastics theme, I feel like the judges did not pay attention to the purpose of the photo, they did not understand the commercial aspect of the photo, and were just very sour and rude people in the first place.

Architecture Preview #2

1. Details - Wide shots of the entire building often don't give you a full sense of the character of a structure. The best way is often to get close (either literally or with telephoto lens) and get nice shots of the little details that make a building special.

2. Light - The way that light interacts with and travels through a building is a big part of the mood of a building. By finding areas where natural and artificial light create dramatic scenes, and photographing these with a slow shutter speed (tripod is helpful) a photographer can capture the light as it defines the building.

3. Patterns - Repeated patterns often define the large interior and exterior spaces of a building. By framing a shot so as to maximize the effects of repeated lines, structures and shapes, a photographer can capture the visual rhythm of a building.

4. Angles and shapes- Anything other than a right angle or a rectangular shape is worth photographing, and right angles can even be interesting if photographed well. Buildings are a collection of shapes. Photographers should look at them that way and emphasize interesting geometry whenever possible.

5. Surroundings - Buildings exist in a setting, and that setting helps to define the story of the building. Is the building in harmony with its surroundings or does it stick out like a sore thumb. If your shooting a wide exterior shot of a building, try to show how it interacts with the surroundings. Consider framing the building with its surroundings.