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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 149 - Breaking the Rules >> Challenge 149 - Pending > Restoration Vase
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21-DEC-2007 John Prichard

Restoration Vase

Restoration Hardware, Stonebridge Mall, Frisco, Tx

To move this back into eligible, I have created a new subject and almost centered it but putting it just touching the 1/3 crossing lines. This helps to let your eye slip off onto the right side of the picture into the blurriness. The steep edge into blurriness makes the picture have more depth (height in this case). It also helps to define the right edge of the subject. The scrunched side also places the subject in more perspective. So by placing the subject toward the center it helps the eye traverse right/left which helps to balance the picture left/right. Rotating so that the highlights run from bottom left 1/3 to the upper right 1/3, allows your eyes trace in this direction too. By running your eye up/down, left/right and highlight to highlight your eye traces a circle, that makes this object appear convex and very much like a breast. Making it a ringer for the men's votes. Rules broken are taking the subject off the 1/3 crossing lines and almost centered subject, blurry parts and putting a PG subject into the challenge.

Previous justification that didn't fly ***
While the red floating on a sea of glass is the subject here, I purposefully put the highlight point, the point your eye is guided toward, at the 1/3 point. I also make sure to have the stream of highlights run at a 45 deg angle so that the red could be king. The vase bottom makes a strong statement as to where your eye should look but the delicate red takes your eye away so that you move back and forth over the complete inside of the vase.

Canon PowerShot G9
1/60s f/2.8 at 7.4mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ctfchallenge26-Dec-2007 16:05
I'm having quite a difficult time here on your rule of thirds. No, the "nipple" is not centered on the upper right intersection of thirds, but its highlight is. The circle of the "areola's" edge, does pass directly through all four intersections of thirds. Thre is a clear ridge of a line that exits the top of the frame precisely at the right line of thirds. I'm really going to have to say that you used the rule of thirds to good advantage here. I did say that one must not tinkle with rules, one must smash them to smitherines - so I guess that is my saving grace on my decision to deem this ineligible for your rule of thirds claim. I think it is the heeding of the rule of thirds that makes the composition work well. Now, let's take a look at your second claim - "blurry parts". I don't know of any rule that says one shouldn't have blurry parts in an image. In fact, one of the rules is selective focus - it draws the viewer to the place where the photographer wants us to look. This rule is well observed here - in fact, it is the strict adherence to this rule that allows us to separate the "breast" from the "chest", or "cleavage" in the upper right-hand corner. Without that DOF, it would be difficult to distinguish the curve of the edge of the "breast" at that point, flattening the image. So, again, you have done well to follow that rule. Your third claim - PG images... well, firstly, LOL!, that's not a rule of photography, and secondly, it's not even a challenge rule! LOL! We've had R rated images here as well. ;)

So, unless there is some rule you've broken here, this image simply does not qualify. I don't see any obvious rules broken, so I can't even help you out by making a suggestion. The only thing might be color fidelity - this looks to me to be affected by incandescent or fluorescent lighting. I think it might be more attractive if color-corrected. But, either way, the incorrect color fidelity does not add to the image, so you can't claim that as a broken rule b/c it didn't work in the image's favor. Unless, of course, you convince me that you sincerely believe it does, but your nose would have to get awfully brown in the process! LOL! ;) BTW, you did very well to make the "breast" of this image. Unfortunately, the Queen rules with an iron fist! LOL! ~ Lonnit

ctfchallenge25-Dec-2007 23:43
On other thing. Your eyes perceive out of focus many times to be more distant. So when you see something close that is in focus and the something out of focus you assume it is farther creating depth. Men may pick up on the convex thing first because they are always seeing these things when they aren't there (according to my wife who just took a look). John
ctfchallenge24-Dec-2007 17:46
Huge problem here. You state that you intentionally put your subject (the red) off the rule of thirds, and put the highlight on it instead - your intention being to do the opposite of what the rule of thirds would suggest. The problem is, that my eye is jumping back and forth between the highlight at the upper right (which, BTW, is NOT actually on the intersection of thirds - you missed! LOL!), but the brightest red, is. That patch of red in the lower left points it's arrow-head (it's tail being the white highlight that reaches towards the corner) directly at the lower left intersection of thirds! You did exactly what you were trying not to! LOL! This rule of thirds is a tricky little gem, isn't it! LOL! ;) So, unfortunately, unqualified. ~ Lonnit
Rod 23-Dec-2007 07:10
I think the only rule John broke here is the rule of never shooting into a vase:-) But it does look good a.
ctfchallenge23-Dec-2007 00:27
Visually this is quite successful and I think you can well argue that you violated the "thirds" rule in order to accomplish a modernist imperative of flatness. Had the apex of the bowl been on a thirds intersection, it would not have achieved the perception of almost flatness that it has as it is. Good eye. -tv
ctfchallenge22-Dec-2007 19:28
Interesting image, but John, what rule did you break and why? Cheers, -mikey
ctfchallenge22-Dec-2007 19:25
I hope there was someone else lurking around take pictures of you standing on the furniture! I love that store. And I think I like this vase better from the inside than I would from out.
Penny Street
ctfchallenge22-Dec-2007 18:15
Restoration Hardware is my favorite store in this Mall and so with gusto I followed my wife in with camera in hand. They have such unusual stuff here. I have a couple more for when I get booted to pending. These vases were sitting in the middle of a room on a center standing shelf with a spot shining down from the top so that you could see them glow. I stand on the platform base so that I could get a shot from the inside ... after I'm done there is a young woman clerk of 20ish looking disapprovingly of me ... a grown 58 year old standing on their furniture with a camera in his hand. I compose myself into a vase inspector pose and want to say "no dust here" but wisely choose to leave quickly into another room to see if there was any more gold to mine here. Ah! the sacrifices and humiliation we have to suffer to get the shot. John