The photographer was assigned, at the last minute, to document the site of the contruction of the new softball field. Here's what the photographer turned in for a caption: "The area surrounded by Pullen Road, Derr Track and Cates Avenue is the proposed site for a new softball stadium." (summer 2006)

1. The photographer fulfilled the assignment well and did exactly what he was told.
2. Properly exposed. Foreground (subject) is evenly lit. Lighting is not creative or interesting. High depth of field allowed the photographer to get it all in focus. Good use of wide-angle lens to get a large area in the picture.
3. No center of visual interest. Good job keeping horizon line out of the center of the frame.
4. No meaning. Boring content. No people. No action. No emotion. Very static. No story to tell.
5. No people.
6. When your action verb in the caption is a form of "to be" (am, is, are, was, were), the content of the photo is probably weak. Just because somethings exists (i.e. "It is.") is not, by definition, enough to make it news.
7. The problem for this photo printed on page 1 of the Technician was that the editors gave out the assignment too late. The photographer should have refused the assignment until he or the editors could brainstorm a way to make this more interesting, i.e. by having surveyors on the property, by using unusual lighting, by photographing students playing a game of pick-up softball on the land. It needs people doing something unusual.

GRADE: D

The photographer was assigned to document a rally down at the state Capitol. Here's what the photographer turned in for a caption: "Over 200 people gathered in front of the capital building for a candlelight vigil to protest the recent military strikes in Lebanon. The July 22 vigil was arranged by the Triangle Lebanese Association." (summer 2006)

1. While it was a planned rally, this is essentially spot news. It's good to cover spot news. We need to do more of this. It's also good that the photographer got off campus and shot photos of students interacting with the community.
2. Lack of some detail in the highlights. High depth of field leaves a distracting background. Evenly lit. Good color. But poorly cropped. Sign in upper right is very distracting as is half of the monument.
3. No center of visual interest. No foreground or background that add anything to the photo. Move up close and fill the frame. Look for action. Employ composition techniques to make the photo interesting. Most importantly, move up close.
4. No meaning. Boring content. No center of visual interest. No action. No emotion. Very static. There is a story here, but it is not evident. Move up close.
5. No ethical dilemmas.
6. Weak caption. This is all additional information and points to the lack of a focal point in the image.
7. The problem for this photo was that the photographer didn't take time to find students and then follow them around for a while. This was a good assignment. Good documentary photography involves more than shooting snapshots, it means telling the stories of the people involved in the dramas of life.

GRADE: F

A reporter called the newsroom and notified the photographers that the Shamrock Streakers were getting to run across campus. A photographer set out to document their trek.

1. Great example of covering student life and getting out of the office to document the college experience.
2. Good, even exposure. Good detail in the highlights and shadows. Good use of low/medium depth of field to keep subject in focus but also to give the picture context (i.e. It's on the Brickyard.).
3. Great use of the Rule of Thirds. Glad you didn't cut the streakers off at a joint, but cropped the people mid-calf. Leaving the socks in actually added to the photo. Horizon line needs to be parallel to the edge of the frame.
4. What is the meaning here? Need caption to explain. Caption was, "The 'Shamrock Streakers' give Megan Riley, a writer and copy editor for the Technician, a surprise embrace on St. Patrick's Day in the Brickyard." Not bad. Maybe open to some misinterpretation with four almost naked guys hugging a girl, but probably not.
5. Is Megan laughing or screaming? Could this photo be misinterpreted? Is the partial nudity an issue? (The streakers did not break any laws.)
6. Caption identifies her as a staff member, so we probably wouldn't use this in the newspaper. It was used in recruitment materials for Student Media.
7. In context, especially on a yearbook spread, this was an excellent example of student life. Good job covering action, emotion and spot news. Ethical dilemmas need to be considered and the ramifications of publishing such a photo discussed.

GRADE: A-

The photographer was assigned, at the weekly assignment meeting, to cover the sorority fundraiser on the Brickyard.

1. Great, fun example of documenting the college experience.
2. Good, even exposure. Good detail in the highlights and shadows. Good use of fast enough shutter speed to stop the action.
3. Great use of the Rule of Thirds. Good job moving up close to fill the frame. Excellent job of using a leading line (from eyes to pie) and foreground/background. Backdrop helped keep background clean.
4. Good meaning as part of a fundraising event and a common one on campus at that. The facial expression (emotion) makes this picture.
5. No ethical dilemmas evident.
6. No caption. No name. Presented a problem. This means the photographer lost 90 percent of payment for this photographer since someone else had to go track down caption information.
7. Just a fun photo. Good action. Good people. Good little story.

GRADE: A