(Architecture 101)
Student's Thoughts while on assignment:
Here are my submissions for this week. I was very time challenged this week, but think that I am starting to get the idea on this. Felt that I could have spent some more time looking for better compositions. Looking forward to your feedback and suggestions.
Red Letter Day
It is completely the nature of things to get a bit twisted up in knots when learning a new "rule", say guideline. As with all guidelines, the effort, really, is to get you thinking about achieving greater dynamic expression. More motion, more lines of flow through the image. With a centered subject, it can be a difficult task (though centering can and should be the solution in some cases). So, I see your fence running on the bottom 1/3rd line and the red tree at right striking the vertical 1/3rd line. AND, more too, the flag poles (I notice one at half-mast for memorial?) at left 1/3rd line. And, truth be told, guidelines don't guarantee anything strong by virtue of their employment. This image, and the next, feel tight and precise and I can tell you were slightly boxed in.
Trunk Sale
Taking a lesson from Velasquez and forming a framing device at the left edge hitting the left 1/3rd line. Nicely done with those branches and trees extending into space through the open sky. In this image, yes, the flagpoles take on a little more dynamic and posture in the image, though not quite completely successful. I do like how you are thinking in this one... sort of setting the stage and directing our eye (through the Leading Lines of the branches) directly at your point-of-interest (the half-mast American flag.) The other strong line of the sidewalk takes our eye right off the page and something to be mindful of. But, a better effort!
Ichabod Run
Stronger yet! Pleasure to see this one. This time we have a much clearer idea about what you were up to. The composition is cleaner and more precise, yet at the same time a bit more fluid and natural. This is a really big step in my opinion and dwarfs the first two efforts in this week's work. The sky is very appetizing and rich. You used the left side of the image to "grow" your tree up and out over the top of the wooded home. The tree (nearly silhouette) creates a cozy alcove for the house and makes things comfortable, relaxing. The Ichabod bit I wrote in the title refers to the craggy tree (almost anthropomorphized). Lovely. Good color and better connection to the scene and very well communicated. Blue Ribbon!