MouseScrappers.com - Weekly Challenge #153 (9/26

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Weekly Challenge #153 (9/26 - 10/2)

You are going to get more than you bargained for with this weekly challenge. Get ready to read... :D

I am a university level mathematics professor and I am passionate about photography! Yeah, I'm one of those nerds who finds math in everything...but really, mathematics is an integral part of good photograph composition. Where are the math haters? I know you're out there! :rolleyes:

The Rule of Thirds is a perfect example of how math and photography go hand in hand. Basically, the Rule of Thirds states that if you divide the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically, the focal point(s) of your photos should fall on the intersections of those lines or on the lines themselves. Research confirms that our eyes are drawn to the intersection points of the lines that separate the frame into thirds and secondly to the lines themselves...not to the center of the frame (which is where most people place their subject).

Don't believe me? Here is a photo my cousin took of my husband during a fishing trip in 2008. The first image has him centered in the frame, just as she took the photo. The second shows the same photo but uses the Rule of Thirds.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/...ge/fishing.jpg

You may see the improvement right away, but if you need a little more convincing, look away from the computer for a moment, and when you look back, identify the first thing you see in the original photo, what your eye is drawn to. Then repeat with the Rule of Thirds photo. With the original photo, the eye wanders a bit and finally settle on the subject, you may even find yourself looking at something in the water. In the Rule of Thirds photo, the eye is immediately drawn to the subject's face and the lines created by the subject's body and the bank in the background. The Rule of Thirds is so widely used that on most cameras, you can get a Rule of Thirds grid to appear on the camera's screen to help you set up your shots.

The Rule of Thirds can also apply to layouts; the focal point(s) of your layout should fall on the intersections of those lines or on the lines themselves. Here's an example: The 1st layout was done using a modified version of one of Cindy Schneider's Sequentials templates. To get the 2nd version of the layout, I applied the Rule of Thirds. In the course of modifying the template to fit the Rule of Thirds grid, I had to move the journaling and ended up making everything slightly bigger.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/...nge/layout.jpg

After applying the Rule of Thirds, my daughter's face (in the larger photo) and the point between Tinkerbell and my daughter (in the smaller photo) fall on the intersection points.

Now, don't get me wrong, the 1st layout is good (well, I think it is), but the Rule of Thirds made the 2nd one better by drawing the eye to what I determined to be the most important part of the layout...my daughter's face :)

Since I'm strange and scrap 8x10 layouts, this is my final version:

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...Tinkerbell.jpg

Ok, here is the challenge (finally)...

I want you to create a layout that uses the Rule of Thirds. Below is a link to a Rule of Thirds grid (PNG) that I made just for you. Make it the top layer of the document in your favorite program and line things up with it. You can start from scratch using the grid or use it to modify an existing template/layout.

Rule of Thirds Grid (PNG)

If you made it through all of my ramblings and choose to accept and complete this challenge, you will receive the 3rd part in my series of Autograph PPs (letters M-P).

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/...aph_PP_M-P.jpg

If you want to see more examples of how you can use the Rule of Thirds in layouts, check out my gallery. I start every one of my layouts with the Rule of Thirds grid. This can become an obsession if you let it (I have :))...it's no accident that my photos are sized, positioned and rotated like they are. You can use the Rule of Thirds to crop your photos and then to align them in the layout, and don't forget about the titles and clusters; they can all be aligned with the Rule of Thirds grid!

See if you can figure out what I wanted to be the focus of these layouts.
http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...24-Arrival.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...For-Parade.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...dom-Parade.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...-of-Castle.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...m-Entrance.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...ic-Carpets.jpg

Oh I hope that I have time to join this challenge......I think I just might!!!! And as for you doing 8 x 10, well our eyes also see things in rectangle's, not square's like our scrapbook pages. TVs, computer screens, view screens on cameras, pictures-all rectangles.

WOW, Christina, I think I am learning something new! :eek:

I will give it a try! thank you for the free PNG and the awesome PP.:scrapbooking:

Quote:

Originally Posted by afirmbeliever (Post 119361)

Oooooh, you're talking about the Golden Ratio! We'll have to save that for another day...I have to break you guys in slowly :lol:

ooooohhhhh..... my head hurts! LOL I told my hubby about this challenge and he likes it.....he's one of those "math nerds" !! LOL All kidding aside...looks to be a fun challenge!

Smiles!

Stacy:D

Thanks for this great challenge and awesome pp!! It wasn't easy to use the rule of thirds but the grid helped a lot!! Thanks for that! Here is my page:
http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...ie_kleiner.jpg
Also posted here: http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...419#post119419

Oh Christina, I had to smile as I read through your challenge! I have a whole family of math nerds...daughter teaches high school math, husband teaches college and son is a software engineer so it just sounded like a normal family conversation to me! Great challenge! Hope I have some time to get it done! :)

I just uploaded the preview of the PP! Check it out in the first post...

thank you Christina! here is mine, I hope i got it right!

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...Ariel2-002.jpg

:credits:
Also Here:http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...481#post119481

I hope I did this right??? I used the grid, but I'm not that great at math....:confused:

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...75/MNSSHP3.jpg

Also post to: http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...504#post119504

Wow, Christina I think you have outdone yourself with this one! I will admit math was never my favorite subject but seeing how it is useful in real life applications like this definitely makes it more fun. :D Here is my take on it:

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...unt_show_1.jpg

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...unt_show_2.jpg

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...unt_show_1.jpg http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...unt_show_2.jpg

Thanks for a great challenge and another awesome pp! :thumbsup:
:credits:

Here's my layout. Thanks for hosting.
The eyes and the camara Genie is holding are on the top line, the big roof of the castle at the lower photo is on the conjunction of two lines! Great to use this! And you don't have to use this only if you like maths (I don't, sorry), but it is something you learn for designing too! ;-) It's one of the main rules, also for photography!
http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...arpetklein.jpg
Also posted here: http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...576#post119576

Super fun challenge! Thank you!

Here's mine:

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...cessJasWeb.jpg

also posted to Jasmine thread

Thank you for this great page and photograph tip in the form of a weekly challenge! I had fun, got a page done and learned a lot!

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...RT_updated.jpg

Also posted here

I am definitely one of those people who is allergic to math ;) That's probably the reason that the "rule of thirds" always eludes me!!:D Thank you so much for the great explanation and pictures to help. I really hope I will have the time to do this challenge.

Geez, how did I miss this? I gotta get scrapping!

Thank you so much for teaching me something new. I hope I got it right, I used the grid but confused myself with the lines in the patterned paper :)
http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...time-2009_.jpg

http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...ead.php?t=3609

Such a fun challenge and I love the autographs, I have the other two sets as well!!! Thanks so much

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...e-May-Cafe.jpg

Also here

http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...724#post119724

First ever Mickey Bars

What a fun challenge! Thanks for the information and grid - I hope I got it! :) The only photo I moved off the grid is my son because I liked him in the middle better... :)

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...irds_2web_.jpg

Thanks for hosting! The middle of my photo is lined up smack in the middle of that bottom left intersection.

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...ain-Street.jpg

Also posted in the forums here.

Glad I didn't miss this one! Love the pp! Thanks for the challenge & pp!

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos/data/575/cdf.jpg

http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...757#post119757

I think I followed everything correctly?

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...allenge153.jpg

:credits:

Thanks for the fun challenging challenge! :D

Also posted here: http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...765#post119765

Wow, This was interesting!! Thanks!! I was busy on a 2 pager for my book, and decided to give it a try. So now I've done half of the 2 pager with the grid! (the other side is almost finished, but will never be able to be here in time I guess...)

I wanted the focus on the line of photo's and papers, so I've made sure that the main lines laid exactly on those grid lines!

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...-Left-REDO.jpg

Also posted: http://www.mousescrappers.com/forums...769#post119769

Well, it started out small. Then I added the large photo. Then it escalated out of control. But I did start with the rule of 3rds. Honestly. Dug's big photo is 1/3 of the page, ya know... :whistle:

Oh well...

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...575/dug_25.jpg

posted here under Dug.

You all did an amazing job!!! I may not ever convince you that math is fun but thanks for humoring me :D

I am running so behind on everything this week but I will have your PPs to you before the weekend is over.

Thank you for playing along with my challenge!

Here is my attempt. Kept the images in the circles on the thirds. Mantis and zargot on thirds. The hotels are both on opposite thirds. Template lent itself well to thirds -

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...9_Atlantis.jpg

Jim

Can't believe I forgot to post the layout I created. I've been totally bogged under recently, I know I no longer qualify for the awesome prize but thought I'd post the layout here anyway.

http://www.mousescrappers.com/photos...d-Mansion2.jpg