In today’s tutorial, we understand presence to be a ‘window’ that engages the viewer. Sir later explained that engagement would imply that the image is more than just a picture and would draw the viewer into that 3D space.
I presented this two pictures to the class:
It was an extremely hot and sunny afternoon, so I had to increase my shutter speed by a whole lot in order to avoid overexposure.
ISO: 100 1/50 7.1
I also had two other shots of the durian shells, but one of them is seriously over exposed, and I didn’t like the other one because the ATM machine can be seen and it’s rather distracting:
edit
I realised I forgot the part on self assessment here. Here goes:
Self assessment:
For the picture on the bottles and newspapers, I give myself 45/50 for technicalities and 48/50 for visual appeal. In total it’s 93/100. I think my composition for this picture comes from a unique perspective, and the close up of the two “rubbish” does convey and tells audiences the story behind the person who threw them away. When questioned which are the pictures that created a sense of entry into the space, Stephanie pointed out mine, so I guess my composition works. 
For the picture on the durians, Mr. Reddy said that it would be better if the man is not so centralised. However, I like the way i positioned the camera to capture the durian shells that eventually leads to the seller. Mark mentioned that the durian shells gave the picture texture, and thus adds contrast and depth into the picture space.
I give myself 43/50 for visual appeal, but because it is overexposed, I give myself 42/50 for technicalities. In total: 87/100
The two photos together, adds up to 90/100.
Benchmarks:
I think Mike did a great job on this assignment. His picture of the night sky was breathtaking. I love love love the colours, and the peek-a-boo horizon that makes a nice composition. I give him 97/100 for this assignment.
Paul also did a great job on his collection. I think what is most commendable about his work is that he puts in a lot of thought in the series. I saw his album and they are organised in terms of colours. The vibrancy and contrast in the colours were stunning. However, When compared with Mike’s works, Paul’s photos felt a bit distant, and does not engage me as much as Mike’s. Perhaps I can’t blame Paul for technical issues (because he has them, no doubt) but Mike just chose a really good subject, and took the chance when he had it to photograph the sky in that state.
Nevertheless, Paul still made the tops list with 96.5/100.
