I hope to learn the name of every student in the class. The teaching assistants and recitation leaders would also like to learn your name. But we need your help. Part of the first assignment, for 10% of the grade on the assignment, is to submit a photograph that will help us learn to recognize you. I’ve consulted with a skilled portrait photographer to prepare guidelines for producing a good, easily recognizable photograph, even if all you have is a cellphone camera. You’ll submit the photo as photo.jpg.
The photograph will be graded as part of the “Impcore” assignment, which is due a week later.
What to submit and how to submit it
You’ll choose a directory for your assignment, in which you will create file photo.jpg. As soon as you have this file, run submit105-photo; if use -q comp105 is not already in your .cshrc or your .profile, you’ll need to run that first. The submit script checks your work and runs provide on your behalf. It also asks some questions about how you prefer to be called.
How your photograph will be evaluated
If your photograph is clear, makes it easy to recognize you, and is not ridiculous in size, it will earn a grade of Very Good (the top grade). If you’re not sure how to take a photograph that makes you easy to recognize, consult the table below. Aim for an “Exemplary” photograph (the left column), be willing to settle for “Satisfactory” (the middle column), and avoid “Must Improve” (the right column).1
| Exemplary | Satisfactory | Must improve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition |
• Head and shoulders fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the frame. • The shot is taken from a distance of 4 to 6 feet, and the camera is zoomed as needed to include just head and shoulders. • Or, the shot is taken from a distance of 4 to 6 feet, then cropped to include just head and shoulders. • The subject is looking at the camera with a normal look on the face. • The background around the subject’s face is one color, and there are no visual features that would distract a viewer from the subject. |
• Face fills the frame; shoulders not visible. • The subject is not looking at the camera, but there is a normal look on the face. • The background around the subject’s face contains distracting visual features, but the distraction is minimal (or is mitigated by soft focus). |
• Photo down to waist; full-body photo. • More than one person visible in photo. • Eyes are closed. • The camera is too close to the subject. (This will happen if you compose the shot by moving the camera toward the subject until the subject’s head and shoulders fill the “viewfinder”; you’ll get perspective distortion.) • The subject is making a strange face (eye rolls, etc) • The background around the subject’s face contains distracting visual features, making it difficult for a viewer to identify the subject without concentrating. |
| Lighting |
• The subject is illuminated by two or more light sources, such that one side of the subject’s face is noticeably brighter than the other (about 2 to 1). • The main sources of light are soft and diffuse: overcast sky, indirect daylight, daylight reflected off a wall or building, and so on. |
• The subject’s face is lit evenly. • The subject’s face is lit by ambient light, plus flash bounced off a ceiling or wall (possible only with a real camera) |
• The background is significantly brighter than the subject. • There is light behind the subject aimed at the camera. • The sun is shining in the subject’s face. • The subject is illuminated by a camera flash. |
| Focus |
• The subject is in sharp focus, while the background is a little blurry (possibly only with a real camera or with very sophisticated software). • The subject’s face is in sharp focus. |
• Some part of the subject is in sharp focus, or something near the subject is in sharp focus. The subject’s face is not in sharp focus but is still easy to recognize. |
• The subject’s face is out of focus. |
| File |
• The uploaded image file is from 300KB to 1.2MB in size. • Resolution of the uploaded file is high enough that there’s no pixelation. • The uploaded image is at least as tall as it is wide (portrait orientation) |
• The uploaded image file is at most 2MB in size. • When shown at a few inches high, the uploaded image file is pixelated or has compression blur. |
• The uploaded image file is more than 2MB in size. • At its natural resolution, the uploaded image file shows pixels or compression artifacts. • The uploaded image is wider than it is tall (landscape orientation) |