Placement: Perhaps the most important factor when judging a rulzng is assessing the manner in which one pops into frame...Do they barely make it into a corner of the picture, or does their presence completely shift the viewer's attention from the intended subject?
Expression: Closely related to placement is expression. Does the rulzor look taken aback, shocked, or unprepared for their important background work? Or do they unveil a gem of a face, either through disciplined forethought or an off-the-cuff stroke of genius, resulting in the most priceless of snaps?
Discretion: How clever is a rulzor to avoid immediate detection? Is he/she half-groping the very person(s) he/she is trying to hide behind and surprise, or do they appear but for an infinitessimal flash of light (even undetectable on first glance of the photo review), disappearing into thin air before anyone is the wiser. Anecdotal lore will help bolster this argument (i.e., "I saw the pre-flash go off halfway across the bar, Ferris-Buellered over two barstools and a beer pong table, just in time to get my pants off and give the old 'Three Thumbs Up" pose before paying for all of their drinks and hopping into a cab.")
(Un)Familiarity: How well (or loosely, rather) is the rulzor acquainted with their subjects? Has it gotten to the point where, "Oh God, Dan's up to his old tricks again," or have the rulzees never even seen their rulzor before, much less asked him/her to jump into a picture with them? Note: familiarity acquired after the fact does not play a retroactive role, as this relationship may become instrumental in recovering the picture, and/or fostering a sense of fellowship and good fun going forward.
Quality: Last but not least, the production quality of the photograph overall will play a role in its critical review. Did the rulzor manage to find his way into the grainy background of a shot from a camera phone, or is it clear that time and thought went into setting up a shot whose subjects were originally supposed to be glowing, prominent, and vibrant? Publication in broadcast, print, and online media are huge +'s.
Let's consider an example from the Rulzng Archive, circa Summer 2005:
Placement: (4/5)My head is placed at a near 90 degrees with respect to the subjects, which is no small feat--I assure you. It's almost as if I'm resting my head on pillows of pure joy!
Expression: (3/5)
This is my standard happy/surprised/gay face. It's well-executed, and self-kudos for having my eyes wide open, but Kelly is mimicking it almost perfectly, as if to say, "I can do that too--and make it look sexually inviting, chump."
Discretion: (2/5)
I'm pretty sure they knew I was there. I have distinctively bad breath.
(Un)Familiarity: (2/5)
Cat and Kelly are good friends of mine. We went to punk shows in high school, all had bleached hair, and hung out with the Espina's and McNulty's of the world, maybe at Taxco Trails.
Quality: (3/5)
The picture looks pretty good. Kelly's not wearing a bra, and I think Timmy Smith took the photo...I hope it's evident that he implemented his avant garde auteur at the last second to create a disorienting vortex of swirling heads, as if dangling on some sort of hellish mobile for crack-babies to swat at in futility.
Well, rulzorz and rulzeez, them's the rulz. Start searching through your photo archives to find choice pics of people who you've rulzd, or those with "that guy" who has rulzd you!
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