Posts Tagged ‘focal points in photography’
In common language, the word “focus” usually means the concentration of attention on something. Similarly, in photography, a focal point can be considered as the place on which all the observers’ eyes will be set when he looks at a photo. Therefore, focal points are important elements of any photograph.
A plain photo with no focal points will probably not grab the attention of the observer for a long time even if the composition is great. The reason is that the eyes usually look for something interesting and unique to grab their attention. Whether it is a flower, a barrel, or a human, any interesting object will do.
There are many ways to enhance a focal point and all are related to the conventional rules of photography. The first thing to take care of is where to place your focal point. A good place to start is at the four hot-spots or along the lines of thirds. Another possibility is to place it at the convergence point of leading lines which naturally grab attention into the photograph. Studying your surroundings is essential to know which is the best approach to use.
In addition to the position, contrasting your object with a background of textures or patterns will make it stand out too. This contrast will add more definition to the shape of your object yielding an excellent focal point. A strong colorful contrast can only improve the effect further. Always remember that the brighter and bigger your object is, the more attention it will grab.
If the surroundings are distracting, maybe you should make them less detailed to bring out your object. It is a sort of distinction between the out of focus environment and the in focus object. With the whole picture blurred out except for a detailed object, it will naturally grab the attention of the observer. During this process, the depth of field is changed. The shallower the DOF is, the blurrier the out of focus objects will be. A similar effect can be the result of motion blur. In long exposures, moving objects tend to lose their details while still objects maintain their shapes and forms.
Although you may contain more than one focal point in your composition, too many will just render your photograph confusing. Therefore, when capturing your next photo, try to think about it from an observer’s point of view.
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