010 - April 9, 2010 -- Color Casts
Answering your questions: “What Makes a Good Picture- part 2)
In the last article, I talked about establishing a focal point in your photo by using bright areas or camera focus to help inspire eye movement in the viewer. There are many other elements occurring naturally that inspire eye movement that can be successfully brought into still photography. Two that we’ll talk about here are: the placement of the focal point on the photo and the natural lines that occur in any visual scene. You can find the illustrations on my web site.
Many professional photographers will tell you the least desirable spot to place the main subject is dead center. This placement tends to pull the eyes to the photo’s center so the whole picture is absorbed at once and the viewer’s eyes move to something else other than your photo. It’s likely many of you will immediately think of that picture of a loved one or a school class picture and wonder, if that’s a bad picture, why do I like it and why are so many individual pictures centered like that. Remember, in a portrait, the eyes will tend to be the primary focal point. If you like the portrait photo, the eyes are probably about 1/3 of the way from the top (or the side) of the photo. With the eye placement 1/3 of the way from the top of the photo, the viewer’s eye is drawn downward to the rest of the photo then back up to the focal point – hopefully several times. [Illustration 010-1 at my web site compares eye placement in photos].
These observations on eye placement, leads us to what many photographers call the “rule of thirds”. Artists have long observed that centering the focal point leads to relatively uninteresting presentations and somebody ends up lining bird cages with their canvases and sketches. However, if they were to divide the canvas into thirds from top to bottom and in thirds from side to side and place the subject on one of those structural lines, they’ll create a more appealing and visually active product [Illustration 010-2]. Placing the subject at one of the structural lines of thirds causes eye movement in the viewer.
What if the subject in the photo was actually looking slightly away from the camera? Here’s a fun mind game you can play sometime to observe the effect. When you’re talking with other people, kind of gaze over their shoulder – sort of like you’re watching a spider descend from the ceiling onto their shoulder. How long does it take before they have to look to see what you’re watching? Eye direction in a painting or photo can effectively direct the viewer’s attention to a secondary focal point – or even something that’s implied outside the photo. In a photo with more than one person in it, the eye direction of a secondary subject directs the viewer back to the primary subject [Illustration 010-3].
Structural elements and implied lines in the photos can also help guide the viewer’s attention around a picture. Look for elements that seem to direct attention contrary to the dominant lines in the photo. Normally, the eye scans from side to side ( just like reading) or, up and down (just like reading in Japanese). Depending on which eye movement tendency is dominant, the viewer could miss major parts of a scene; moms and dads, how many times have you found something in plain sight for one of your kids that happened to be next to where they were looking? An easy way to tie in different areas of a scene is by looking for elements that lie at a diagonal to the position of the subject [Illustration 010-4]. This could be an arm or shoulder position or the way an object or prop is placed in the photo frame.
Perspective is another line element that can add movement to you photos. Generally the eye will focus on the larger part of the structure and lead into the picture. You can maximize the effect of direction by adding perspective to the diagonal element; look for lines that converge into the distance [Illustration 010-5]. Hint: be careful that your camera focuses on the main subject, not the closest object.
In composing a good photo, a useful technique is to direct the attention by placing the eye’s primary focal point off center. This helps create eye movement around the photo as the eye is drawn to the broader, open areas of the photo.
Tip #1: Remember the Rule of Thirds for composing interesting photos
Tip#2: In people photos, especially close-ups, the eyes are important. Usually for stronger photos, place the eyes at the top third line.
Tip #3: Perspective can add a strong sense of eye motion to your photo.
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