Have you ever wonder what makes a photo so captivating? How is it making you look at it more than any other photos you've seen? What could be the key element that grabs your attention to it?
The simple answer to it is that the photo has an established "point of interest" that most would call as "focal point". It is basically the most important feature of an image. Without it, the image is just a plain blank space. A photo without a strong element may look fine however, without an established focal point, the viewer will simply glance on it without getting a deep mark to the viewer's memory. The photo is simply not particularly interesting.
If we are to ask ourselves, what could be the best element that could be set as the focal point of an image. In my opinion, there is no precise answer to it. Although, any element could potentially be the focal point, it could also be helped and allow the viewers to easily recognize it.
First, it has something to do with the position of the element within the frame. A good placement will provide the viewers enough motivation to assess. A chaotic composition will give a bad impression to the viewer and simply ignore the photo. A good way to start the composition through the use of the "Rule of Thirds", we have written an article about it here.
Observe how the main subject of the first two photos were placed, they aligned to what the Rule of thirds is trying to say - divide the image into three equal parts for both horizontal & vertical, and then position the subject along or on the intersection of any of the two lines. It's not a full proof solution to the composition of an image but it's a good start to begin exploring the possibilities.
Another way to exemplify the focal point of an image is find a view where everything will converge to a certain part of the image. On the image below where a spiral staircase is featured as the focal point, the spiralling down of the shape is an "attention grabber". The composition of this image is captivating to a point that viewer is almost hypnotize and unable to escape from it, in a good way of course.
It's in our nature that we tend to focus on the things that are visually clear and disregard the ones that are obscured. For this reason alone, I would say that a simple approach to deliver the focal point of an image is to blur out the rest of the photo. By doing so, we're able to eliminate the unnecessary elements of an image and get the viewer to focus on the element that we want to showcase.
Another way to exemplifiy the focal point of an image is to frame it. In this way, we're able to encapsulate the focal point and allow the viewer to realise the subject of the image.
Our eyes are geared to be attracted with movement, we tend to focus on the things that move. Even though the photo itself is static, we're able to show the feeling of movement to it. A glimpse of the action will serve as a good indication of the movement that the subject is doing or about to do.
There are more than one ways to create a compelling photo and we shouldn't be limited to the guide or rules, let your imagination soar and assess each step of the way and recognise the possibilities of each point of view.
Images 2 to 7: source
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://photocircle.repollo.org/2019/03/26/photocircle-digest-focal-point/