Photography Focal Points
Posted on August 12, 2009
Filed Under Digital Camera Features, Good Digital Cameras |
In optics, a focal point is the point of intersection of parallel light rays that passes through a convex lens or that are reflected from a concave mirror. In the world of visual arts, the focal point is the place on the canvas on which the observers’ eyes will focus. Therefore, focal points are important elements of any photograph.
Any photograph lacking a focal point will not attract except a few quick glances. The reason is that the eyes usually look for something interesting and unique to grab their attention. It may be any object within your photograph, an object that is interesting enough to stand out from the rest of the composition.
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. According to the Rule of Thirds, it is better to be placed at one of the four intersection points. 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. The sudden break of a plain background with an interesting object is very attracting to the eyes. Colors can also come to play here by using strong contrast between the object’s and the background’s. 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. The abrupt change in details will give the object a definitive and clear shape, making it the center of attention. Thus, selective focusing becomes very handy tool to underscore your focal point. The strength of this effect is determined by how shallow or deep the DOF is. If you are photographing in a dynamic surroundings, you can make use of the movements around you to achieve a similar effect without messing with DOF. A still object will stand out in a photograph with many moving objects when utilizing a slow shutter speed.
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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