Nature Photography Photo Workshop

4.5. CREATING A DYNAMIC PHOTOGRAPH

After you master the identification and arrangement of basic graphic elements, take your work to the next level by making your photographs more exciting and dynamic. When making creative choices for your compositions, you can use proven techniques to design photographs that are both visually engaging and technically sound.

4.5.1. FOCAL POINT AND CENTER OF INTEREST

The focal point of a photograph is the part that most attracts the viewer's eye. As the eye travels around the frame looking at all the elements in the picture, the focal point is often where the eye repeatedly comes to rest. The focal point can also be the first place the viewer looks. In either case, the focal point is the main thing a viewer looks at in the picture.

The center of interest in many cases is also the focal point, but doesn't necessarily need to be so. The center of interest is the part of the picture the viewer finds most interesting and intellectually stimulating. In 4-29, the horse is certainly the focal point, but it could be argued that the mountain peaks are the center of interest.

NOTE

In camera terminology, the focal point is the point at which the image is focused on the recording plane inside the camera.

4.5.2. FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND

Most nature pictures contain a foreground and background. The foreground is what's nearest the camera and appears in front of objects behind it. The background is comprised of the elements farthest from the camera and appears ...