21 Pictorial Guides
The eye analyzes a picture in a totally nonrandom way. Scientific research discovered a long time ago where the eye of a Western viewer will generally enter the picture: If one places a white sheet of paper in the shape of the golden ratio, the eye will first see the part of the picture located slightly to the left of the vertical and somewhat above the horizontal axis of symmetry. You can apply this rule to construct a photo so that the viewer’s gaze will be consciously guided across the picture.
It is also good to know that Westerners tend to read images from left to right. In a fully traditional composition it would make sense, for example, to allow the viewer to enter the picture on the left and then lead him to the right ...
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