Find your style in photography - 3 - The Axis that Captures the Attention

Following the "Find your style in photography" issue, I want to talk about the importance of the axis (or point) that captures the viewer attention.

Some photographers have good works, but have a problem since they can't drive the viewer attention to a specific point in their composition. This is important both in fotography and in painting since if we don't get a certain balance the eye is lost in the set. I think I've talked a little bit about it before. No matter how beautiful a landscape may be, it can go unnoticed if we fail to create the imaginary lines that will take us to the spotlight. Sometimes it's an element (a boat, a tree, etc.), while sometimes it is simply where the horizon, buildings, a mountain or clouds intersect.

Generally, it is that balance and that point of attention which makes a good photo stand out over another. The eye needs to get out of the confusion, have a stimulus that takes it and direct it towards a point (not necessarily in the center) to appreciate the rest of the work. This phenomenon occurs in fractions of a second and it's not at the conscious level. Therefore, pay attention to balance / distraction, many times what could have been a fantastic capture becomes a common one for neglecting this.

As an example of this, I want to show you John Janicki's photographs, he's an incredible professional photographer and we can perfectly see what I'm talking about. He has a perfect sense of balance and  has the ability to take the viewer's eye exactly where he wants. Besides, he has a fantastic sense of composition that highlights the beauty of everything he captures. So, pay attention to his work to learn how to become a good photographer. I invite you to click on the images below to enlarge them and know more about this great artist.