How to Identify Points of Interest in an Image
- 1). Look for large objects. Large objects tend to dominate an image and automatically become the primary point of interest in an image. This is especially true of landscapes and architectural images.
- 2). Look for small objects. Small objects can draw attention just as much as large objects, especially if they are tiny in contrast to large objects. A tiny bird cleaning the skin of a rhinoceros can create a much stronger point of interest than the rhinoceros itself.
- 3). Look for color. Bright hues and saturated colors attract the eye and create interest. Multicolor objects or single color objects in a colorless field will always stand out and make for strong points of interest.
- 4). Look for bright objects. In photography, as in virtually all visual arts, brightness creates emphasis and darkness de-emphasizes. A single candle burning in a dark room, for example, makes anything in its small area of light a strong point of interest.
- 5). Look for distance from the viewer. A close-up of a face demands attention while a person standing in the far distance of an image can be just as strong a point of interest.
- 6). Look for motion. Even still images of moving objects convey a sense of action and make strong points of interest. By contrast, an object at rest surrounded by a blur of moving objects can be an equally strong point of interest.
- 7). Look for angles. Angles in images can act like arrows pointing to points of interest. A stretch of road, a river, the roof of a building, a beam of light or a pointing arm can all guide the viewer's eye to a point of interest.
- 8). Look for negative space. Negative space in images refers to space which is not occupied by any object. An image of a wide open blue sky is almost entirely negative space, but a small cloud in a corner of the image creates contrast and becomes a point of interest.