08 MAIN POINT OF INTEREST

No-one’s going to waste time looking at a pointless photo – make sure yours has one

What is the point of this image? This is a very important question, and one which you should ask yourself every time you take a photo. Think of the question both in terms of the overall point and purpose of the image, as well as the literal point of interest in the shot that the eye will go to first. It is critical that viewers can instantly tell why the photo was taken. If you are not sure why you are taking the photograph, the viewer will certainly have no reason to look at it closely. This once again goes back to the idea of being as aware as you possibly can. The image needs a purpose.

This idea also works in conjunction with the idea of simplicity. While we are striving to keep the scene within the frame as clean as possible, we also need to have a strong point of interest to grab the attention of the viewer. It is this combination of simple and interesting that makes an image work. That is where negative space comes into play. Negative space is basically ‘empty’ space around the main elements that give the eye a place to ‘rest’. Although the main subject or point of interest is the most important aspect of the shot, combining this interesting positive space with clean negative space is key to creating great images.

What is the point of this image?… If you are not sure why you are taking the photograph, the viewer will certainly have no reason to look at it closely Dan Ballard, Landscape photographer