Why Does This Photo Draw the Eye?

[William Baroo]

This is a photo which is little more than a snapshot, but while I was going through pictures in this folder, I couldn't help stopping to look at it. There is something about it that makes it look more dramatic and interesting than it is.

Shrinking this for uploading pretty much killed the resolution, but I think people can see what I mean.

Is it the lens? This is a basic cell phone shot, and the angle seems pretty wide. I'm wondering how to get this effect with a mirrorless camera. The phone is an S23. I have a few shots in the same folder that have this same effect.

 

[cgw]

Drop it into the C&C Gallery for comments, not here.

 

[William Baroo]

I want advice for mirrorless cameras, though.

 

[cgw]

I want advice for mirrorless cameras, though.

Wide angle lens and PC in post. Next?

 

[SquarePeg]

The light is at the back of the photo which draws the eye in.

 

[William Baroo]

That's something I didn't think of.

Also, there is all sorts of implied motion in the building, pavement, and plants, even though they're stationary.

 

[smoke665]

The eyes take in more information than the brain can process, they randomly scan a view until something catches the brain's attention and locks on. Over the centuries artist learned they could use subtle visual cues to direct the viewer's eyes to what they wanted them to see and stop the random wandering.

In your image you have strong leading lines in both the walk and the foliage and a focal point in the water and skylight that is highlighted by light, contrast and color.

If you're serious about learning more John Hedgecoe did a series of books that are easy to understand and will guide you through the process. I'd start with "How to take great photographs".

 

[wfooshee]

It's the composition, not the camera, that makes an image interesting. You have a central light source in the distance, framed on both sides by the greenery, and the water column under the glass. It wouldn't have mattered if you shot it with the phone or a mirrorless camera. The scene is the scene. If the mirrorless had a longer lens on it, reducing the field of view to just the people on the walkway, it certainly wouldn't have been the same, but that's not the camera, that's the field of view of the lens. Like cgw said in #4 above, wide-angle lens. The wrong lens or zoom would completely change the composition.

 

[Strodav]

The eye is first drawn to bright colors and highlights, which as SquarePeg said, is at the back of the photo, which contains the major feature. Everything in the foreground, especially the path forms leading lines that take you to the back of the photo. The shadows towards the front going to the highlights in the back provide for depth / form. The people provide an idea of scale, so you get an idea of the immense size of the main feature, which contains shapes and texture. I might remove the sun(?) poking through in the upper left in Post as it's a bit distracting. For good photos, I look for lines, shapes, form, texture, color and a composition that tells a story and sets a mood. This image has most of that so a very nice photo, well done.

So, it doesn't matter if you take it with a 12mp cell phone camera, a bridge camera or a high mp dslr or milc, what matters is the subject, composition and good exposure, meaning a shutter speed to stop people in motion (start with 1/125 sec), a proper depth of field (f stop) and lowest ISO possible to minimize noise in the shadows. If I had to go to a higher ISO, so be it, then fix it in Post. I would probably take the shot at a few different f stops to vary the DOF while always focusing on the main feature.

BTW, where was the photo taken? I'd like to go there some day.

 

[William Baroo]

The eye is first drawn to bright colors and highlights, which as SquarePeg said, is at the back of the photo, which contains the major feature. Everything in the foreground, especially the path forms leading lines that take you to the back of the photo. The shadows towards the front going to the highlights in the back provide for depth / form. The people provide an idea of scale, so you get an idea of the immense size of the main feature, which contains shapes and texture. I might remove the sun(?) poking through in the upper left in Post as it's a bit distracting. For good photos, I look for lines, shapes, form, texture, color and a composition that tells a story and sets a mood. This image has most of that so a very nice photo, well done.

So, it doesn't matter if you take it with a 12mp cell phone camera, a bridge camera or a dslr or milc, what matters is the subject, composition and good exposure, meaning a shutter speed to stop people in motion (start with 1/125 sec), a proper depth of field (f stop) and lowest ISO possible to minimize noise in the shadows. If I had to go to a higher ISO, so be it, then fix it in Post. I would probably take the shot at a few different f stops to vary the DOF while always focusing on the main feature.

BTW, where was the photo taken? I'd like to go there some day.

That picture is from Changi Airport in Singapore. It has a central building called the Jewel, and they have turned it into something rivaling a theme park. High-end stores and lots of restaurants. The waterfall is in the center. Singaporeans realize their country is not very exciting, so they have done a lot of things to draw the interest of tourists.

 

[AlanKlein]

The roof and waterfalls are very interesting and different. So you stop to check it out. Well done.

 

[William Baroo]

Thanks.

Singapore is loaded with things, both authentic and somewhat contrived, to photograph.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

The thing that attracted me was the lattes structure of the cone. Once that had registered in my mind, it was just another mall scene.

That is no surprise, unique shapes often attract attention, until they are incorporated into the overall picture.

 

[Rickbb]

Yep, composition wins again. Leading lines above and the walkway both lead to a single off center vanishing point.

 

[CherylL]

Agree what others posted above that the white bright draws your eye first. This doesn't look wide angle to me. Your cell phone can zoom the opposite out to make it wide angle. If I had to guess, I think it would be 35mm or 50mm equivalent.