How to Plan Eye Flow for Photo Compositions

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By Richard Burke
eHow Contributing Writer

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There are two basic concepts that photographers use when composing their photographs: the first is the Rule of Thirds (which I discuss in detail in another article) and the second is “eye flow” which is more difficult to understand because there is no basic starting point. Designers and photographers plan every element in fashion photography to make sure you see what they want you to see. The first question to always ask is: “What am I taking a picture of?” The second question is: “How will the observer view the image?” In this article will we review the concept of eye flow by analyzing images and their components.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A camera
An open mind
Patience

Step 1

The Rule of Thirds

First, let’s review the Rule of Thirds. The ancient Greeks discovered that we tend to segment what we observe and we tend to first observe what is in the center of a viewed rectangle. It takes a dramatic photograph to keep an observer from first looking at the center of the nine-section grid and then at the intersection points of the center section. In this picture your eye first travels to the dance teacher in the center and then to the bright reflections in the mirror. As your eye travels along the mirrors you then see the real subject of the picture: the little boy in the mask. What makes this image work is that there is content in all parts of the image except for the lower right-hand corner
Step 2

Use horizontal lines

When you are planning your composition, you can use strong horizontal or vertical lines to make the eye flow to the subject. In this image the key subject matter is not in the center but at the intersection points of the center segment. The eye travels along the horizontal steps of the New York Public Library to the man relaxing and then almost forces you to keep traveling to the lion statue. The dynamic tension in the picture is between the relaxed pose of the man and the guarded pose of the lion. The strong horizontal lines tie the two together.
Step 3

Use color

Using strong colors is another way to guide the viewer through the image. Our eye travels first to lighter and brighter colors and no matter how hard we try to see the burgundy color first, our eye is sucked in to the yellow color. Designers use color and lighting to make sure the item they are selling stand outs. Nothing aggravates a designer more than when we appreciate the model more than the lipstick!
Step 4

Use Depth of Field

Depth of field is a concept that some beginning photographers have difficulty with. Today’s automatic digital cameras take perfect exposures, but you may want to choose to limit depth of field to assure the viewer sees what you want. In this image the depth of field is reduced and background clutter doesn’t interfere with the image. To select a narrow depth of field you want to set your digital camera to manual mode and choose an f-stop of 5.6 or less. The larger the number, the greater the depth of field will be. Once you have selected the f-stop or aperture that you want, adjust your shutter speed to get the correct exposure.
Step 5

Use Contrast

Contrast also contributes to eye flow. Contrast is the ratio between the highlight and shadow areas of an image. This is another multiple subject image. Male or female, your eye is drawn to the model's legs and the eye tends to travel upwards to the bright white and horizontal piano keys. The contrast between the piano keys and the deep shadows then forces your eye downward to see the surprise subject hiding under the piano. When taking any photograph, even a candid, always ask yourself the two key questions and you will consider eye flow in creating your composition.