 (Click on photos to enlarge) There’s a belief in photography that the eye is drawn to the brightest part of an image. This assumption most likely is correct. In fact, photographers and other artists have long used dark and light areas in their work to direct the eyes of their viewers. Think of a picture - a photograph, drawing, or painting - where the edges are darker than the interior portion. That dark area acts as a frame, subtly telling the viewer where their eyes need to go, which is towards the interior where the subject is. So it might seem self-defeating to take a picture that includes bright and especially grossly overexposed areas that may distract the viewer from the photo’s main subject. But many photographers and artists do take pictures this way, including me. It’s something that's always appealed to me, though I’ve never been able to explain why. But that's unimportant. I think the bottom line is that bright and ultra-bright areas, though they may compete with the subject, can be dynamic in a photograph. It may be the sheer intensity of the light, independent of whatever the subject is, that helps capture and hold the viewer's attention. The subject is still there and still important. It’s just that now the whole image is more vibrant and exciting.   FREE T-SHIRT ...when you sign up for a One-To-One Workshop!! This is a Fruit-Of-The-Loom, 98% cotton T-shirt. It has my absolutely gorgeous logo (see top of page) printed on the front. Available Unisex™ sizes are Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large. The shirts may also be purchased. There are times when a bright light has a more practical purpose in a photograph. That's when it provides the illumination for the image itself. Without that light, there'd be no picture. Of course, the actual light doesn’t have to be in the photo. But as I’ve mentioned, that super bright area can make the picture considerably more appealing.    In addition, bright light can be used to hide an ugly or intrusive background. There were outdoor elements that I felt would hurt the photos below. Blowing out the backgrounds solved the problem.    Bright light works well as a clean, white, nonintrusive background for the subject. As seen in the image below, that and the odd highlighting around each chair help define and separate each one. In addition, the overexposed areas add some diffusion that softens the picture a bit.  I’ve seen many photographs where tunnels, corridors, passageways, and footpaths have ended in scary, mysterious, darkness. There seems to be a natural connection among those three qualities. It’s as if each one depends on the other two. However, replacing a dark area with a very bright one can often produce an equally scary and mysterious image. I think it’s the fact that whether an area is very dark or very bright, we just don’t know what awaits us there. But it’s interesting to consider how a grossly overexposed area can also connote heavenliness. It’s like people on the verge of death being pleasantly beckoned forward towards a bright light.   |
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