It’s interesting to note that whenever you hear the word roaming in these days of rapidly changing technology, you immediately think of your ‘Smart Phone’.
Well, while that’s true, I conjure up something completely different. I think of the psychology of Gestalt, and how it plays such an important part in keeping the viewer of our photos around as long as possible.
In my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet we work on the different ways to manage how the viewer perceives and processes when looking at the visual information we lay out to him in the form of a photograph.
Since humans rely on the perception of the environment that surrounds them, it’s our objective to present information in such a way as to take control of what he sees.
The more ways we can get the viewer to ‘roam’ around our composition, looking for new things to discover, the longer he’ll stick around.
What I try to do is create “layers of interest” in my imagery. What I mean is while I like to have one subject or center of interest, I like having secondary points of interest.
Generally, that means having pieces of the puzzle sprinkled around the four edges of my frame, and letting the viewer put all these pieces together creating the finished product…A well-composed, balanced photo that meets several of the criteria I’ve discussed in my “did it do it” category. a photo that the viewer will remember long after he’s moved on.
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com and check out my workshop schedule.
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JoeB
