focal point


momentcaptured

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Sep 23, 2011
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if taking a picture, especially of human faces, what should be the focal point?
 

In most cases (portraits) it is recommended to have the eye(s) in focus. Exceptions are possible, though.
 

Focus at the eyes... my only choice.
 

Well... normally its the eyes like what others had suggested... but you can try artistic composition... in which you focus on other parts of the face... such as the nose, the teeth, the lips, etc... and blur out the rest of the face... the level of the blur might differs as you compose your photo. So actually... it was all up to TS.
 

How abt sharp lips for lipstick commercial?
If eyes too sharp might takes the attention away from the "subject"
 

Cowseye said:
How abt sharp lips for lipstick commercial?
If eyes too sharp might takes the attention away from the "subject"

Just my 2 cents worth.

If you are selling lipstick, you will be more interested to sell how this lipstick will make you look good. First you need to capture your audience heart that the lipstick looks good on them. So you have to show a nice model will the right colour for her. If you are taking this shot in a studio or outdoor with sufficient staged lights, I say you can go with f/5 to f/8 and everything on her face will be sharp and nice. All you need is a good background far enough to give you a good enough blur for the subject. With a good lens, you will get good bokeh.

Eyes being the window to the heart will need to be relatively sharp. The catchlights in the eyes are very important too.
 

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How abt sharp lips for lipstick commercial?
If eyes too sharp might takes the attention away from the "subject"
Have a look at the commercials and advertisements you see around the Cosmetics shops in every mall. See what works for you and what not.
 

Octarine said:
See what works for you and what not.

Correct. Treat parts of the face as individual focus points. If the interest is the lips then lips it is. If it's the balding head then go nuts with the hairline. If it's a plain portrait, the eyes would be the best and most effective focus point. No hard and fast rule. What's important is to effectively lead the viewers' attention where you want to. To me that is portraiture at it's best.

A lot of elements, but ultimately leads you to that one eye:
3503317964_bab0c0bac0.jpg

Photo by Caitlin Worthington
 

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Correct. Treat parts of the face as individual focus points. If the interest is the lips then lips it is. If it's the balding head then go nuts with the hairline. If it's a plain portrait, the eyes would be the best and most effective focus point. No hard and fast rule. What's important is to effectively lead the viewers' attention where you want to. To me that is portraiture at it's best.

A lot of elements, but ultimately leads you to that one eye:

Photo by Caitlin Worthington

+100
And not just the eyes... but the eye nearest to the camera. ;)
 

digitalpimp said:
Correct. Treat parts of the face as individual focus points. If the interest is the lips then lips it is. If it's the balding head then go nuts with the hairline. If it's a plain portrait, the eyes would be the best and most effective focus point. No hard and fast rule. What's important is to effectively lead the viewers' attention where you want to. To me that is portraiture at it's best.

A lot of elements, but ultimately leads you to that one eye:

Photo by Caitlin Worthington

Thank u for ur opinion. Insightful :)