In common language, the word “focus” usually means the concentration of attention on something. Similarly, in photography, a focal point can be considered as the place on which all the observers' eyes will be set when he looks at a photo. In short, it is the point of interest which makes your photograph unique.

Any photograph lacking a focal point will not attract except a few quick glances. This is because naturally the eyes will search for the unique and different things in the composition. It may be any object within your photograph, an object that is interesting enough to stand out from the rest of the composition.

There are many ways to enhance a focal point and all are related to the conventional rules of photography. The first thing to take care of is where to place your focal point. A good place to start is at the four hot-spots or along the lines of thirds. A different approach is to let other elements, like leading lines, dictate the focal point. In this case the Rule of Thirds can be neglected for a more symmetric composition.

Making an object more significant can be done by having a strong contrast between it and patterns around it. The sudden break of a plain background with an interesting object is very attracting to the eyes. A strong colorful contrast can only improve the effect further. Always remember that the brighter and bigger your object is, the more attention it will grab.

Another form of contrast that can be used is that of details. This is achieved by blurring out the foreground to bring the focus on an object in the background, or vice versa. With the whole picture blurred out except for a detailed object, it will naturally grab the attention of the observer. During this process, the depth of field is changed. The strength of this effect is determined by how shallow or deep the DOF is. If you are photographing in a dynamic surroundings, you can make use of the movements around you to achieve a similar effect without messing with DOF. A still object will stand out in a photograph with many moving objects when utilizing a slow shutter speed.

A photograph may have more than one focal point, but be careful as too many may make your photo crowded and will confuse the observer. So next time while composing your photo, let your eyes lead you.  

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