Highlights Example

5.  Highlights   (only the bold links work here)

Why large highlights attract us. It’s a force to be reckoned with.  Just as pure black quickly make us lose interest because we can’t see anything in there, and shadows intrigue us, so too pure highlights attract us like moths to a flame, but then we lose interest and move on.

Psychology of Imagery - But here’s an interesting point. The brain is essentially very lazy, and it takes every chance it can get not to work very hard so we’re not using up our energy levels. So yes, highlights do attract us, and when we then continue to look at the rest of the image, our brain wants to be less busy and so is attracted to that highlight once again. And just like pure black and shadows, we go backwards and forwards.

It’s therefore a way of engaging viewers more than just having an even tone in the image. (More in “Contrast”) Look at the image and take note of where your eyes roam and see if you can notice whether you engage or not at the various levels. 

There are 36 such elements/techniques in this section.