Focal Point in Photography: What It Is and How to Use One

Here we’ll look at ways to pick and accentuate the focal point of an image, which is the first thing that catches your eye when you look at a picture. Without a clear focal point, images can seem incomplete or empty. When there are two or three focal points competing for the viewer’s attention, they can look cluttered and busy.

In this guide we’ll discuss composition and ways to highlight your subject using features and tools found on Galaxy phones. If you’re looking for information on the optical focal point, that will be briefly explained in the first section below.

Focal point, subject and point of interest

Subject refers to what the picture is of, a mountain, a person, etc. The focal point in a picture is where the viewer’s eye is initially attracted to. In a well-made picture, this will either be the subject or part of the subject (e.g. the eyes in a portrait). Point(s) of interest are other areas in the picture that attract the viewer’s eye for a period of time before returning to the focal point. Generally speaking, a picture with one focal point and one or two points of interest works well.

In optics the focal point has a different meaning. Wikipedia’s article on focus describes it as the point at which a lens concentrates parallel beams of light, used to define focal length. Of course it has an effect on DoF (see our circle of confusion guide), but that’s not the same as where someone’s looking.

Six ways to make a focal point

Usually no more than two of these are required at any one time. The common element is contrast, differentiating your subject from its surroundings in some way.

Faces, even relatively small ones, become the focal point in a landscape that includes people. Similarly, text can grab a viewer’s attention (we tend to read before we notice other elements), so a sign along the edge of your frame could draw the eye away from your subject.

Create a focal point on a Galaxy, step by step

1. 1

   Decide what it is

   Figure out what it is about the photo that you want other people to notice, before you take it. If you can’t answer that question immediately, then it’s likely that you aren’t ready to take the shot.

2. 2

   Fill more of the frame with it

   Get closer. Or use the 3x telephoto (67mm equiv.) on the S26 and S26 Ultra. Remove elements that aren’t contributing to your focal point. This is particularly important along the edges of the photo.

3. 3

   Lock focus and exposure on it

   Touch and hold the screen over your subject until AF/AE lock shows up. You can then move the exposure control (according to Samsung’s S26 user guide) independently of the focus point. This lets you properly expose your focal point while allowing the rest of the image to be a bit darker. See our AE/AF lock guide for more details.

4. 4

   Separate it from the background

   Select Portrait mode, choose the blur effect and move the slider to your preferred level. Without Portrait mode, increase the distance between your subject and the background.

5. 5

   Place it on purpose

   Enable the Composition guide from within the Camera app’s settings and, as explained in our rule of thirds guide, position your subject on (or close to) one of the lines. A door or branch around it provides a frame, which the framing guide covers.

6. 6

   Check the edges

   Before taking the photo, check the edges of the frame for bright areas and objects that are partially out of frame. These elements are common causes of losing your focal point.

The subject doesn’t take up much of the frame, but it’s clear what the focal point is in this picture thanks to isolation and lines. There’s nothing to compete with the subject, and the lines in the road lead your eye right to it. Our leading lines guide covers that technique on its own.

Different zoom levels make it easier or harder to isolate subjects. The 0.6x ultrawide zoom shrinks objects that aren’t near the phone, so focal points need to be very close or stand out in another way (like brightness). The 3x and 5x telephoto zooms crop in on a narrower area, making it easier for focal points to dominate the frame.

What steals attention from your focal point

• Avoid a background brighter than the subject, as the eye will be attracted to the brightest part of the picture. If possible either change position or wait for the light to change. Otherwise, lock exposure on the subject and let the background go bright.
• If two people’s heads appear similar in size within the picture, the eye will jump from one to the other. Change position to avoid this; ideally one head should be noticeably closer (and therefore larger) than the other.
• If the main subject in the picture seems small and there’s nothing to lead the eye towards it, get closer or include an element such as a line that leads the eye towards the subject.
• Try to avoid a distracting background pattern behind your subject. If possible change position until the subject is set against an area of plain wall/shade etc.
• Don’t cut off bright objects in a picture. Either put them completely in the frame or completely out of it.

Abstract photos are the exception to this rule. Abstract photos with no focal point at all are possible, but most effective abstract photos still violate the pattern in at least one area to provide some sort of focal point. Our abstract photography guide shows how.

Strengthen it in editing

Editing can’t create a focal point that isn’t there, but it can make one clearer. Snapseed’s Selective tool allows you to drop a control point on an area of the image and tweak the brightness, contrast or saturation just of that area, leaving the rest of the image untouched. The Vignette tool lets you drag the centre onto your subject and darken the outer area, which pulls the eye inward.

For a softer background, Snapseed’s Lens Blur has an elliptical shape you can centre on the subject. Both these techniques can help emphasise your subject, but if used heavily they can end up looking like obvious effects. Less is more!

Cropping your photo (in Gallery) to remove distractions around the edges of a photo can make the difference between an OK shot and a great one.