DRAWING THE EYE

CREATING STRONGER IMAGES THROUGH VISUAL MASS

DAVID DUCHEMIN
Ten Ways
Author To Improve
of Within Your Craft. None of them Involve Buying Gear.
The Frame
Introduction

This short eBook had the potential to be an egghead exercise in academia. The
concepts of visual mass aren’t sexy ones with cool names like the authoritative-
sounding Rule of Thirds. But sexy or not, understanding what draws the eye
allows us as photographers to more intentionally direct the eye, and that’s key to
creating compelling images to which we want others to feel drawn, images that
tell the stories we want to with the best chance of communicating the things we
want told.
What I’ve tried to do here is in the spirit of my first two eBooks, TEN and TEN
MORE. I have tried to create a book that is for the amateur who already feels
comfortable with the technology of his or her camera, but wants to get down to
the art of creating images that captivate the eye, the mind, and the heart of oth-
ers.
From the beginning it’s important to remember that the idea of visual mass is
a metaphor drawn from physics and as a metaphor it is limited. Try not to get
hung up on how accurate the metaphor is; in fact feel free to find your own
name for it if “visual mass” doesn’t work for you. What’s important is how this
all affects your photography.
Lastly, before we launch into this stuff, I need to say that the concept of visual
mass is not my own. I’ve encountered it elsewhere in bits and pieces. It might
even be explained more thoroughly and authoritatively elsewhere, but this is my
shot at explaining my understanding of it. The book is divided into four sec-
tions. The first explains what Visual Mass is and why it even matters. The second
looks at how we can use an understanding of Visual Mass when we shoot. The
third looks at using Visual Mass when we refine our image in the digital dark-
room, and the fourth is a set of exercises to work on this stuff, to put the rubber
to the road, so to speak.
PS. If I have to type the words Visual Mass one more time my hands will get
tired. I suspect if you have to read it once more you’ll just get sick to death of it.
So I’ll use the acronym VM when my hands cramp up.
 Viewing Tip
Make sure you’re viewing this in 2-page spreads if you want this to look its best.
In Acrobat go to View > Page Display > Two Up. Also checking “Show Cover Page
During Two Up” will make sure the pages aren’t out of sync.
*

“Understanding what draws the eye

allows us to more intentionally
direct the eye, and that’s key to
creating compelling images that we
want others to feel drawn to.”
2
PART ONE
VISUAL MASS EXPLAINED
What is Visual Mass? Why Does it Matter?
In the shortest possible terms, elements in an image are
said to have Visual Mass (VM) when they pull the eye
towards themselves. In fact, it’s more like Visual Gravity,
though in physics mass and gravity are connected. The
greater the gravitational pull on an object, the greater
mass it is said to have. Similarily (though not perfectly),
the more an element in a frame pulls the eye, the more
VM it is said to have. Borrowing this metaphor of gravity
and mass from physics has its problems, not the least of
which is that in physics this stuff is actually pretty precise,
and in photography it’s subjective and heavily artsy fartsy.
Stephen Hawking would not be impressed at what I’m
doing to his science in the name of my art.
More importantly, and this is a product of my own relent-
less insistence that WHY we do things informs HOW we
do them and therefore matters, is not how good the meta-
phor is, but why it even matters in the first place.
Understanding all this VM stuff matters because it af-
fects what we look at in an image and in what order. It
matters because what draws the eye and which elements
have more mass than others determines how images are
balanced and whether that balance is dynamic or static.
It matters because, to put it bluntly, it affects how the
image looks and how the it feels. And that’s the point of
the whole thing, isn’t it? To create images that look, and
therefore feel, the way we want them to.
 “The more an element in a frame
pulls the eye, the more Visual Mass
it is said to have.”

4
Visual Mass Expanded
What has Visual Mass?
If an object or element within the frame of a photograph pulls the eye
of the viewer more than another element, it is said to have more mass.
That’s the easy part. The hard part is determining which objects have
more mass than others. This is where it gets muddy and subjective re-
ally, really quickly. So from the beginning you have to know that this
is all up for grabs. These are not formulas or rules. They’re principles,
and principles are notorious for being a little hard to pin down. But
in general here are some things to consider as you begin to wrap your
brain around the concept of VM.
The human eye is drawn to certain things over other things. The prob-
lem is the eye itself isn’t our only organ of perception. We see through
the eye, but we perceive with the mind, emotions, and memories. So
those things influence the way we as individuals see things, perceive
them. Don’t despair; the very subjectivity of all this is what makes it so
much fun, and is what allows us to create art that is uniquely expressed
by us and uniquely perceived by others. It just makes it all a little more,
well, fuzzy, when it comes to nailing it down.
In general then, we are drawn to:
The human figure before anything else. On a tighter scale we’re
drawn more to the face; and on a tighter scale yet, we’re drawn
to the eyes first.

Objects that are large before objects that are small.

Objects that are bright before objects that are dark. This
one’s tricky. It’s probably more accurate to say that in a pre-
dominantly dark image the eye is drawn first to elements of a
lighter tone; and in a predominantly light image, to elements
of a darker tone. It’s more about which tones stand out. We’re
drawn to contrast.
 Elements that are sharp and in focus before elements that are out
of focus. This too is a function of contrast as the focussed ele-
ments are those with the cleanest contrast between themselves
and their out-of-focus surroundings.

Elements that are recognizable before those that are less recog-
nizable.

Elements that are presented obliquely or in perspective (diagonal

lines) before elements that are flat, vertical or horizontal.

Elements that are warm before elements that are cool. But again,
this is similar to the issue of bright/dark elements. It really has
more to do with context. A blue ball (cool) will draw the eye
more than the background (warm) on which it sits, breaking the
so-called rule while still proving the point. We also look at ele-
ments that are more saturated than areas that are not.

Elements of emotional significance over those with none. This

one’s really subjective, but if your lover’s face appears in a pho-
tograph you’ll be drawn to it more than others, even if it has the
least possible amount of visual mass to someone else. You can’t
trump emotion, and that’s what makes this all so subjective. It’s
also why the uber-geeks, pixel-peepers, and mega-pixel mongers
keep missing the point; they don’t get that a technically perfect
photograph resonates less with the heart and soul of the viewer
much less than a less-than-perfect image of something that pulls
the heart. In the end this is about attraction, resonance, and im-
pact, and those things can’t be measured.

The great thing about all this is that you don’t need to memorize the
list. You simply need to be observant and aware. The more conscious
you are of this stuff, the more you’ll recognize it as you capture and de-
velop your images, and the more able you will be to intentionally create
images that draw eyes and hearts where you want them drawn.
6
Visual Mass, at it’s simplest, is
pretty easy to figure out. This
shot, taken in Lamayuru, India,
has some pretty heavy visual
elements with the solid curving
blacktop of the road, but the
small man in red pulls the eye
even more. Why? He’s a rec-
ognizable human figure; he’s
dressed not only in contrasting
colours, but in red. The chal-
lenge then, in an image like
this, is to intuitively gauge the
pull that each element gener-
ates and to balance those in
the frame. In this case that was
done by zooming my 70-200
lens in and out until my own
eye felt that the frame was bal-
anced. This isn’t science; it’s art
and we move by feel and in-
stinct. But that instinct can be
trained, so keep reading.
8
PART ONE - SPREAD FOUR

Two similar portraits of a man at Nizamuddin Darga in Delhi,

India. A moment separates the two images and creates differ-
ent areas of visual pull. The image on the left pulls the eye of the
viewer first to the eyes. The image of the right is more complex,
pulling the eye of the viewer - like the first image - to the subject’s
eyes, but then to the top left corner, then back down to that single
tooth. Both are engaging, but the one on the right forces the eye
more powerfully on a predictable path.
10
PART TWO
VISUAL MASS CAPTURED
Using Visual Mass in Composition
Understanding which elements have more pull on the eye than others
is the first step in incorporating it (ie. the pull) into your photography.
But actually applying it is another thing altogether.
In Part 3 we’ll look at refining the image we’ve captured in-camera
within the digital darkroom, but the heavy lifting has to be done in
the camera when you compose your image. There is no substitute for a
good capture, and, while digital post-production has made our job eas-
ier by leaps and bounds, the job of composing an image remains with
you at the moment of capture. So how can we make use of the concept
of VM when we compose and capture?
Composition is the way we place elements within the frame in relation
to each other and to the frame itself. It includes the choice of optics,
your choice of perspective, and what you exclude - as well as what you
include - from the frame. But to make any of these choices without
considering how the final image will be read by the viewer is putting
the cart before the horse. The question that should be in our minds,
even if it floats there sub-consciously, is what do I want the viewer to
look at? Then we need to point to that in subtle but intentional ways.
We point by understanding, and using, visual mass.
I tend to think about all this stuff as a visual hierarchy. As visual story-
tellers we don’t tell, we show. And to show we use the only tools at our
disposal - the exclusion of elements that are not part of the story and
then the intentional framing and arranging of the required elements.
How you do that depends on which elements are most important to
you. Let me illustrate this with a simple cliche. Imagine you want to
photograph a beach at sunset. It’s a beach with a sunset - that’s your
background. But what really draws your own eye is the foreground,
an old 1953 Buick Stationwagon - a woody with surfboards on top.
So how do you create an image that draws the viewer’s eye in the same
way?
You are in charge of how people read this scene. Your decisions now will affect
what they see. Stand way back, at the rear of the car, and shoot the scene head-
on with a wide lens and what they’ll see is a great sunset with a small car silhou-
etted from the back. That’s scene one. Now get close with the same lens. No, get
really close. Now you have a great car in front of a great sunset but it’s still not
right. Walk a little to the left so the car is on more of an angle and you’re show-
ing more of the car - the lines making a diagonal line that draws the eye along
the lines of the car and the surfboards on top (now a very specific and identifi-
able car) and into the sunset. Your choice of optics and POV (point of view)
here are determined by what you know about how people will read your image.
Each scenario I just discussed gives elements within the frame different visual
mass. In the first scenario the sunset has all the mass, the car has very little. The
sunset is colourful; the car is not. The sunset is large; the car is small. The sunset
takes no effort to interpret; the back of the car is less recognizable. The draw on
the eye changes in the second scene. The car is larger; it’s seen from an angle and
is therefore more recognizable. The lines are more oblique, creating more pull
on the eye. The car is probably now more sharply in focus than the sunset. Two
photographs of the same scene, yet the elements within the scene as captured
have different VM from one frame to another and therefore are read very differ-
ently. Which one is right? That depends on what you’re trying to express.

“The question that should be in our

minds is ‘What do I want the viewer
to look at?’ Then we need to point to
that in subtle but intentional ways.
We point by understanding, and us-
ing, VISUAL MASS.”

12
Let’s look at another example, this time
more concrete.
On a recent trip to India I was in the
Nubra Valley on the border with Paki-
stan. We hired some camels as models
and brought them to a place we’d shot
the night before. The first image was
taken on the first run through with the
camels. The second was taken on the last
run through. In between the first and
last we ran the camels through the water
about six or seven times. I knew what I
wanted the viewers of this image to see:
the camels (1)
in the water (2)
at sunset (3)
with mountains in the background (4).

That was my visual hierarchy, the order

in which I wanted viewers to see the ele-
ments in the image. So I shot the first
frame and did a quick scan of the image.
The mountains pulled my eye too much.
There was too much water, and the cam-
els blended in to the background.
What I was getting was a mediocre im-
age with a confusion of elements, all with
similar visual pull. If all the elements
have a similar pull on the eye, the viewer
doesn’t know where to look.
So I set about to solve my problems one
by one.
14
The first solution was to get my
camels closer, easily done by asking
the camel driver to walk closer to
shore. The next was to underexpose
the image so the camels would gain
greater tonal denisty and therefore
more mass in an otherwise colour-
rich image.
Then I switched my POV in two
ways. The first was to spin a little so
the camels walked more obliquely
away from me, creating a more
dynamic angle. See how the camel
on the left is much larger? That cre-
ates a line of camels in perspective,
a line that pulls the eye to the lead
camel.
Then I lowered my POV so I was
kneeling down right at water’s
edge. This created a smaller water
element relative to the camel ele-
ment. The camels were now more
clearly apparent as camels and get
lost less in the mountains. They
loom rather than simply pass by,
and in so doing they gain much
greater visual mass.
The two images are similar but
their elements have considerably
different visual mass. The eye now
knows where to look because the
VM is pulling it in that direction.
16
 Visual Mass is important
in achieving balance within
the frame of a photograph.
The 2 main elements in this image have
similar visual mass overall. Because
the eye is drawn so powerfully to the
crouching woman, and to her face,
she has greater pull than the imposing
figures on the left of the frame. This is
helped by the diagonal line of the steps
on the right of the frame that lead the
eye to her. But the size of the larger fig-
ures and their place in the foreground
gives them enough mass to balance the
figure of the woman. You can’t measure
this kind of thing; you need to go by
feel. Were these men on the left dressed
in black or red, I suspect they’d have
more pull on the eye and the balance
that is now present in the image would
be tipped. Knowing this at the time
of capture would allow you to make
changes in your composition to mini-
mize their presence and return your
desired balance to the image.
18
PART THREE
VISUAL MASS DEVELOPED
Refining Visual Mass in the Digital Darkroom

Here’s my starting point for all this. There are three images that go into
making a final photograph: the one you envision, the one you capture,
and the one you refine in the digital darkroom. The better you are at
the last two the closer you can come come to the first. Understand-
ing how to create and refine visual mass in your image through post-
processing techniques can create stronger images that are more closely
aligned with your vision.
Where the digital darkroom can make best use of the concepts of Vi-
sual Mass, or Visual Pull, is in the ability of software like Adobe Light-
room or Photoshop to make specific local adjustments. I use Light-
room for 90% of my development work, if not more. That’s not to say
Photoshop or Apple Aperture are necessarily inferior; they aren’t. You
just have to chose the tool with which you work best. So with apologies
to those not using Lightroom, that’s where I’ll be directing my atten-
tion. The concepts should still be transferable.
Adobe Lightroom, through the Adjustment Brush, the Graduated Fil-
ter, and the Targeted Adjustment Tool present in the Tone Panel, and
HSL/Color/Grayscale Panel, makes it easy to apply non-destructive
localized edits that bring greater visual pull to one area over another, or
alternately, to diminish that pull in other areas.
The image on the right was shot in a small blacksmith shop in Old Del-
hi. This is the final image. The RAW image straight from the camera
is on the following page. Here’s what I did to bring the file back to the
way I saw it in those moments I spent with the blacksmith.
On the pages that follow I’ll show you what I did to give certain ele-
ments more pull and to diminish the pull of other elements.
20
t To
this
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RAWheading, this is the final image. I didn’t being finessing
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ed to doesn’t
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HowthisI got from this file to
the finished image wasn’t
random; it was a calculated
series of adjustments de-
signed to increase the visual
pull of certain elements and
to decrease the pull of oth-
ers.
So I begin with the weak-
nesses. First, the image is
too bright, especially the
background. It’s bright be-
cause I exposed not for the
aesthetic of the image but to
get as much digital informa-
tion into the file to allow
more flexibility in post-
production. To do that you
“expose to the right,” and in
this case that means about
2 stops more than what
looked right. This is where
using your histogram is im-
portant. So my first step was
pulling the exposure back 2
stops. Then I added a couple
more global adjustments. I
adjusted the white balance
to make it warmer. I added
a Medium Tone Curve. I
added some clarity too. u
22
Even with just these initial global adjustments the balance of VM in the image is
beginning to swing. The background now pulls the eye much less. It can be bet-
ter, and we’ll change that too. But before I do anything I want a sense of where I
am going, so I map it in my mind. Some folks use similar techniques with actual
percentages; some even map it out as I’ve done below on a Photoshop layer with
notes and squiggles. I just do it in my brain. Here’s what’s going on in my head
for this image:
So once I know where I’m going, it’s a matter of experimentation. This isn’t
paint by numbers; it’s just a matter of finesse, and you approach each issue at a
time, finessing it in the give and take of the digital darkroom. So the first thing I
do is pull the background in a little more, make it darker with the Lens Correc-
tion > Vignette slider. Once I’ve done that I do the following with the Adjust-
ment Brush.

1. Dial the exposure and brightness down on the brush and paint out the
hotspot on the elbow.

2. Using a new brush setting with an increased exposure and brightness I lighten
the face and then go back for a second pass to lighten the eyes. While I am at it
I bring a little more pull to the feet by brightening them a little. I know, this all
sounds very non-specific, but that’s exactly how it is, this is about the look, the
aesthetic; so I just go by how it looks and feels.

3. Lastly with the Adjustment Brush I add some brightness and clarity to the
beard to make it pop just a little.

All of this is the visual equivalent of saying “Look over here.” Before I finish the
image I’ll take it into Photoshop and do some selective sharpening. If the eye is
drawn to areas of greater sharpness, then I’d prefer to control which areas those
are and leave areas to which I want to assign less VM with less sharpening, if any.
In this case I duplicate the layer, sharpen it all, then apply a layer mask and paint
away the sharpening I don’t want. For the blacksmith I painted out the sharp-
ening everywhere but around the face, the folds of the pants, the feet, and the
handles of his tools near his feet. Here they are again, side by side on the follow-
ing page. Take a moment to look at these images and be aware of how your eye
moves around each one differently. How does the finished photograph make
you feel in a way that the unfinished one does not?

This is just one image, and I’ve used only a couple tools. See Part Four for more
ideas about using post-processing tools to refine the VM in an image to better
guide the eye of the viewer.

24
before
after

26
PART FOUR
VISUAL MASS PRACTICED
Three Creative Exercises
Visual Mass Practiced in Concept

Understanding Visual Mass, or the way in which the eye is pulled to-
wards some elements in a photograph over others, is not primarily gained
through reading; it’s acquired through practiced observation. One of the
best things we can do as photographers to improve our visual language
skills is to look at as many photographs as possible, and not only to look
but observe, absorb, and learn from them. Simply being aware of what your
own eye looks at and why is the first step in knowing where others will
look within your own images, and that knowledge will allow you to craft
better images when you raise the camera to your eye.
My sole intention in this eBook is to help you understand that the eye is
drawn to certain things, that this effect can be used in your photography
and your post-production, and that learning this whole thing begins with
you. This exercise is going to take some time; I trust it will become not
only an exercise of the here and now but one that you engage in everytime
you look at a photograph. Here’s the short version. Look at a lot of photo-
graphs and be conscious of where your eye goes.
Here’s the long version. Pull out your favourite book of photographs, pref-
erably not your own, and most preferably those of the masters. Now look
at them with a pad of paper and pen. Look at as many as you can, as often
as you can. Let’s talk about that first image. Spend 10 minutes on this first
photograph. Write down your immediate impressions. What do you think
and feel about this image? What do you first look at? Is there a consistent
path your eye takes as you look at this image. Where does your eye go?
Why does it go there and in that order? Why does it not go elsewhere?
The more you do this exercise the more consciously aware you’ll be of this
pull in your own images.
“What do you think and feel
about this image? What do you
first look at? Is there a consistent
path your eye takes as you look
at this image. Where does your
eye go? Why does it go there and
in that order? Why does it not go
elsewhere?”

28
Visual Mass Practiced in Camera
Unless all this chatter about Visual Mass can be translated to our work with the
camera, it’s purely an academic matter. But the thing is, this is profoundly prac-
tical stuff. This is the kind of stuff, when shot with vision and passion, that di-
vides the snapshot from the photograph that is a compelling act of expression.
But it’s not easy; it takes time. It’s not so simple as making sure the composition
conforms to the Rule of Thirds. It’s a juggling act, an ongoing effort to gauge
the pull of ever-changing elements and their interaction with other ever-chang-
ing elements. So you’re forgiven if this stuff takes time to “get.” I’m still working
on it.
So, the last exercise was a sit down and interact with the photographs of others
exercise. This one’s harder, more “rubber meets the road.”
Give yourself an assignment to photograph something specific. It could be
a portrait of your cat, a still life, your daughter, or the Golden Gate Bridge.
Doesn’t matter what it is, just make it something you love because you’re going
to make a lot of frames. Now make one single frame. This is your sketch-frame.
Doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. It’s a starting point and most beginnings
are hard, if not downright crappy, as a first-draft. Now look at it and ask these
questions: What is this image about? What do I want people to look at first?
Have I given that element (or elements) more pull than other, less important,
elements? What can I do to increase the pull in those areas and decrease it in
others? Do I need to change my POV, my optics, or my exposure? Should I be
using strobe lighting to allow a darker background and lighter foreground or to
call out that important detail that right now lacks pull?
Whatever your answer, do it. Play. Experiment. Create another frame. Repeat.
Don’t just shoot 100 frames hoping one will be magically good. Create one
frame at a time. Observe, interact with the image; evaluate it, and, where the
pull on my eye should be stronger, make it happen. Refine your sketches until
you’re ready to paint the final image. The more you do this, the more intuitive it
becomes.
Visual Mass Practiced in Lightroom
The post-processing example I gave in this short
eBook contains only one small handful of tech-
niques that can be used to enhance or diminish
the pull of elements or areas within an image.
Selective darkening and lightening, sharpening
and blurring, saturating and desaturating are all
tools that can be employed to subtly manipulate
the VM within an image. In fact most tools with-
in the Develop module do this; we’re just used
to thinking of them in different terms. Take the
ability to add clarity with either the Adjustment
Brush or the Gradient tool, for example. Consider
that dragging a gradient along a foreground that is
too heavily textured and therefore distracting (too
much VM) can diminish that pull significantly if
you set nothing more than the clarity to -100. We
often think of the gradient as a “darken the sky”
tool, but it’s so much more.

So here’s the exercise. Open Lightroom or Aperture, whatever your dark-

room tool of choice is. Choose one image and spend an hour on that one
image. Now use every tool, from top to bottom, and play with it. How
does brightening the eyes pull the attention towards them and perhaps
away from that gigantic, and otherwise distracting forehead pimple? How
does a using a gradient to darken the foreground subtly pull the eye to the
midground? How does slightly desaturating that garish yellow flower in
the corner allow the eye to look elsewhere and explore the image? Every
tool that allows you to make localized adjustments will allow you to guide
the eye of the viewer either to, or away from, certain elements. The more
you know these tools and explore the possibilities, the more comfortable
you’ll be. Your inspiration can only guide you as far as your technique can
carry you.
30
Conclusion
Call it whatever you like. Make your own metaphor if the idea of visual
mass doesn’t float your boat. What matters is that you understand that the
eye, far from being an objective observer, is easily led. It needs to be. We
operate by visual clues, and if you aren’t making use of these visual clues as
you create photographs, you’re missing a chance to create more compelling
images. In fact, more to the point, these visual clues - these areas of greater
and lesser pull - are already present; it’s up to you to do something with
them. Deciding to let them do their own thing is like being a movie direc-
tor who refuses to tell his characters what to do. Sure, you’ll get a movie
out of the deal, just not the one you envisioned.
If Part Three has got you thinking about the role of tools like Lightroom’s
Adjustment Brush in new ways, I urge you to consider using a Wacom tab-
let in your work. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom have a number of func-
tions that can only be accessed with a tablet. The pressure sensitivity and
precision of a tablet allows you to work more naturally, and more subtly
than you could ever do with a mouse alone. This is true within Lightroom
and doubly true in Photoshop. I’ve been using Wacom tablets for about
4 years now, and while the learning curve is initially a little weird, if not
steep, it’s worth it. I use a medium sized Intuos tablet and carry a small
older-model Graphire tablet for much of my travel as well. Whichever one
you play with don’t be so sure that larger is better. The larger the tablet the
larger the gestures and brush strokes you’ll have to make and in many cases
this isn’t just unnecessary, it’ll tire you out and make your work less pre-
cise. I find the medium size is just fine. You can find more about tablets at
Wacom.com
In the first exercise of Part Four I suggested you study the work of the mas-
ters. Then I left you high and dry without suggesting who those masters
might be. I couldn’t possibly create a definitive list, and this one’s heavily
skewed by my own tastes, but consider the following as a starting point:
 Yousuf Karsh
Richard Avedon
Dorothea Lange
Sam Abell
W. Eugene Smith
Henri-Cartier Bresson
Robert Frank
Robert Capa
Sebastiao Salgado

Begin to consider the pull of elements within an image as you look at, create,
and refine photographs, and you’ll begin to create images that are more closely
aligned with the one you see in your mind and your heart.

Peace.

David duChemin
Vancouver, 2009

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