What’s wrong with this picture?
I
photographed this clash of colors in an ultra modern phone booth in the Amsterdam airport. I like everything about it except for one thing -- the white instruction placard is visually annoying. Our attention is drawn to the lightest part of an image first, and it returns there again and again. If the light part of a photo isn’t part of the subject, it’s most likely distracting. Our attention should be focused on the subject. To a smaller degree, but still important, the black sticker in the upper left corner of this image is also distracting. The picture on the next page shows what a big difference it is when the distracting elements are removed. Now the background is entirely complimentary.
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