Typically when we talk about directing the viewer's eyes we refer to composition. Where and how you place things in the image dictate where the viewer's eyes will go in the image. We have already mentioned that bright objects also attract the viewer's eyes, and so does anything different. Close your eyes and be mentally aware of where your eyes go when you open them ... ready, close your eye, then open and view the image below, remember to pay close attention to your eyes' movement:

So, where did your eyes go right away when you opened them? Most viewer's eyes will go straight to the red dot. It goes there right away because it is different. Your eyes will explore the rest of the image and look at the other dots, but somehow always tend to come back to the red dot. That red dot is the center point of attention simply because it is different. In this case it's color is different, but the same would be true if it's shape was different, or it's size; it does not really matter what the difference is; human eyes always focus on that which is different. Let's look at brightness:

Where do your eyes go? Human eyes tend to go to that which if brighter. Similarly our eyes also go to that which is in focus, ignoring that which is out of focus. Here is an example (image credit: http://ljadt102011.wikispaces.com/Depth+of+Field):

The reason your eyes go to the closest clothes pin is not because it is the closest but because it is in focus whereas the others are not. So here are three things we can use very powerfully to direct the viewer's eyes; Focus, brightness, and anything different. We can use these things in most kind of photography to enhance the composition greatly. Composition is not always about what is placed where in the image, these three items also greatly impact "composition." Now, if we combine elemental composition (where things are placed) with these three tips you can end up with super strong composition that pulls the viewer's eyes right to where you want them to go.

          We will talk about how to use these three tips next week ... In the mean time remember to incorporate these three tips into your composition and post processing work flow.

          Look for anything different. Look for brighter parts of the scene (or create them). Pay attention to how you use your focus (I have a previous blog on depth of field and focus).

          Enjoy creating stunning images.