For week 36 I studied Visual Mass. Visual Mass is the idea that certain elements, visually, have more weight than others and therefore, draw your eye. The Moon against a dark night sky will have greater visual mass than a moon that appears early while the sky is still blue. In a field of flowers a single flower that is in focus, or a different color will have greater visual mass than the other flowers in the field. Understanding visual mass helps a photographer compose a scene and guide a viewer’s eye through a frame.
The image below was taken at Balboa Park in San Diego. While there are a few elements in the frame because the flower is brighter against a primarily darker toned background, and because it is in focus while the other elements are slightly out of focus, your eye should be drawn right to it.