A photo of a smiling girl with her hair blowing in the wind, leaning out of a car window at sunset. A lonely lighthouse standing on the slope of a small cliff, with a solitary traveler walking along the path. It’s hard to describe the magic of realistic focus photography, but you can admire it endlessly—even when it's just one element of web design.
Over the past couple of years, the use of large focused photographs in web design has become a major trend. Many experts, analysts, and marketers believe that such images affect not just the appearance of the site, but its overall effectiveness. Large photos can attract potential clients, inspire trust, and increase website conversions — especially for e-commerce sites.
When you reflect on the role of photography in web design, you realize it's a powerful visual experience for site visitors. Users receive a clear, vivid, focused impression of the website’s theme or featured products. This kind of design element also has a surprising emotional impact, which is why more and more websites use focused photography in their visual style.
And yes, we’re talking specifically about focus images—those in which the main subject is a person, animal, bird, or a large single object. These are not just nature or street scenes, but the “heroes” of those settings.
Scientific Perspective
Why should webmasters pay attention to large focus images? An old saying goes: a picture is worth a thousand words. And that’s true. Ideas and inspiration for design can come from many places, and sometimes it takes bold risks to bring an incredible vision to life on a screen.
At the same time, Donald Norman in his book “Emotional Design” explained that the human brain processes images much faster than it does text. So if the goal is to capture users' attention, using vivid, inspiring visuals and characters is more important than ever. Especially for online stores. When an ordinary user sees large, attractive images of products, they can’t help but want to buy something — that’s just human nature.
Global Experience
Today, nearly all large and small companies use big focus photographs in their web design. Blogs, online stores, and even landing pages are no exception. And although many share the same general design concept, each site has its own unique and original style.
Uber
Visiting Uber’s website, you’ll be struck by the sheer number of photos. If you aren’t familiar with the service, you might even mistake the images for ads or lifestyle blog content. But in fact, the use of these photos helps build trust and credibility in the service.
McLellan Jacobs Kayak
A very impressive site with massive nature and kayak photography. At first glance, the panoramic landscapes simply showcase natural beauty — the kind of places where one might paddle — but there is still a clear focus on people. That focus gives the design a different meaning. The company sells kayaks and clearly understands how to appeal to potential buyers, whether athletes or casual paddlers.
Since web designers can play with depth, contrast, and focus — giving the photos deeper meaning — it’s no wonder this style is so popular worldwide. This also applies to replacing images with videos that are likewise focused on a specific subject or story.
Apple
Apple’s website also uses focus images of its products, which fits this topic perfectly. These photos not only convey key product information but also help attract potential customers. There’s nothing extra to distract the viewer — the product is placed in space, and the photo is edited for a complete, polished look.
Bing
Another project that uses not just scenic photography, but focused shots of a specific subject. It could be a bird, a flower, a tree branch, or a lighthouse. Microsoft even adds photo credits (bottom right corner, camera icon).
Mah Ze Dahr Bakery
A great example of a creative approach. The homepage features an auto-slider with several high-quality, focused images of delicious sweets, cakes, and pastries that are mouthwatering. Naturally, visitors feel drawn to scroll down and learn more about the site — and whether these treats can be ordered in their own country or city. Each section (press, about us, contact) has its own photo.
And one more beautiful project.
Let's Travel Somewhere
This project invites people to explore the world and showcases interesting destinations. What truly captivates visitors is the collection of high-quality photographs — not amateur snapshots, but professional, large-format visuals. Each photo automatically adapts to the browser window size.
Mistakes in web design with large focus photos
Not a universal trend
Sadly, focus photography doesn’t suit all types of websites or design styles. That’s why it's the webmaster’s job to assess and create a truly harmonious project. It’s true that a large photo focused on a centered house, person, or lone animal can make visitors stay longer or even return. But not every focused image is usable. For example, a black-and-white photo of an abandoned building or sad people can be off-putting. People often visit websites for news, useful content, or positive emotions. Life already has enough gloom.
Yes, photos can be black and white — but only when justified by the story, with bright fonts, colorful logos, or contrasting visual elements. A photo with a positive message, highlighted by bold design, can absolutely work in grayscale if the overall style supports it.
Conclusion
While large, focused photos of people or objects are becoming more common, they aren't suitable for every website. Some businesses simply don’t need them. And design goals vary too. So, no matter how beautiful they are, these photos may not always be appropriate. That’s why some designs switch to landscapes, illustrations, or simple backgrounds with icons and clip art.
Still, the popularity of focused images among personal sites, composers, authors, bloggers, and certain companies is understandable. These photos can be enhanced — with contrast, cropped focus, or edits — to influence emotion. A good, realistic photo (not a polished stock image) always lifts the mood. A site that pleases both the eye and the soul enjoys higher popularity, better conversion, and greater demand.