Clarity

 I took this bottom photo in Germany over the summer.  I focused the center and blurred the top with one of the settings on my camera.  Above it, you can see the photo without the effect.  I was immitating the type of photography seen in the photograph at the very top, of the train.  The train literally appears to be popping out of the photograph because of its clarity compared to its surroundings.  A similar effect occurs when looking at my photograph.  The eye naturally focuses on the houses in the town, something that might have normally been overlooked by looking at the hills or the closest tree.  Because the tree blurs out at the top and the bottom, it is more natural to look at the other parts of the photograph that are perfectly clear.

the top photo was found at: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/22/the-ultimate-photography-round-up/