How to Use Negative Space to Create Stronger Photos

We talk a lot about how to shoot what's in a photo: subject poses, framing, foreground elements, etc., but what's in the photo is just as important as what's not in it. This helpful video will show you how to create stronger photos by embracing negative space.

Coming to you from Mike Browne, this great video talks about how to use negative space in your work. It can be easy to overfill an image, and in that process, your ability to direct the viewer's eye to your subject may be diminished and the overall impact of the photo lessened. You can of course zoom in to fill more of the frame with your subject and simplify the composition, or you can find an environment that allows you more negative space. Both have their own purpose and are appropriate in different settings, but using more negative space can help you create a more balanced and nuanced composition that encourages the viewer to to explore the geometry of the image and emphasizes the subject's presence simply because of how much is not around the subject. Grab a wider focal length and give it a try for yourself sometime.