Leaving Space

When we first start taking photographs, we tend to put our subject in the middle of the frame. As we learn about photography composition, we start working with the dynamic “rule of thirds” which moves our photographs to a whole new level. A more subtle yet valuable technique to work with is “leaving space” or “rule of space in photography”.

The rule of space is this: If the subject is not looking directly at the camera, or appears to be looking at something outside of the frame of the photo, there should be enough space for the subject to look into. This can actually add an air of mystery, because the photo viewer is wondering what the subject is looking at. There’s something that the viewer can’t see.

The same holds true for something moving such as a person, car, boat, bicycle, bird or running animal.  If they’re moving, give them space to move into. Applying this technique to your photos not only adds an interesting dimension, it drags the viewer’s attention into the photo to look where the subject is looking. Experiment with this concept, I know you’ll enjoy the results, and you will have added another tool to your composition box.

But let’s not  stop there.  Now, let’s modify the rule you just learned! You can also add space behind subject. When would you want to do this?  When there’s something interesting behind the subject, you want to give the impression of speed, or you want to show “the journey” the subject has taken.   For example, your dog is running like crazy across the field.  If you place the dog at the edge of the frame and leave space behind him, it implies he was running so fast you just got the shot in time.  If a surfer leaves a beautiful wake line behind him, have the surfer just going out of the frame with the wake line leading to him.