By MAX TERRY

As photographers, we’re often looking for ways to compose our image so that our main subject is highlighted. We want to be able to direct the viewer’s eyes, to draw them in to our subject and let them rest there a moment. And while there are a number of different techniques you can use to do this, surrounding your subject with negative space can not only help bring your subject into a sharper focus, it can also enhance that mood or feeling that goes along with the image.

What Is Negative Space?

Negative space is the area between and around the main subject in a photo. (The main subject, conversely, is known as “positive space.”) It can be anything from fairly empty water and sky like in the image above, to patterns, blur, textures, or a single color background like in the photo below. The effect is to bring the viewer’s focus to the main subject, while creating a sense of spaciousness and breath. It balances your composition by creating a dance of focus between the positive space (main subject) and the emptiness around it.

Directing Focus with Negative Space

Negative space has a unique way of directing the viewer’s focus. From a distance, our eyes will focus first on the negative space, but won’t linger. Instead, our gaze is pulled almost irresistibly towards the positive space (especially if other compositional elements are used, like leading lines or the rule of thirds). It’s only after landing on the main subject and remaining a few moments that the eyes will eventually wander back through the negative space. This leaves a lot of creative leeway, not only in emphasizing the positive space, but also in leaving textures and patterns in the background for the eye to focus on as they wander through the space.

In the image above, our eyes start out on the upper left-hand “third” (i.e. the rule of thirds) and then travel immediately to the subject. Once we’ve lingered there a bit, we bounce up to the upper right-hand third, and then, if you’re like me, back down to the subject before returning to the upper left-hand third. The end effect is one of immense satisfaction and balance.

The Effects of Negative Space

The judicious use of negative space often has a strong effect on both a photo’s mood and the story it’s telling. Aside from simply emphasizing and enhancing the main subject, it can also instill a sense of airiness and spaciousness to a scene, while strengthening whatever emotional impact the overall image carries.

Photos with a lot of negative space feel purposeful and intentional. They also happen to be easier on the eyes (and brain) for those using smaller screens. A photo with a lot going on it can work well on a large display, but much of the detail is lost on a screen the size of a phone. Negative space, on the other hand, works quite well on smaller screens.

Negative space doesn’t have to be a single color or blank background. Here the faded background serves as negative space, pushing the viewer’s eyes to the man in the boat:

On the emotional side, images with a lot of negative space are said to bring a sense of peacefulness and calm to the overall scene, or enhance feelings of loneliness or solitude. Negative space also conveys a sense of simplicity and minimalism, something that is very popular these days in our world of clutter and over-stimulation.

How Much Negative Space Should I Use?

There’s no cut-and-dry formula to how much negative space a photo should have or when to use it. It’s something one has to learn to intuit through practice. Still, it’s helpful to understand that both positive space and negative space carry a visual “weight,” which then needs to be balanced with the opposing element. What that balance will be will vary depending on your subject, the composition, and your overall intended effect.

To learn to use it well, begin by taking extra notice of the empty spaces in a scene. Then, when you take a shot, leave a generous amount of space around your subject. That way, when you move to post-processing, you can try different crops to see how much negative space feels right. (You can use full-featured editing programs like Lightroom or Luminar for this, or just a simple crop tool app if you don’t plan on doing any editing.) The more negative space you include, the smaller your positive space will be, and vice versa. For example, the copious use of negative space in the image below makes the bowl of figs seem rather small in the frame. But, since it’s sitting on the lower third of the photo, the overall effect feels balanced

The cool thing is that negative space works well with many other composition techniques, and easily combines with the rule of thirds, grouping subjects into triangles (see the monkeys above), leading lines and many others. But while the skillful use of negative space in a composition can really transform an image, it’s not necessary to focus on it in every shot. Just keep your mind open and remember to look for the empty space as well as a compelling subject when you’re scoping out a scene. After that, it’s practice, practice, practice. You’ll soon get a feel for it.