Photography composition skills: “leaving white space” in the picture

Introduction: Stripping a picture or scene down to its minimal elements is an often refreshing approach to composition. Sometimes I try to cram everything interesting into the frame. The problem caused by this is that the more we fill the picture with all the objects, characters, lines, shapes, etc., the more the audience will feel at a loss. Here are some examples of using minimalist compositions to inspire you.

The picture above is one of a series of black and white works taken by photographer Brian Matiash on Staten Island. This series uses minimalist composition. In addition, this photo is an example of successfully breaking the rule of composition: don't put the horizon in the middle of the frame. If this photo had the horizon moved upward to include more water, the reflection of the wooden pile would come fully into the frame and the bottom would lose center of gravity. Conversely, if you take in more of the sky, you lose the interesting reflections on the water.

A few months after Mike Olbinski took this photo, the grandfather in the photo passed away. His granddaughter, the little girl in the photo, will carry this photo with her forever. The exposure chosen by the photographer here just shows the details of the little girl, with only a few simple trees as embellishments in the background. The whole picture is simple but not boring.

The last photo was taken by me. As the eagle flew overhead, I knew immediately it would make a great photo. I overexposed the frame, turning the sky into pure white, and then converted to black and white. Yes, I blew out the highlights on purpose.