Street Photography Composition Lesson #17: Spacing

A new street photography lesson:

When shooting multiple subjects or even single subjects, put space between your subjects (or space between the subject and the background).

Download PDF: William Klein Spacing Photography Composition Download

See all the street photography lessons here.

Multiple subjects

William Klein as a good example:

Another Klein photo:

Complex multiple subjects

Another Klein:

Spacing in multi-level

William Klein is the park. Note the see saw which cuts the frame from the bottom to the top. Also note the spacing of all the subjects heads.

See the animated GIF here:

Vector addition, subtraction, and opposition.

When someone’s face, or eye direction is looking a certain way, it’s like an arrow or “vector”(mathematical term for arrow).

William Klein photo: note how all the subjects are opposing one another:

When you have multiple subjects facing one another, it’s as if they will collide. It’s like two racing cars driving toward one another. Think of action movies when two cars are playing “chicken”.

Two cars colliding with one another. Basic vector addition at play.

The effect is the photo feels more dynamic. More force. More drama. More energy!

Also if we think of simple vector addition and subtraction, getting one arrow point towards another — they cancel one another out! Thus there is inherent balance in this dynamic frame.

Piano key composition

Also why I like black and white photography.

Another great Klein photo. This time I illustrate the cross-over concept of musical composition and photo composition.

Note the red shapes are “beats”. The green spots are pauses. The beats and pauses make the music!

Street Photography Composition Lessons

For distilled lessons on composition, read the free ebook: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.”

Articles to improve your street photography composition:

Make better photos:

Composition Theory

Learn compositional theory:

Composition lectures

Composition 101

Master composition for yourself:

Photography Composition Tips

Color Theory

Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors. Image from CREATIVE EVERY DAY

Learn From the Masters of Composition

Sergio Larrain Compositions

Dynamic Photography Composition 101

Leading lines. ERIC KIM DYNAMIC COMPOSITION

Painting Compositions

Vermeer

Dynamic Photography Composition Tips

Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM

Composition Theory

Dynamic low angle composition. Tokyo, 2011 by ERIC KIM

Take your composition to the next level:

Street Photography Composition 101

DYNAMIC REFLECTIONS. Man and three reflections by ERIC KIM

For distilled lessons on composition, read the free ebook: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.”

Further articles to improve your compositions in photography:

Composition Theory

Woman and door. Chiaroscuro. DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADOW. Hanoi, 2016 by ERIC KIM

Learn compositional theory:

Compositional lessons from the masters of art

Composition lectures

Composition pictures/grids

Golden Diagonal Composition

Golden Diagonal Composition / Kyoto Station, 2018