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Why negative space is important in photography

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Negative space in photography, design, sculpture or any other creative pursuit is equally as important as is positive space in overall composition.

It’s all about finding the right balance.

Simply put, positive space is the actual subject while negative space (also called white space) is the area surrounding the subject.

The latter acts as breathing room for your eyes. Too little negative space results in cluttered and busy photographs with every element in the photo screaming for the viewer’s attention.

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How to use symmetry to create strong impact in your photography

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I’m currently writing a series of blog articles on photography composition. The two previous articles on composition covered are The Rule of Thirds in photography and Leading Lines in photography. I thought this time I’d cover symmetry and include some of my own symmetry photography examples to illustrate this.

Now… I cannot speak for others but in my opinion, symmetry is key in photography. Of course, it needn’t be present in all photography but it’s hard to deny the strong and positive impact it has on any photograph. Symmetry seems to satisfy a need within us. It fills me with calm and feels relaxing to my brain. It feels good. But why is that? Why do we take pleasure from symmetry?

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Back to basics: Mastering the Rule of Thirds in photography

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The rule of thirds in photography.

I know… I’m going back to basics but since I just published an article on the importance of Leading Lines in Photography, I thought it to be a good idea to go back to the beginning and explain crucial bits of photography which I hadn’t covered until now.

A note on rules: I have always held the belief that rules, however useful at times, are meant to be broken.

Don’t go slap your boss, it wasn’t meant that way.

I’ll put it in bold for you:

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The importance of leading lines in photography

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Leading lines in photography are existing lines within the frame of a photograph which the photographer has deliberately aligned/arranged (prior to taking the photo) by adjusting their composition either shifting their body or camera. It should result in lines which “lead” to the subject, increasing the focus of the viewer, allowing for a more enjoyable viewing experience.

It is often paired with the rule of thirds although not necessarily.

Since I started photographing London (back around 2008), I have made a conscious effort to practice and master this as it greatly improves photographs, their impact, and the ease with which a viewer will appreciate your work, a certain user experience I guess.

I include some examples of my London photography so you can see for yourself the importance of leading lines in photography.

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The 10 commandments of Twitter for photographers

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If you’re unsure how to lead a healthy relationship with social media, then try these 10 Commandments of Twitter. Many of them will also apply to other social media platforms, too. Remember, social media is how many of our potential clients will first discover us these days. So, heed them well.

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13 questions to ask clients ahead of a photography job

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Since my first photography job, I’ve been commissioned by top brands including Adidas, Jose Cuervo, Amazon, Sony, AEG, Land Securities, Heineken and many more. I hope to be able to help others take their first steps into professional photography.

Beginning with your first photography job, when you first start getting photography commissions as a photographer it can be very tempting to just take them all on.

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Photographers finds a couple he shot on the street after eight years to deliver their portrait

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This year my wife Chrystall and I have decided we’re leaving London for the country.

As much as we love London we feel this is a good time for us to leave and move onto other bigger things. One of them being the launch of our new website, Great Things To Do, in January 2018.

I’ve written before about the ethics of street photography and as a London based street photographer, there was something I needed to put right before I left.

Back in 2009 I was wandering in Ladbroke Grove, not far from the tragic Grenfell Tower, on one of my typical days out shooting urban photography.

As I walked passed a garden, something, or rather someone grabbed my eye but I kept walking for a bit.

But it was just too good a shot to miss so I went back, smiled at them, paused for a second and took the shot to then walk away again.

The shot turned out great but there was a lingering feeling of having stolen it, and it never sat very well with me.

A few years went by and this slowly but surely became one of my most popular photographs, winning recognition at the International Street Photography Awards.

Here we were now in 2017 and I still regret not going back to at least give them the print.

So in July I decided to do something about it, I would find them again.

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How to make money with photography

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“Please could you tell me how to make money from photography?” This is a question I get asked quite often by email, a majority are students entering their adult working life and trying to figure it all out.

And yet I don’t think it’s the right approach when pursuing any passion to obsess about making money. Get a full-time job first to pay the bills, that’s my main advice. but don’t do it so long that it poisons your creativity, individuality and drive as there’s a very real risk of that happening.

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Why photographers are hiding their Leica logo with tape

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We live in a terrifying world and the news tell us: just about anything out there is out to get us.

Fear is HOT right now.

So talking about being safe… Does hiding the Leica logo with tape actually serve a purpose?

What is the purpose of this strange behaviour?

Is it possible that one idiot did it and it just caught on?

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What lenses should you use for the Sony A7 Series?

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Following my recent post on the reasons why I switched from Micro Four Thirds to Full Frame mirrorless, I thought I should share my thoughts on lenses which work well for the A7 series.

As a Sony A7RII user, new to Sony, the choice of lenses is not far from infinite. This is both a good thing but also presents a challenge. Is so much choice… too much choice?

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