Active and dead space in your compositions
Discover a useful concept to make the most of your framing decisions
Why do I need to worry about space in an image?
The area around your main subject is very important. Whether it’s ‘active’ or ‘dead’, it will help give your composition balance and context.
Which is which?
Active space is the area into which the viewer’s eye is led. This could be because your subject is moving into it, or simply facing towards it. Dead space is the area behind your subject where there is nothing happening or likely to happen. Instinctively, we are more interested in active space than dead space.
Does an active space have to be a large area?
No, but it would normally be larger than any dead space within the frame. For example, if you shoot a tight portrait with the eyes glancing to the left, then it makes compositional sense to leave a little more space in the frame on that side.
Does this only work with people?
It works with any subject where the eye is naturally directed by what’s in the frame to a particular area. It’s certainly more obvious when used with a moving and recognisable subject like a person walking, but it could easily be an animal, a car, an aeroplane or a boat.
What happens if you deliberately break this compositional rule?
All compositional guidelines can be broken for artistic reasons. If you choose to leave large areas of dead space behind your subject and a small area of active space, you are deliberately setting out to break the convention. This can cause tension within the frame, or even inject a sense of mystery, which might be exactly what you want to do.