Negative Space Photography on a Samsung Galaxy
Why minimalist Galaxy photos look empty instead of intentional, and how to fix exposure, lens choice, subject placement and editing for negative space.
A poorly executed negative space photograph may look like the photographer made a mistake. The subject matter is too small or the negative space appears grainy and grey. Perhaps there’s an offending twig jutting into the corner of the photo. In each of these cases, there’s a reason this happened. And in most instances, you can remedy these issues before you press the shutter button on your phone.
Why negative space shots fail
Negative space is (according to Wikipedia) the space around and between the subjects of a photograph.
Negative space can make a strong statement, but it’s got to be dead simple to register as intentional. Here are the most common ways people mess it up:
- there’s something distracting in the empty space (like a patchy cloud or bright window)
- the subject is too small (to be seen on a phone screen) or similar in tone to the background
- the brightness of the scene (say snow or a bright sky) confused the exposure and it came out grey/white
- digital noise from high ISO or editing artefacts/banding (these tend to show up in smooth areas like skies)
- the subject is looking/facing towards the closest image border (i.e. there’s empty space behind them)
For example, when framing people or animals, leave some empty space in the direction the subject is looking/moving. Known as the “rule of space” (described in Wikipedia’s article on composition), it even has research to back it up. The article cites a 2011 study which found people prefer images which follow this rule.
Pick the right empty space
Good negative space is simple. Usually, it’s either one tone or a smooth transition between two tones.
Think of a clear or evenly overcast sky, or a body of water without waves. Fog and fresh snowfall can also help to simplify your backgrounds, as can a blank painted wall in the city.
The background can distract from your subject. If there’s a busy element (think a detailed forest or brick wall), move around until you find the most nondescript backdrop. Get low and use the sky as your background if that’s the plainest option.
Choose the lens for the background you have
Larger areas of sky and water are more difficult to keep clutter-free, so using a wider lens will only benefit images that have relatively clutter-free backgrounds.
Using a telephoto lens will help you to isolate simpler backgrounds behind a more distant subject.
| Lens | Use it when | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6x ultrawide | The subject is near you and the sky is clear in every direction | Huge areas of sky or sand around a small subject | Edges pick up clutter, so check every corner |
| 1x main | The subject is a few metres away | A natural balance between subject and space | Largest sensor, so the smoothest tones in dim light |
| 3x telephoto | The subject is across water or a field | A narrow slice of plain background | S-series phones only. A-series zoom crops the main camera |
| 5x telephoto | The subject is far away, such as a boat or a bird | Picks one small subject out of a wide scene | Ultra models only, and it needs steady hands or a support |
The 5x telephoto camera on the latest Ultra models has a focal length equivalent to 111mm (according to GSMArena), compared to about 23 to 24mm for the main camera. The narrower the field of view, the easier it is to isolate a bird against the sky. Brace the phone or use a tripod at 5x, because small movements are magnified.
Exposure for empty areas
Plain areas can also throw off metering. According to Samsung’s Galaxy S26 user guide, matrix metering considers brightness across the whole frame, so pictures that are mainly white (think walls or snow) will skew grey, while predominantly dark shots (say, of a body of water at dusk) will look brighter than they really are.
| Scene | Exposure starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Snow, fog or a white wall | +0.7 to +1.0 | Brings the white back from grey |
| Subject against bright sky, as a silhouette | -0.7 to -1.0 | Keeps the sky's colour and darkens the subject |
| Evenly lit grey wall or overcast sea | 0 | The meter usually gets mid-tones right |
| Dark water or a night sky | -0.3 to -0.7 | Stops the background turning muddy grey |
Tap on the subject, and you’ll get an exposure slider you can drag next to the focus point. The exposure monitor in Pro mode is helpful on the Galaxy S26, flagging underexposed and overexposed areas, while shooting with a manual ISO can help keep it lower. Samsung notes that ISO control will leave Auto mode if you adjust shutter speed manually. The Pro mode guide covers those controls.
Placing the subject
Try placing your subject on the intersection points of the grid lines. Leave some room in front of them if they’re looking or moving in one direction. On recent Samsung phones, the grid in our rule of thirds guide is called either Composition guide (S-series phones) or Grid lines (A-series phones).
Size matters as much as position. Your pictures are going to be seen on small screens. If your subject takes up anywhere from 1/20th to 1/5th of your frame, it’s probably going to be OK. Smaller than that? Make sure they stand out from the background, e.g. dark silhouette against bright sky, splash of colour against all grey. In our colour theory guide we looked at which colours attract the most attention.
Shooting a negative space photo, step by step
- 1
Find the plainest background
Find an uncluttered backdrop, ideally a single tone, by walking around your subject.
- 2
Choose the lens
Use the table above to figure out when to use 3x or 5x (useful for getting tighter crops when there’s visual clutter on the sides).
- 3
Place the subject on a third
Compose with the larger empty space in front of your subject, in the direction it’s facing or moving.
- 4
Set the brightness
Tap to focus and then drag the exposure slider up or down until that negative space is exposed as you’re picturing it (this is especially important for white walls or snow).
- 5
Check all four corners
Beware of clutter creeping into the corners of your frame, watching out for bright spots or branch tips poking into your frame.
- 6
Take several frames
Capture moving subjects (think birds or walkers) in bursts by swiping the shutter button over to the side of the screen and holding it down.
Editing negative space
Start with the crop. In Samsung’s Gallery app, open up the rotate and crop tool. There’s a Ratio setting that can help, but generally speaking, a tighter crop helps eliminate a distracting edge. If there’s an offending speck or wayward bird in your frame, the Object Eraser guide will show you how to make it go away.
Then set the tone. Also in Gallery, if the sky is almost white, try turning Highlights down a bit in the Tone menu. You can play with the Brightness slider, too. Experiment with the Color mix section to see if reducing the Luminance of blue tones might darken the sky without affecting the rest of the shot.
Avoid adding texture to an otherwise smooth background; let the subject of the photo have all the detail. (Snapseed’s online help describes the Structure slider as adding texture to the entire photo.)
For a list of scenes we’ve chosen for you to practise on, 21 negative space photo ideas provides a starting lens and setting for each one.
What is negative space in photography?+
How much of the frame should be negative space?+
Why does snow look grey in my Samsung photos?+
Which Galaxy lens is best for negative space?+
Keep reading
21 Negative Space Photo Ideas for Your Samsung Galaxy
21 negative space photo ideas for a Samsung Galaxy, from a lone tree in snow to one lit window at night, each with a short how-to and a setting to use.
Samsung 100x Space Zoom: What It Can and Can't Do
Which Galaxy phones have 100x Space Zoom, what the camera does past 10x, and how to brace, frame and shoot so long-zoom photos stay usable.
Samsung Pro Mode Presets: Settings to Save by Situation
How to save and load Samsung Pro mode presets in Camera Assistant, with starting values for night streets, tripods, action, portraits and the moon.
Samsung Camera Not Focusing? Close-Up, Zoom and AF Fixes
Samsung camera won't focus? You're often closer than the lens allows (about 18cm on the S26 Ultra main). Fixes for close-ups, zoom, glass, dim light, cases.