Experienced landscape photographers understand the power of negative space when composing an expansive scene. This technique will also deliver dynamic urban imagery when shooting on the street, as you’ll see in this eye-opening tutorial from the folks at New Ways of Seeing.

As the name implies, this channel specializes in straightforward methods for capturing images that stand out from the crowd and enable you to create images that fall outside the same-old-same-old category. And that’s exactly what you’ll learn how to do in this seven-minute episode when it comes to unlocking the power of negative space when urban landscape photography is the name of the game.

Instructor Rupert Vandervell is a fine art street photographer who is very generous about sharing the secrets to his impressive portfolio. Today’s topic involves taking a fresh at your surroundings and understanding how to use large areas of empty space to simplify a scene and direct the viewer’s eye where you want it to go.

The first step is knowing how to identify the appropriate elements for this subset of minimalist photography. Only then can you choose the most appropriate camera settings and lens focal length for composing the shot accordingly. If you follow Vandervell’s simple instructions, compelling imagery is sure to follow.

Vandervell’s stunning photos provide all the inspiration you need to try your hand at this less-is-more technique. He explains the process like this: “You’re looking to not only reduce any distracting elements, but also to use negative space to bring attention to the main subject; namely, the positive space.”

You’ll also see examples of exceptional photos in this genre by notable British photojournalist Bill Brandt (born in Germany). In fact, Brandt’s stark imagery is what motivated Vandervell to take this eye-catching approach. We’re pretty sure that you’ll be tempted to do the same by the time this quick video concludes.

Vandervell’s popular YouTube channel is a great source of unique shooting tips and techniques, so make it a point to take a look at what he has available.

We also recommend watching a recent tutorial we featured with another notable pro who demonstrates the difference between illuminating a scene with flash or simple LED lights, and how to make the right choice for your style of photography.

There’s no doubt that some outdoor scenes cry out for a monochrome rendition with all of the striking contrast or moody effects that are possible with b&w imagery. Other times, however, the vivid color you see through the viewfinder makes this decision a no brainer.

This unique video featuring pro Richard Brockwell is an interesting showdown of sorts as it pits magical color creations against stunning b&w art, and then walks through his thought process when deciding which approach to take based upon the specifics of the scene at hand. In just about every situation one style will reign supreme.

Brockwell does an admiral job of demonstrating the why, when, and, how of this conundrum. You can always capture an image in both color and b&w, or shoot in color and make a conversion during the image-editing process, but that’s not really the point of today’s episode. Rather, Brockwell’s goal is to help you get great results whether bright colors capture your heart or the simplicity and elegance of b&w wins your over.

As you’ll see, there’s more to all this than getting things right in the camera, because post-processing skills can be equally important. Brockwell puts it like this: ‘When it comes to image editing, choosing between color and black and white formats opens distinct creative pathways—each with their own challenges and rewards.

Brockwell shares the manner in which her edits both color and b&w imagery so you can decide which approach inspires you most. Color editing, for example “allows for dynamic expression through vibrant hues and tonal harmony. Monochrome, on the other hand, “strips away color to focus on texture and composition. “The ultimate decision is a subjective one, but in either case you’ll be better equipped to create attention-grabbing imagery by the time this lesson concludes.

Then head over to Brockwell’s instructional YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn.

And don’t miss our earlier tutorial featuring another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to use your camera’s powerful Spot Metering mode to nail exposure every time.

This quick image-editing tutorial from the Lou Imag’in You Tube channel begins with a bold warning: “Using Photoshop without employing masks is a big mistake.” If you’re an inexperienced user who thinks masking is beyond your skills, this beginners guide will get you up to speed in less than seven minutes.

Lou is not only an experienced travel photographer, but a post-processing instructor and a professional retoucher as well. She begins this episode by describing why Photoshop provides more masking control than does other editing software. “You can create masks in Lightroom, but not as precisely as in Photoshop.”

After a quick overview Lou pulls up a nighttime cityscape photo and shows you how to create a new layer. Then she clicks another tab to create a mask which initially appears as a white box next to the original shot in the panel. The experts at Adobe define the benefits of today’s topic like this: “A layer mask controls the visibility of the layer to which it is added. You can edit a layer mask to add or subtract from the masked region without losing the layer pixels.”

The approach Lou takes is a practical one with several examples of why layer masking should be part of your everyday workflow—especially if your goal is creating imagery with maximum impact. And don’t feel too bad if you’re a Lightroom user, because an understanding of layer masks will benefit you in a big way too.

Lou’s video demonstration is so thorough and fast that there’s no reason for us to intrude here, other than to say that your images will never be the same. Lou’s popular YouTube channel is full instructional lessons like this one, so be sure to take a look.

We also strongly recommend that you watch last week’s tutorial featuring another image-editing expert who demonstrates why you may be using the wrong technique to enhance saturation in photographs.