"The unseen is what fuels the imagination" - Om Malik

Have you ever wondered why readers who like a book usually dislike the movie version of the same story? In most cases, this is because no matter how good the author is and how many words they use to describe the characters and the places, a book is a non visual medium and in the end it relies on the reader's imagination to fill the gaps. Every reader will live the story in a unique way, making it more engaging and personal. On the other hand, the movie gives up almost everything with its visuals, every person watching it will see the same, there's not so much room for imagination.

Even though photography -like films- is a visual medium, there are some ways we can spark the imagination of the viewer. This will make them stop while scrolling down on their Instagram feed, or stare at the image a bit longer in an exhibition. When we get that kind of attention, that means the image works.

Black and white, removing details from the shadows and highlights, using the weather to your advantage, shooting at night... are just some of the techniques we can use to make our images a bit more obscure. In the video above, I show you an example.

Try to create intentional gaps in your images, so the viewer has to use their imagination to fill them in. By making some things go unseen, you'll be adding more to the image.

Related: Hint, don't show, 5 ideas to make images in the fog.