What Is Negative Space In Photography? Here’s What You Want To Know
Negative space refers to areas of a composition that are empty, bland, or otherwise uninteresting. That’s why negative space is also called white space; it’s where nothing is really happening.
Negative space in photography, design, sculpture or any other creative pursuit is equally as important as is positive space in overall composition.
Finding the proper balance is the key.
Negative space, also referred to as white space, is the space around the subject, and positive space, as the name suggests, is the actual subject.
The latter gives your eyes breathing space. When there isn’t enough negative space in a photo, the image becomes cluttered and busy, with each component yelling for the viewer’s attention.
For more information, keep reading.
Table of Contents
What Does Negative Space Mean In Photography?
In music, architecture, art, and design, negative space is used in various ways. No matter the medium, the principles are constant.
What does the term “negative space photography” actually mean? It describes the area surrounding your photo’s main subject. It establishes the proper relationship between the background and the focus point.
The main subjects in a photograph are referred to as positive space. In a variety of compositions, positive and negative space can dance together to produce the desired effect.
Negative Space Compositions
Negative space can be utilized with any compositional method in photography.
You can make an image that feels dramatic by using negative space. It will draw a viewer’s attention to it and then guide their eyes to the more compact area of positive space.
It is ideal for negative spaces to occupy a larger portion of the image than positive ones. It has the effect of making us notice and examine the main subject even more.
Why is empty space important? We become more interested in the main topic as a result of the size contrast. Viewers will spend more time studying it as a result. In a way, the subject in the positive space will stand out more if it is smaller.
Negative space gives the illusion that the image only has one main subject, which is a common misconception. You could even have more than two main subjects. When the main subjects fill more and more of the frame, using negative space becomes more difficult.
Effect Of Negative Space
Negative space in photography is typically used to produce calm images, according to psychology. The main subject may feel isolated due to the size disparity between it and its surroundings.
This may increase feelings of isolation, solitude, calmness, introspection, or even importance. It depends on the photograph’s subject matter.
Should A Negative Space Be Left Blank?
An image with a lot of empty space is referred to as negative space. expansive plain areas in an image, like the sky, grass, or water, for instance.
Negative space can be used in other ways, though this is the most common application.
Negative space in an image doesn’t always have to be a white or empty space. Things can be in the empty space, but they shouldn’t ever be the main focus.
When the regions surrounding the subject are out of focus, a negative space image results. In a way, they look like they belong there. You become even more intent on it as a result of this.
Although there are things or patterns in the empty space, they don’t immediately catch your eye. They force your eyes to focus on the positive space first, instead.
This is frequently possible by keeping the subjects in the background area consistent. They will feel as though they are regressing in relation to the focal point as a result.
Positive And Negative Space In Photography: What Are They?
An area that recedes won’t exist in an image without negative space. You’ll notice subjects in the image that catch your eye. The image below demonstrates how your eyes will continue to dart between them.
Consider how a viewer’s eyes will move around the scene as a result of the composition of the photo.
Consider how your eyes move in relation to negative space. The void will be visible to the eyes from a distance. This will direct their attention to the main point. Other compositional components, such as leading lines, can help.
The viewer’s eyes will return to the negative spaces once they have finished examining the main subjects.
The eyes won’t be drawn to a background subject in an image that makes use of negative space. The focus will catch everyone’s attention right away. In a sense, the viewer’s eyes are guided through the use of negative space. Consequently, images may become busier or more complex.
How To Use Negative Space In A Photograph?
A viewer can get a sense of scale or size by looking at the negative space around your main subject. If you’re a landscape photographer, this can be helpful because getting too close to your subject can detract from the audience’s sense of place.
In many cases, stepping back from the edge of your shot will have a bigger impact on the image than being directly in the middle of the action. In order to achieve a larger atmosphere and a completely different ambiance, your subject would appear smaller the farther away you are from them.
Avoid including any distracting elements when framing your composition because they might take the viewer’s attention away from the poignant message you’re trying to convey.
How To Use Depth Of Field Effectively?
In terms of scale, negative space can work the other way around, making a subject appear larger than it is. Your subjects’ surroundings can take on some interesting shapes and illusions if the negative space is exaggerated. This technique can be executed much more easily by using a wide aperture (low F/number) when shooting.
Consider flowers as an illustration. It is entirely up to you as the photographer whether you want to keep the subject in its natural setting (within the plant) or if you prefer to use a lot of negative space in your shots to make the flower head appear isolated.
In flower photography, an out-of-focus, green background can be appealing because it is what you would expect to see. But iPhotography encourages its users to create their own individual styles. Make sure there are no distracting objects in the background of either picture as this can detract from its simplicity.
Negative Space Tips And Tricks
I’ll discuss some of my favorite methods for using negative space in this section.
Let The Scene Dictate Your Negative Space And Positive Space Combination
Every scene has a different proportion of negative to positive space.
And while you, as the photographer, can zoom in, change perspectives, and crop to emphasize particular elements of the scene, you also need to be adaptable; you need to be able to embrace both a scene that is full of negative space and a scene that is full of positive space.
Therefore, avoid attempting to steer a scene in a particular direction. Instead, ask yourself: What is the scene already like? And make the most of what you have.
For instance, a few years ago, I was standing at a well-known lookout in Eastern Canada when I noticed a famous rock submerged in the Atlantic Ocean. Early in the morning, a layer of fog had moved in, enveloping the vast majority of the magnificent building. The woman standing next to me turned to me and said, “It’s so tragic because I wanted to take a picture of the Percy Rock while we were passing by today. However, it seems impossible given the fog.”
She left feeling let down that she missed her chance. But I persisted and remained standing for a considerable amount of time, studying the fog and how it covered the rock like a thick blanket. One of the most incredible things that had taken place that day, in my opinion. Being there at that precise moment to witness the wonder unfold made me feel extremely fortunate. I used the negative space to my advantage to produce a stunning, minimalistic image.
Bottom line:
Be nimble and versatile. Even though you generally like to steer clear of minimalist compositions, if negative space dominates a scene, let it. Make sense?
Use Negative Space To Balance Out Positive Space
A key goal of photographic composition is to achieve visual balance. You want your images to feel whole, complete, satisfying.
Finding your positive space and then balancing it with negative space is one way to achieve balance.
Take a look at the illustration below as an example. The clenched fist in the “positive space” is visible. Despite being a strong and captivating subject, the surrounding empty space distracts from it. It creates an overall balance, as you can see:
By the way, it’s important to recognize how lots of negative space can balance out just a little positive space. Aggressive and potent is positive space. Negative space is much quieter and even calming. In other words, positive space should be used sparingly unless you’re going for a very overt appearance.
Some photographers practice a “2:1” negative space rule, where you add two parts negative space for every one part positive space. Although I dislike limiting myself in this way, it’s a useful principle to remember.
Experiment With Minimalism
Negative space is a key component of minimalistic compositions. They take a lot of negative space, mix it with a little bit of positive space, and produce an eye-catching result. In fact, they are all about negative space.
Here’s an example of a minimalist image, where the shadow acts as positive space, while the bricks provide some empty negative space:
I strongly advise trying it out if you like the minimalistic style. It’s relatively easy to execute.
Here are my recommendations:
- Choose a main subject to focus on first, such as a tree, a person, or a structure. This will be your positive space.
- If necessary, alter your positive, focal length, and camera angle so that your main subject is by itself and surrounded by only empty space. (This calls for a low perspective so that you can frame your subject against the sky by stooping to the ground.)
- Reduce color as much as you can. If possible, you want a scene with a limited color palette that is highly harmonious—just one or two colors.
- Put your main subject on the composition’s edge. Try positioning the subject along a gridline or at a rule of thirds power point, but you might also want to think about moving it closer to the frame’s edge.
The minimalistic tree image below is striking. It has a small tree in the corner that serves as positive space, and the rest of the image is (for the most part) negative space, which creates a pleasing overall balance.
Use Negative Space To Convey Emotion
Particularly in black and white images, negative space often has a gloomy, even melancholy, feel to it.
Use this fact. With your writing, create a narrative that’s tinged with melancholy, loneliness, or quiet pleasure.
As I mentioned above, you should, of course, let the scene guide you. But you can also purposefully increase the negative space in your composition by carefully zooming out, or by locating a particularly empty background, etc.
Look at this picture with all the negative space. Are there any emotions in it?
In my opinion, it is a shot that conveys emotion. A little bit of positive space scattered throughout the empty sky creates an intriguing, eerie narrative.
Positive Space Versus Negative Space
The complete antithesis of negative space is positive space. Positive space steals the attention, whereas negative space rejects it. You see, positive space is the area of a photo that includes elements of interest, the area that includes the main subject, the area where the viewer’s eye goes first.
In the photo below, there is plenty of positive space, but very little negative space. As examples of positive space, consider the flag, the structures, and the trees. Due to their intriguing arrangement and texture, even the clouds offer some positive space. The sky, which only occupies a small portion of the image, is the largest blank area.
Now, positive space can be anything, but here are some common examples:
- Faces
- People
- Buildings
- Birds
- Wildlife
- Mountains
So, which is preferable, positive or negative space?
Neither.
In photography, the goal is to combine both types of space to create a balanced composition. You want positive and negative space, of course. You can get consistently beautiful photos in this way!
(However, in general, a mix of the two is preferred. Some photographic styles do heavily emphasize negative space, while others heavily emphasize positive space.)
Final Words
A great way to develop your abilities and photographic eye is through negative space photography. No matter your preferred genre, you can consistently take beautiful pictures by mastering negative space.
Many thanks for reading.
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