subject: Photography Ideas: How To Utilize Negative Space [print this page] If you find yourself reading this posting, chances are that you are interested in some suggestions for photo projects. As long as you will be investing your time on a photo project, why not choose a project that develops your photography skills. This short article presents one particular skill, negative space, that can be used for a photography project that can help to develop your skills.
Utilizing Negative Space
Any image consists of three components:
Frame: The frame is the boundary that encompasses the rest of the image.
Positive Space: The subject of the image.
Negative Space: The space between the positive space and the frame.
Any photograph is formed, in various proportions, of the frame, positive space, and negative space. In order to produce great images, it is necessary to manage these components.
When many individuals go about composing an image, they concentrate their attention on the positive space. The negative space, that surrounds the positive space, gets little consideration. If it gets any consideration at all, it is more of an afterthought. This is a mistake! When handled well, the negative space can perform two essential functions. Therefore, the negative space can substantially improve an image:
First: The negative space can help in defining what the positive space is all about. Basically, it helps to tell the story of the positive space.
Second: The negative space can encircle the positive space in a way that makes it much more noticeable.
So, exactly how can the negative space help to define the positive space? Basically, the negative space provides additional detail that improves the story of the positive space. As an example, a close-up of a waterfall may display the splendor of the plummeting water, but it may not show any hint of the environment in which the waterfall exists. More information is needed to better define the positive space. Now, imagine that the photographer chose to zoom out. Then, some of the environment around the positive space would be viewed (perhaps, the adjoining environment was a spectacular mountain area). This would create a negative space that helps to define the positive space.
While using a negative space can certainly strengthen an image, there is one thing that must be avoided. The negative space should never be permitted to overpower the positive space as this would work to deteriorate the image. For this example, the photographer could make the negative space somewhat out of focus so that it becomes subservient to the positive space.
The primary issue to keep in mind is that the function of the negative space is to support the positive space rather than to compete with it. This acts to strengthen the image.
The other purpose of the negative space is to help make the positive space more conspicuous. This is because the negative space can help to control the eye of a viewer. It does this by focusing the attention of a viewer. Specifically, it focuses the attention on the positive space. To make the negative space more effective at focusing the attention, all distracting detail must be eliminated from the negative space. Making the negative space contrast in some way (e.g., in tone, color, or pattern) with the positive space is an additional method to make the positive space stand out.
Therefore, to create powerful photos, photographers need to take into account the negative space when composing images. In essence, photographers need to pay as much attention to the negative space as they do the positive space.
Photography Project
So, why don't you create a photography project around this concept. Why not produce a portfolio of images with negative spaces that function to enhance the images?
Wrap Up
This short article covered one particular skill that can be used to start a photography project. However, there is much more that can be learned.
