Negative Space
a place for the eyes to rest


When we view the subject of our images as positive space, everything around it can be called negative space. Negative space can be seen in almost any image, but it can be different in size, shape, color and it can either be in or out of focus. 
This week our assignment was to use negative space in captivating ways, to create compelling images.

These shots of my friend E. were taken with my Canon EOS 400D  50mm lens (f/1.8 ISO 200 at 1/100) By focusing op his profile i actually divided the frame in half. The blurry (bokeh) space to the left can be seen as negative space (although the dark blur of the round plate is a bit distracting) and the dark shadowy part of his face to the right can also be seen as negative space. This is more obvious when i convert the image to Black and White.

Here are some more shots of E, this time of his hand. (f/1.8 ISO 400 at 1/80)

Because of the composition and the use of negative space it has a documentary aspect, it seems to tell a story. The eye is drawn to the hand, the rest of the shot is out of focus. In the top left of the frame you can see someone at the table, to the right of the frame there is a blurry impression of a curtain or a fence. The negative space of the table divides the hand (and the person attached to it) from the person at the table. The darker triangle of negative space in the top middle divides the scene at the table from the square at the right of the frame. I converted this shot to B&W too and think it is more compelling without the distraction of the colors, and also has a more severe/austere atmosphere than the soft colors of the other shot. I think both shots tell a completely different story.

The sky is a great provider of negative space. Here are two shots of the silhouettes of dried hogweed flowers taken while sitting on my haunches and pointing my iPhone upwards. In the left shot rays and bursts of clouds seem to emanate from the umbel, so the negative space is not entirely without action. In the right shot the hogweed stalks and umbels seem to frame the negative space of the sky, which gives a more tranquil and balanced feeling to the image.

In these images the positive space of the 'chain' formed by the pole, rope and buoys effectively divides the negative space of the water in two. The position of the 'chain' within the frame greatly influences the impact of the image. 

These shots were taken at a friend's dinner table. 

The composition of the image on the left was mostly my friend's work, he had arranged everything on his table so beautifully and interestingly that i didn't have to (re)arrange anything. The central placement of the (slightly smudged) wineglass was my only contribution. The dark negative space at the top of the image creates intimacy, while the warm color of the table adds a place for the eye to rest between the objects on the table.

The second (almost monochrome) shot of a (part of a) coffee-cup on a placemat has some wonderful reflections and swirls of light in the white cup and saucer, while the shadow on the right side of the cup almost seems to flow and drip off the saucer onto the negative space of the placemat.

This is one of my favorite images. I purposefully 'cut off'  the wineglass at the stem, thereby focusing on the silhouette of the shadow, that is made even more compelling by the reflections of the candles and the lamplight. Stem and shadow (positive space) divide the frame diagonally, while the two different colored placemats (negative space) divide it horizontally. The finishing touch of course is the bright sparkle of light in the middle of the frame, right where the dark and light placemats 'meet' .