Understanding The Negative Space In Photography

In Photography there are so many things we can learn and understand to capture the best around the world.

recently I was just watching random but professional photographers on youtube to learn something new.

and at that time I heard a word called “The Negative Space In Photography”.

I know something little about Negative space but I never tried to capture some shots using this technique.

So after that, I just started learning about Negative space and started capturing some cool shots using this technique.

Believe me, this technique is very important for me as well as for you If you want to become a good photographer, and if you want to know and learn something intresting.

You want to learn what is negative space in Photography and how to capture some cool shots using this technique?

then you’re at the right place, I just learn this technique recently and want to share with you in-depth, with some cool examples.

so now without talking more about it, let’s get started…

Understanding The Negative Space In Photography | The Easy Way

First of all, let’s understand the real meaning of negative space.

so basically when you capture any image which contains an object then you set some more space to just grab attention to your subject.

that free space is called negative space in photography.

here are some simple and clean examples to understand what I’m trying to say…

Photo By Sunisa Misa on Unsplash

another one…

as you see in both of these images, the main focus is not on the main subject but the focus is filling the whole image with negative space plus object.

so in the end, it’ll automatically attract everyone to view the subject first, many people called it a positive space.

If your subject is even smaller then it’ll attract more attention to that part.

there are so many different composition methods you can use to capture shots like this one, you can use Rule of Third, Leading line, etc…

but it always depends on the location and your power to imagine the picture before you start capturing it.

mostly this type of photography is used in Art, Architecture. Design etc kind of photography.

as you can see you can use it to capture some nature photographs, in the end, it’s just one kind of perspective.

Negative space required every time?

If you have a question like this one: To grab the user’s attention can I use this technique every time?

So, the answer is No basically it takes a very good experience to learn and master this technique and apply it successfully.

also, there are many photographers who think that if you want to capture any cool subject using this technique then your negative space must be something like the sky or any simple color like black or red.

but that’s not the truth, you can even create negative space in your image without all these objects.

just try to focus on your subject and makes everything out of focus, it’ll automatically attract users to focus on the main subject.

captured by pewdoc

This is the image that I captured using Canon 1300D ( sorry for the bad quality 🙁 ), and as you can see this is the perfect example of this question.

here in this image, my main focus is the ballon, and as you can see apart from that part everything is out of focus.

which draws the user’s attention to the main subject.

I captured this shot using long exposure, if you don’t know this technique then you need to learn it.

Learn how to use Long Exposure and capture something amazing

Ways to Apply Negative space In Photography

If you’re asking me then there are no proper ways to apply this technique in your photography life, which I mentioned already in this article.

All you can do is start capturing some simple images with steady objects.

Just try with a different focal length and background, after some shots you’ll automatically find the better way to apply this technique in your real life.

When I was young and own a new DSLR camera I just love the bokeh type of background, If you’re like me then just stop it.

this is not a reliable way to capture images as a good photographer.

that thing never helps you to create a good composition in your images, so always try to see your subject and background to capture the perfect shots with perfect technique.

There are millions of ways to create this kind of image using this technique, it’s just about perspective.