In a photograph, positive space is the space occupied by the main subject of interest. It is where we see form, texture, color etc. A lot of times, the rest of frame could be empty space – nearly featureless. That is the negative space. It is important to know how to use negative space in photographic composition to make the composition creative. The right amount of negative space showcases the positive space. Too much of it diminishes the importance of the main topic and too little of it cramps the main topic in a tight frame.
Like everything else in photography, this is one of the available techniques and does not apply to every situation or every kind of photograph. But the ability to recognize where it can play a part results in high impact photographs.
The photograph taken at daybreak at the Mesquite Dunes near Stovepipe Well, Death Valley National Park is all about a little bit of form and texture and lots of negative space. The negative space which is the total of the black regions in the frame takes up more area in the frame. I knew I could make them almost pitch black during printing. That is the way I visualized the picture at the time of taking the shot. The arrangement of the featureless dark spaces transforms the barren dunes to feminine form.
I tend to use negative space quite a lot in candid portraits taken of people in the street. My bread and butter shot is to photograph a person against the light outlined against a dark background, such as the boy blowing bubbles. The background will be mostly several stops down and out of focus and it to a reasonable extent it is possible to burn in lighter areas during printing. When there is a little bit of light in the background, making it out if focus creates a pleasing bokeh, which enhances the appeal of the picture, as in the case of the portrait of the girl.
I gave a couple of examples of how to use negative space in photographic composition. If you start looking you will find that there many creative uses of negative space and using if effectively will make your photographs stand out.
