Have you recently seen the influx of photos online where a subject is being "photo-bombed" by someone or something else? Someone standing behind a photo's subject staring at the camera, making a face, or picking their noses!?
That is because the photographer did not pay attention to negative space!
If the space in a photo which is taken up by the subject is considered "positive space", that would mean that everything else is "negative space".
A photographer has to pay attention not only to his subject and positive space in a scene, but also to that negative space...because when you are least expecting it, some random walker-by or strange wires that appear to be growing out of a subject's head may appear as if they were never there!
That is because the photographer did not pay attention to negative space!
If the space in a photo which is taken up by the subject is considered "positive space", that would mean that everything else is "negative space".
A photographer has to pay attention not only to his subject and positive space in a scene, but also to that negative space...because when you are least expecting it, some random walker-by or strange wires that appear to be growing out of a subject's head may appear as if they were never there!
3 comments:
Good advice! I'm reading through some of your earlier posts and learning a lot! (I'm not even a wannabe photographer, but I always welcome advice on how to get my personal photos to turn out a bit better... I have some great material to work with in my two beautiful daughters... but I do enjoy learning how to make my camera jump through a few of its own hoops)
Swinging by from A-Z!
http://jenelleschmidt.com/blog
Well, obviously last night and this morning there were a torrent of photos. I didn't mind the amateur photos from such a disaster, because people were just trying to help. Typically, though, I enjoy the accidental things amateurs leave in their backgrounds.
John at The Bathroom Monologues
I still have a hard time with negative space. I am getting better, but that is why I like changing my depth of field to make the background blurry (if I can).
I used to live in NYC, I swear I am in the background of SO MANY pictures! Sorry world, I was just going to work! :)
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