Negative Space
NEGATIVE SPACE
Good for scenes with clear separation of subject and background.
Negative Space is a composition technique that emphasizes the area around the subject to create a sense of solitude, relaxation, or contemplation. In this approach, the main subject occupies only a small portion of the scene, while the surrounding space—known as negative space—takes up the majority of the frame. This highlights the subject by drawing attention to it through contrast, simplicity, and balance. Minimize size of the main subject, increasing background area, and blend background elements, colors, and lighting.
What it's good for
Negative Space is ideal for creating quiet and contemplative compositions that evoke emotions like peace, solitude, or minimalism. It draws attention to the main subject by reducing distractions and simplifying the frame. This technique enhances the mood of a photo, allowing the viewer to focus deeply on the subject and its surroundings. Negative Space is also great for showcasing color harmony and light gradients, making the background an integral part of the composition.
When to use it
This technique is best used when you have a subject that can be isolated from the background, such as a solitary tree, a single object on an empty beach, or a person standing against a clear sky. Negative Space works well in minimalist photography, landscape photography, and still life when you want to emphasize simplicity and focus. It’s particularly effective when the background can blend seamlessly with the subject through colors, textures, or lighting.
Steps to apply the artistic composition
Identify the Scene's Main Subject: Choose an object that is alone and occupies only a portion of the frame as the focal point.
Find Supporting Elements: Look for empty areas or soft, non-distracting backgrounds to complement the subject.
Simplify the Background: Remove unnecessary elements or distractions to isolate the main subject and create a clean negative space.
Balance the Frame: Ensure the subject occupies a small portion of the scene, with the negative space dominating the composition.
Experiment with Angles: Move around the subject to find a perspective that maximizes negative space while keeping the subject prominent.
Refine the Composition: Adjust the position of the subject and background elements to achieve a balanced and minimalist look.
Overview
Negative Space
Of all the composition techniques available to photographers, this one is the most counter-intuitive. Instead of giving priority to the main subject, with the artistic composition rule called ‘negative space’, it seems as though you give emphasis to the area around the subject. This isn’t really the case. What you are doing is leaving enough room for your subject to stand out. It’s cleverly deceptive, but it works every time!
Why is Negative Space Important?
When the focal point of your photo has a lot of empty space around it, the viewer’s eyes immediately go to the main subject. It’s a dramatic way to give a person or object lots of attention. A current trend in the world at the moment is minimalism, and this fits the negative space composition format extremely well. Having a minimalistic approach means a simple, uncluttered image, which makes the viewer focus only on the subject.
When there isn’t any negative space in a photo, you tend to look around the image from one object to another, but with negative space, the eyes latch onto the subject, then they’ll briefly wander to the empty space before returning full focus to the main feature of the photo. An extra benefit of this form of composition is the calmness it adds to an image. Negative space usually endows an image with feelings of solitude and peacefulness, which encourages an attitude of contemplation.
Using negative space is different to the usual approach to photography, where you try to fill the frame as much as possible with the subject. Leaving lots of negative space can shock viewers when they first see this type of composition. This is great because it makes them stop and ponder the impact of the photo. Sometimes the smaller the main subject is, the more dramatic it can be. On a psychological level, it forces the viewer to evaluate the importance of what they are seeing. It makes them curious as to why you didn’t follow the usual ‘rules’ of photography, and that’s when they’ll consider what you attempted to achieve. A good example of negative space is a snow scene where a white animal is camouflaged by a seamless background—and it looks like an empty frame until you eventually notice a pair of dark eyes amongst the emptiness.
What’s the Difference Between Positive and Negative Space?
Positive space is the area of the photographer’s subject, whereas negative space is the zone around it. Photographers usually leave a bit of emptiness around their subject, so the image isn’t crowded or cluttered, which helps the viewer differentiate the main subject from the background. Making the main feature prominent in an image shows the viewer where to look, but leaving a lot of emptiness around the subject fulfills the same purpose while provoking a measure of curiosity as well. Negative space makes a different sort of statement, turning a photo into an example of artistic expression.
Does Negative Space Have to be Empty?
The area of negative space doesn’t have to be completely white or blank. A blue sky is fantastic because it acts as a block of color to contrast against your main subject, but the sky doesn’t have to be totally featureless; it can have some light clouds in it. A large field of grass with a model in a red dress, a huge wave with a surfer, and an empty room with just one chair against the wall—these are all areas filled with texture and color, but they still produce a concept of negative space. Other background objects can also be in this negative space, as long as they don’t take attention away from your subject. Keep them neutral-toned or slightly out of focus. The idea is to create a contrast between your main point of focus and whatever is around it.
How Can You Use Negative Space in Photography?
When you want people to notice your photography, try isolating your subject with negative space. The only ‘rule’ for this artistic composition tip is to make sure the background takes up more space in the frame than your subject. To keep yourself from cropping too close to the subject, open the Wise Camera app and position your target in the open box, leaving space around it as indicated by the red lines. Remember to tap the screen of your iPhone with your finger to rearrange the guiding lines for better composition. Now, it’s time to carefully consider the background and make sure there are no distracting influences there. Find an area that isolates the subject. That’s the best way to draw the viewer’s attention directly to your subject and to keep it there.
One of the disadvantages of using an iPhone for photography is its wide angle of view. With the negative space option on the Wise Camera app, you can turn this long-distance viewpoint into an advantage by making a deliberate choice to leave an extra area around your subject. You can also use the Wise Photos app to be artistic with photos you’ve already taken on your iPhone. If you weren’t able to zoom in close enough with your iPhone, crop it afterward through this app to create an artistic, negative space image instead.
Final Thoughts
Very few photographers have negative space at the forefront of their minds when taking shots. The opportunity to use this composition technique is something that you tend to notice when you are on location, rather than consciously seeking it in the first place. But when you discover a scene that works well, it can be a profound moment of joy when you realize the potential of a negative space image. It will introduce an element of magic to a photo, and that’s something to strive for!