Positively Negative Space

Sometimes as photographers, we look for those bold and dynamic nature images that have a lot going on - color, shapes, leading lines, patterns, etc. On the flip side are those images with a lot of negative space, which is to say, a lot of nothing. Or is it nothing?  Rather than being bold in complexity, these images can be bold in their simplicity - less is more.

Every image begins with the photographer and what attracted her to the scene in the first place. Referring to the image above, why did I take the shot? My first impression is a rhythmicity or pattern to the silhouettes that is pleasing to the eyes. Indeed, people have told me this image made them think of music.

What is most intriguing about this image is when I think about it from an opposite perspective. Instead of facing the scene toward the sun, what if I had the sun to my back? Knowing the location, I would have had a background of mangroves and certainly, the front-lit sticks and birds would no longer be silhouettes. Instead they would be just sticks and birds surrounded by other competing elements. The exquisite pattern would be lost among the confusion.

Similarly with the image below, the delicate sticks surrounded by negative space presents calmness and serenity while the birds add interest and a sense of place. It is not an image of sticks and birds, it is an image of space.

Because silhouettes shapes are the dominant element in the scene, the composition possibilities are limitless. For example, below is an image of cormorants resting in shallow water. The horizontal line of the birds allow the eyes to move easily from one bird to the next. It is not the individual shapes as much as it is how they work together.

Below is another image using bird shapes. The lack of pattern, contrary to the previous images gives this one a playfulness; a garden of watery delights. The eyes can wander around and enjoy the variations. The birds' reflections and the various sizes maintains the reality of the scene with its depth.

High key images do not require silhouettes. Viewing the shape as the key element, I was drawn to a lone mangrove on Biscayne Bay. The sunlight was to the left, providing a strong contrast of light and shadows on the mangrove leaves. I created ripples in the water to give the reflection its own identity rather than it being a mirror of the tree.

Nature has many simple and elegant ways of presenting itself. Challenge yourself to use negative space in your images to highlight that elegance. At the very least, it may force you to pay close attention to shapes and space. And that will carry over to every aspect of your photography.