Throwdown – Negative Space Photos

[Retired Grunt]

I glanced through 5 pages, 5 years and I didn’t see anything related to the use of negative space in photos.

Negative Space is basically your subject surrounded by nothing but a single color or texture. All sky, all water, all sand, can be utilized strongly. The intent is to isolate the subject and keep the viewers focus on the subject.

Minimalism is similar where a subject is in relationship with it’s surroundings with few (as possible) elements. However, the subject in a negative space, has no relationship with what is around it, thus all focus is on the subject.

Photo is from March 2025 during a concert at a church in a local town. The band had just come onto the stage and only a single spot light was on, then one of the guitarists began to sing (not the lead singer), and I took the shot.

[Robert Apple]

We’ve done negative space in the weekly challenge, but it’s  been a while and good to revisit, nice example RG.

[Retired Grunt]

I didn’t even think to look in other thread Topics on the forum…

[Robert Apple]

[Retired Grunt]

Always enjoy barn themed photos and this does not disappoint at all.

[Patrick]

Good stuff RG , thanks for the throwdown 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah, so what’s the dog’s name?

[Patrick]

Thanking you 🙂 , His name is olly a bundle of energy lol

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Debating with myself if the black center is pointing out to the main subject or is the gray pointing to the circular subject?

[Patrick]

Just don’t fall into the void 🙂

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Very creative use of the space, to focus on the portion of face that is revealed.

[Patrick]

Thanks so much RG , an old ripped T shirt got one last use before the bin got it

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Great use of negative space Patrick 🙂

[Patrick]

Thanking you Dahlia , sometimes the simple ones work out better than the complicated 🙂

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Olly’s bad day?

In the past, I would have converted this to b/w but leave the ball fully pink.

[Patrick]

yeah i agree i do infect have 3 versions of this and one just as you mention , the ball loses it’s impact when pure mono and i and not a colour shooter in general

[Robert Apple]

[Retired Grunt]

@robertapple

Was the lighting to the area around the tree, natural? Draws ya right into that tree.

[Robert Apple]

Yep, as you can see in the sky it was a fairly cloudy day, it was just a matter of hanging out until a gap hit the right spot, Which I have spent hours doing hoping for that perfect shot. It wasn’t a big deal here though, this was the less scenic side of the view around me.

 

[Retired Grunt]

Walking one of the trails on my land last December 2024, this one oak leaf on top of the fresh snow.

[Patrick]

Perfect in every way for me a good clear defined subject it makes on that snow 🙂

[Tersha]

[Retired Grunt]

@tersha

The fact half the fish is the subject adds to the mystery… what kind of fish?

[Patrick]

I think it is a zebrafish , maybe striped soapfish

[Dahlia Ambrose]

@retiredgrunt  This is a great photo with the spot of light illuminating your subject 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

The water really was this electric, with sun on it.

[Retired Grunt]

@annehornsby

I’ve seen water like this only in pictures or movies.

The boater has alot of area to venture into!

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

@patrickw-2

This is cool. The color of the leaf alone draws ya in but how the background (whitish) almost makes it 3d and then, the bisecting of the white line, great photo!

[Patrick]

Much thanks mate , few years ago this was shot with a bridge camera -lumix fz1000 just for some info 🙂

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

This is such a great throwdown so far @retiredgrunt  – nice idea indeed!

[Retired Grunt]

@admin-2

Rob, Thank you.

 

[Retired Grunt]

2023 while down along the St. Lawrence River. Had my Canon 6D back then.

[Stefanie Markham]

 

[Retired Grunt]

@stef

Both your building in the vineyard and the silhouette of the cat are interesting photos. The cat photo however, the cat adds intrigue.

[Stefanie Markham]

Thanks @retiredgrunt.  I struggle with the concept of “negative space” and am still not certain my contributions qualify.  I might have to post these two in the Shark Tank for additional discussion.

[Michael Meyers]

Good evening.  This sorta qualifies.  D200 f/8.0, 1/125, ISO 100.  Shot with a single ocf set camera left with a small soft box.   Shot in Jan, 2008.

[Retired Grunt]

@mpmeyers

Cool photo Michael. I have to ask though, what is this?

[Michael Meyers]

@retiredgrunt

It is a mister.

 

[Stefanie Markham]

[Anne Hornsby]

Excellent image, Stephanie. The textures on the panes really make it.

 

[Stefanie Markham]

Thank you

 

[Retired Grunt]

The lamp begged to be photographed. But, it’s boring 🙂 So I upped the shutter to 1/1600, f/5.6 thus blacked out the background. This is SOOC, only resized through an editor. So yeah, tilted slightly.

[davidc]

Negative and Evil!

[davidc]

A positive negative space, for me that is 😀

 

[Retired Grunt]

@davidc

Both photos are impactful. The leading lines in the first, just can’t imagine how for many, those lines led to hell on earth.

The positive photo is beautiful.

[davidc]

It was a very sobering place and difficult to imagine what went on there!

[Retired Grunt]

I’d say the wood stove got too hot. It was stoked down to lower the heat.

[Frogdaily]

[Tersha]

[Retired Grunt]

@tersha

Water and sky being intersected by the boat, always a good use of negative space.

[Tersha]

Thanks RG.

[Frogdaily]

[Retired Grunt]

@frogdaily

The manger photo is so meaningful and the negative space does allow focus on the Savior!

The splash photo, is the green light directly above the impact?

[Frogdaily]

Thank you Retired Grunt, used colored gel on speed lights for splash

[Retired Grunt]

[Robert Apple]

Nothing quite like the silhouette of an Apache.

[Retired Grunt]

A few times a month, they fly over where I live.

[Tersha]

[John Dailey]

Fresh Air

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

That is one of the most original compositions I have seen in a very long time. I actually thought I was looking at an old-school computer screen at first.

[John Dailey]

Thanks, Rob… That is a very high compliment coming from you! It was taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, TN. They have a collection of old homesteads that one can explore.

[Patrick]

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