Sound Shooters: White Space / Negative Space

Hitomi Dames

By Hitomi Dames

Photos by Hitomi Dames except as noted

I am not a minimalist, but I like using white space or negative space and creating a clean work.

White Space / Negative Space

You can think negative space and white space are the same.

The nothing or empty space in your composition is called:

• negative space in art;
• white space in design.

I’m sure you have seen this “Rubin’s vase“ before. You can see two faces in this image. 

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
By Rubin

Negative space itself can be subject. 

• Some artists start drawing negative space first.
• Some start drawing shadow first rather than the subject.

You can't do that in photography, but if you have an eye to see negative space you include it within a frame and shoot.

These are examples using negative space /white space in my photography.

Flower with Negative / White space

I framed this dahlia with the negative space on one side.

Dahlia

The background, petals of amaryllis (image below) has the effect of white space which creates an interesting composition. 

Music notes

Open Space

I sometimes call white space ‘open space’ in images like below. Open space makes your work feel free and light.

Spider in Open Space

If you include sky, you can create white space easily. 

UW Campus

The negative space (sky) image below is broken to 5 pieces by the foreground object, and that makes an interesting composition.

Space Needle and Eagle

Joel Dames Photography

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