Using Negative Space: Motion

I must admit something, when shooting I do not really think much about composition, framing and whatnots. I rarely even worry about my camera settings; I just shoot what looks good in my eyes. Never will I be very technical about taking pictures. For me, the scientific approach to photography dulls out the fun in taking pictures. Shooting should be as fun as seeing the final output.

The picture above is an example of what I mean when I do not worry about much. All that blue sky is what photographers and artists call negative space. The space is empty and in a single color. Sure the picture would have been much cooler if there were some clouds or other objects to depict the height of the plane. But seriously, you won’t have much time to think about that until after taking the shot; which is too late.

I will present to you another way of looking at it. We know the plane is flying and the negative space especially that which is a straight line from the plane’s nose is the direction it is heading. The negative space depicts motion in this still image because the mind will eventually think of where the plane is heading.

Being technical and saying that there is too much negative space or another angle would have been better is asking too much; especially when it involves capturing subjects in motion. This is a subjective hobby; and you can’t please everyone. What matters is that we enjoy and make others smile as well.