The Role of Negative Space in Nature Photography

Wildlife photographers often use long telephoto lenses to “fill the frame,” but there’s more to capturing a great photo. Previously, I wrote about photographing wildlife through animalscapes. Now, let’s discuss the use of negative space – an often underused technique that deserves more attention.

What Is Negative Space (And What Is It Not)?

In photographic composition, positive space is occupied by the main subject and supporting elements that attract attention. Negative space, on the other hand, is the area surrounding the main subject, often “emptier” or less detailed. It could be the sky behind a soaring eagle, the water around a swan, a field of snow behind an arctic fox, or even a blurry rock face that is out of focus.

I want to make the important distinction between a conscious use of negative space, versus a simple “environmental” photograph or animalscape, as I often define it. These types of photos usually have one thing in common, which is that the animal is pretty small in the frame. However, an animalscape shows the animal in its context, using the surrounding environment to tell a story about the animal’s habitat, behavior, or interaction with its surroundings. In this case, the environment quite often is rich in meaningful details and is as integral to the narrative as the subject itself.

Negative space, on the other hand, works by subtraction. Its primary purpose is to simplify the composition, eliminate distractions, and direct the viewer’s eye directly to the main subject – emphasizing their form, presence, or emotion. While an environmental portrait / animalscape adds context, negative space deliberately reduces or blurs the context in order to isolate and highlight the subject.

A common interpretation associates negative space with completely smooth, uniform backgrounds, without any texture. This approach can be effective for extreme subject isolation and a minimalist look. However, overusing it can lead to photographs that are technically correct but potentially dull or lacking emotional context. Negative space really is about where you don’t look in the photo. It can still have some textures as long as they don’t draw the eye away from the main subject(s).

In other words, negative space doesn’t have to be flat. It can have its own subtle story of soft shapes, a delicate texture, or a color gradation that adds depth and interest, as long as it does not compete with the subject. (If it does, it most likely is positive space.)

The Purpose of Negative Space in Nature Photography

I’ve already mentioned that effectively used negative space can suggest context, but there’s more. In nature photography, negative space can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the visual and narrative impact of an image.

Some of the main ways are…

• Highlighting the Subject: Without visual competition, the subject stands out clearly, immediately capturing attention. Its shape, texture, and color become the main focal points.
• Emphasizing the Subject’s Size: Large negative space can emphasize the smallness of an animal in its vast natural environment, conveying a sense of vulnerability or solitude. Conversely, allowing your subject to take up more of the photo, with less negative space, can accentuate its majesty and dominance within the scene.
• Creating a Sense of Calm and Tranquility: Generous use of negative space – especially with simple, uniform backgrounds – can contribute to a minimalist and peaceful atmosphere. This compositional approach allows the eye to rest and focus on the main subject without distractions, evoking a sense of serenity and contemplation.
• Including Color: Sometimes, negative space can be used to incorporate complementary colors to the subject that enrich the overall palette of the image, adding harmony or contrast. You should always pay careful attention to how the negative space looks in your photo, even if the main subject is more important!
• Including Shapes: Even without resorting to Animalscape style photography, you can use negative space to include shapes that enrich the photograph without distracting attention from the main subject. They could even draw your viewer’s eye in the right direction by acting as leading lines.
• Leaving Room for Imaginative Blur: When negative space includes out-of-focus highlights, such as reflections on water or dewdrops, it can create a pleasing bokeh that adds atmosphere to the image.

How to Achieve Negative Space

There’s no denying that camera gear has an effect on negative space. Telephoto lenses with focal lengths of 300mm, 400mm, 600mm, and beyond, especially those with wide maximum apertures (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6), are the go-to tools for many nature photographers. And a large maximum aperture lens makes it easier to isolate the subject, surrounding it with negative space.

However, as demonstrated in this article, the photographer’s position relative to the subject is more important than the aperture. And your choice of subject – including its surroundings – is the main factor that determines how much negative space will be in your photo.

In other words, relying solely on bokeh to create separation is not the same as using negative space strategically. A completely out-of-focus background can still be distracting if it contains contrasting, distracting shapes or colors, such as bright lights filtered through leaves or thick, dark branches.

The real skill of using negative space lies in consciously choosing the background, even before considering the blur effect. It is essential to change your perspective, raising or lowering your camera (even in an extreme way). Or, wait for the right moment in which the animal – moving – positions itself in an area with a less chaotic and more homogeneous background.

Furthermore, it is important to exploit favorable natural conditions, such as fog, mist, snow, sand, calm water, and cloudy skies, which are precious allies to create naturally “negative” backgrounds. Finally, we must not forget the importance of light: A background in deep shadow can become an excellent negative space for a well-lit subject.

As stated, the goal is not solely to achieve a blurred background that isolates the subject, but to create a clean and simple background that complements the subject without causing distraction. Negative space should enhance the subject by suggesting context in a subtle manner, without overshadowing it. As you can see from the images I’ve chosen to illustrate this article, it’s a technique that can be applied to very different kinds of subjects and environments.

Conclusion

Negative space is more than just a blank area; it’s a powerful compositional tool. Using it thoughtfully allows nature photographers to create impactful, clear, and emotional images. Of course, good wildlife photos can be taken that don’t prioritize negative space – it is just one tool out of many. However, it is a powerful tool. Negative space can isolate, emphasize, and give room to subjects, turning snapshots into powerful visual statements. By subtracting elements, we can paradoxically add power and meaning to our nature photographs.

I hope you enjoyed this article about negative space in nature photography. If you have any questions or feedback, or your own approaches to negative space in photography, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below!