Negative Space

This jumped out of the screen at me right from the start and I kept going back to it. It ticks all the boxes and more. The bird is clearly moving forward, it's body leaning forward, it's beak pointing ahead, it's legs in the mid-stride, even the wake it leaves in the water is an arrow shape in the direction of movement. If that is not enough, where is it going? Straight into the negative space that has just the right amount of detail to it and occupies the right amount of space to create a balanced composition. Additionally the subtle almost monotone colours help to further emphasise the subject. Despite the movement there is a sense of calm, purpose and order conveyed to the viewer. Brilliant, well done a worthy winner

The eye naturally reads from left to right so in this case the negative space draws the eye across to the right where it alights on and is stopped by the figure, the shadow and the crack in the wall. Their relationship to each other is crucial in achieving this and the photographer has got it spot on. The drink with straw and the overflow pipe are nice touches and are subtle enough not to distract from the negative space and the shadow along the bottom anchors the whole image. This is a case where the negative space really reinforces the subject matter. Very well done.

This image uses the negative space to emphasise the contrast between the hard black steel escape stairs and the soft white clouds. Whilst the rule of thirds works well for the clouds the photographer has wisely moved the staircase away towards the righthand side. Being darker and heavier I think the stairs would have been too dominant had it occupied more or less one third of the picture. Moving it over also helps to increase its sense of verticality. The resulting composition is in my opinion well balanced and this is a case where the composition has benefited from not applying the rule of thirds too strictly.

Loved the tension in this image created by the diagonal composition and enhanced I felt by the man looking back over his shoulder as if to say ' I'm being pulled in the other direction'. There is some detail in the negative space, which reinforces this tension, but I felt the image would benefit by adjusting the white tones to bring out a little bit more of the surface of the water thus defining the context more clearly. Also I always think it's important to look around the edges of an image to make sure there are no unwanted distractions taking the eye out of the picture. To this end I would have cloned out the blurred objects behind his head and down behind his waist. This image has great potential.

I love this abstract, well spotted in the rest of the snow! This shot could easily have been entirely filled with ice, but no, you have cleverly picked out a tiny sliver and emphasised it against a negative background space. By doing this the viewer is drawn into the image wondering what is going on in the watery depths behind the layer of ice. The cool tones are just right for the subject matter and the composition based on the rule of thirds creates a balanced image. Excellent.

This is a case where the darkness of the negative space is crucial to conveying the spiritual nature of the image. Imagine the image with well lit blockwork walls and a concrete floor, it would be simply a portrait of a crouching girl staring into space and that would be a totally different image and message altogether.

This image got me thinking, are there in fact two negative spaces, the sky and the white building facade? In the end I decided on the sky only, but it does set up a kind of tension in the image which is further reinforced by the diagonal composition. It's bold, minimalist and graphic and reminds me of Franco Fontana an Italian photographer best known for his use of abstract colour in architectural and landscape images. Well done.

An intriguing image, it's always great when going around a gallery to find interest in things other than the exhibits on display. Lots of contrasts here, the linear lines of the wall surfaces against the circular steel rivets, the soft umbrella fabric versus the hard steelwork and of course black v white. Couldn't make my mind up whether it fully answered the brief due to the amount of detail in the spaces either side of the column, but a fabulous image anyway.

An excellent image with Liberty, the main subject, emphasised by the light coming in from the negative space to the right and revealing the folds in her clothing. The secondary subject, the silhouetted buildings, have just the correct amount of detail not to detract from the statue, but together with Liberty, stop the eye drifting out of the picture. The black and white treatment helps emphasise the negative space as well as drawing attention to the subtle grey gradient in the sky. The viewpoint too lets Liberty dominate over the competition of the skyscrapers in the Manhatton background. Just one minor technical observation - there are a few dark spots at the top in the middle of the sky which would appear, I suspect, to be dirt on the camera sensor. Might be worth checking out and if necessary getting the sensor professionally cleaned.

A succession of negative spaces together with the leading lines draw you deep into the space. The subtle lighting together with the minimalist approach makes for a beautiful abstract image and leaves the viewer wanting to walk into the space to explore further.