suspended in air.

dannylightning · Dec 2, 2015

i think i am gonna hear about too much negative space at the top of the photo.. now that i see the photo posted in a larger size than i see it in lightroom i guess i could use a little off the top..

the bridge 20151128-DSC_5048 by Daniel Caldwell, on Flickr

Designer · Dec 2, 2015

Not from me.

jcdeboever · Dec 2, 2015

Looks real good in black & white. I would not crop it. The top of the exit is nicely level, dead center, and the slope is gentle while interesting. Interesting slope in that it makes for good depth and volume. Well done.

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Malavok · Dec 2, 2015

I like the composition a lot; I would take it again in different weather, maybe after it snows? That could be really pretty.

dannylightning · Dec 2, 2015

if i could get that in the snow without lots of foot prints all over it that would be pretty nice. not sure how many people go there in the winter but i would imagine it would be hard to get a snowy shot without people walking all over it and ruining it lol

Tim Tucker · Dec 2, 2015

I think you mis-understand negative space. It is negative as opposed to positive not negative as meaning bad or empty. Negative space is not empty space, it is simply the opposite shape to the positive. It is ying and yang, one shape does not exist without the other, for every positive shape in your image there is the negative one that is left when you cut the positive shape out. It is not a question of quantity but of balance and intent.

The exact nature and relationship of negative space is far too big a subject for a forum post so I've simply split your image into the bridge and the background as an illustration of negative space only. Both shapes are symetrical, look balanced and in context neither detracts from the other:

dannylightning · Dec 2, 2015

i know its not negative as in bad, but i guess i do not quite get the concept. some one showed me some links to that kind of stuff but they were very technical and i guess i did not really understand what they were saying, i always seem to get lost when i get hit with the real technical info. i prefer simple and easy to understand.

Tim Tucker · Dec 2, 2015

dannylightning said:
i know its not negative as in bad, but i guess i do not quite get the concept. some one showed me some links to that kind of stuff but they were very technical and i guess i did not really understand what they were saying, i always seem to get lost when i get hit with the real technical info. i prefer simple and easy to understand.

It's visual, you have to see it to understand it and you have to develop your eye to see images in an entirely different way than you probably look at them now. I wouldn't worry about it, not many photographers think in terms of negative space anyway, just subject and the space around it.

You don't need to understand everything to take good photographs, (you can whistle a tune without understanding music theory), and you certainly don't need to understand it all by the end of this week.

killerseaguls · Dec 2, 2015

Tim Tucker said:
dannylightning said:

i know its not negative as in bad, but i guess i do not quite get the concept. some one showed me some links to that kind of stuff but they were very technical and i guess i did not really understand what they were saying, i always seem to get lost when i get hit with the real technical info. i prefer simple and easy to understand.

Click to expand...

It's visual, you have to see it to understand it and you have to develop your eye to see images in an entirely different way than you probably look at them now. I wouldn't worry about it, not many photographers think in terms of negative space anyway, just subject and the space around it.

You don't need to understand everything to take good photographs, (you can whistle a tune without understanding music theory), and you certainly don't need to understand it all by the end of this week.