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Photography vocabulary · Composition

Negative space

Meaning in photography, with examples

nounCommon term

In photography, negative space means: The empty area around the main subject, such as plain sky, a wall or water, left on purpose so that the subject stands out.

In Turkish: negatif alan, boş alan

How it is used

Used in minimalist photography, design-led product shots and advertising, where clients often ask for negative space so that text can be placed on the image. Copy space is the advertising term for the same idea.

Example sentences

  1. The client needs negative space on the left for the headline.

  2. A lone tree in the fog with lots of negative space feels very calm.

Common collocations

  • leave negative space
  • use negative space
  • copy space
  • compositionThe way the elements of a photo, such as people, lines, shapes and empty space, are arranged inside the frame.
  • framingDeciding exactly what is inside the edges of the photo and what is left out, and where the subject sits in the frame.
  • rule of thirdsA composition guideline that divides the frame into nine equal parts with two horizontal and two vertical lines, and places important elements on or near those lines.
  • product photographyPhotography that shows products clearly and attractively for online shops, catalogs, packaging and advertising.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Composition

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