This week’s topic for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is ‘negative space‘. In terms of photography, negative space is about including more in your shot other than the subject, and allowing that quiet background to highlight the subject. I looked back at some photos I took in the garden a few weeks back and cropped some of them to increase the negative space and see how it feels.
I’m loving this shot of a Hoverfly sitting on a Water Mint flower head. Originally the hoverfly was more towards the centre, but putting him over a little further to the left has him really standing out against the green.

This little Common Green Shieldbug (4th instar, I think) was perched on the Meadowsweet seeds. With the space on the bottom right, it looks like he’s looking out from there, contemplating life.

This Small White butterfly perched on the Verbena by the pond. The pond is almost hidden at the moment with the amount of plants clustered around it (and some falling into it), but with a low f-stop, the background busyness has faded away. Cropping out some of the flowers, and keeping in more background has made sure it’s all about the butterfly

Another little Common Green Shieldbug (2nd instar). I like how keeping in more of the leaf emphasises how small he is in comparison. It looks like he has quite the climb ahead of him.

Another Hoverfly on the Water Mint, in the spotlight, looking ready to take to the stage.

And finally, this more grown-up Common Green Shieldbug (5th instar) seems to be pondering life beyond this leaf, and wondering what lies ahead…

All are perfect examples of the importance both of negative space and framing the subject – well done as always. The clarity of your subjects is sheer perfection.
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I love this series. All are beautiful captured and negatives space is well presented. The last image is fun and ver special. 🙂
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Nice series and in the second one – you are right – the large leaf amount let’s us feel scale
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Great images all! The hoverfly works really well. I think my favourite is the butterfly.
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Hi Suzy, I think this is good use of cropping to showcase negative space. My favourite is the second from the top, the photograph of the green insect..
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Wow. Bees and bugs. Very well done!
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These are so beautiful. I just love all of them! (and I love bees and bugs 😊)
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Lovely little friends.
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