Difference Between Snapshots and Portraits – Composition (Part 4 of 5)

This is the forth installment of my five part discussion on the differences between snapshots and portraits.

Differences Between Snapshots and Portraits

1. Light and Exposure
2. Focus and Depth of Field
3. Texture
4. Composition
5. Color

Is Negative Space actually … negative?!

Perhaps the single largest difference between snapshots and portraits is the composition within the frame. A great portrait photographer will consider things like shapes, lines and triangles while amateur will simply put their subject in the middle of the view finder and snap the shot.

Of course, a professional photographer will consider much more. Perhaps one of the most important concepts is the inclusion of negative space. Negative space is the area around the key subject of an image. Its proper use helps guide the viewers’ eyes to what the photographer wants them to see, the subject. The use of negative space, as a way to balance the space taken up by the subject in a composition, is considered by most artists to be good design. In essence, it gives the eye a place to rest subtly increasing the appeal of a image.

In my example above, a triangle is formed by the beautiful girl’s face, arm and hand holding the flower. The viewer’s eye comfortably moves between the three, but easily settles on her pretty face. The liberal use a negative space, in the shape of a triangle on either side of her, ensures there are no distractions. NOTE: While I would not encourage a photographer to cut a hand off at the wrist, it was done in this case to help give the illusion the girl was crawling out of the frame toward the viewer.