mosaic muse {negative space}

1. gray day, 2. Oso Flaco Lake, 3. Untitled, 4. Stark, 5. time to mow, 6. Thorns, 7. Untitled, 8. Wistful, 9. alive but barely breathing., 10. holocene, 11. negative space - 339/365, 12. Balcombe Viaduct (229/365), 13. the deepest secret....65/365, 14. Selfie, 15. day 286/10.13.10, 16. Facing the void

I am back with another Friday edition of  "Mosaic Muse" to wrap up our negative space theme. I love how photos with lots of negative space can also be very monochromatic. I thought it would be interesting to group the images together in mini stripes across the square...black & white, blue and green. It is pleasing to my eye! You can visit each of the lovely featured photographers from our flickr group by clicking on the numbered links below the mosaic.

I hope you are planning to share your own negative space photos with us today. Just link up to your blog post or flickr image using the linky tool at the bottom of this post between now and Sunday night. I hope you'll also grab a button and spread the word about this new feature here at Mortal Muses {don't forget, we'll be doing this every other Friday at the end of each theme}.

Have a great weekend everyone~~and for those of you in the states, a fun and relaxing Labor Day!

~christy {urban muser}


<center><a href="http://mortalmuses.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6149/6036986994_81c277cf91_o.jpg"/></a></center> 

de-clutter

A wise woman once told me that in order to know who you are, you have to take inventory of your life by taking everything out, in a sense re-examining, and asking yourself what you want to put back "in." What do you want to keep as your own? It is kind of like cleaning a cluttered room. Sometimes the best way to know what needs to be there is to take everything out, and put only what is needed back. Negative to become positive again...A lack of everything else to focus on what is most important.

Negative space in photography can serve a similar purpose - leaving all else out to focus on just one thing or part. It is one of composition's most powerful tools. What ISN'T there is what draws your attention to that which is! In the photo above I used it, in conjunction with the lights, to kind of draw an arrow right to the center of the action, which is, as the other musicians also allude to, David Grisman on the mandolin. I'm so glad we did this theme so that I could see such well done negative space shots...I get very excited about quality examples of well used negative space, and greatly admire photographers who master the concept.

One of those photographers is *esra* and it was very challenging choosing just one to feature here from her collection of shots that employ negative space so ideally. I chose the one below but please do check out her flickr stream for many shots that exemplify the concept so wonderfully.

untitled by *esra*

space to breathe

It’s all about leaving space. Empty space, but that makes it sound worthless and it isn’t. We need space in our lives, time to stand and stare, time to ponder. It can look like empty space from the outside but from the inside it’s rich with possibilities. It’s too easy to cram our lives with too many activities, too much to do, leaving no space to renew ourselves, and creativity only really happens in the empty spaces.

We need that space to allow us to breathe easily; it’s the space that makes the rest of our lives satisfying instead of an endless, tiring, round of busy-ness. A bowl is only useful because of the empty space inside it, and music can only be made because of the space inside the instrument.  And of course, music is only music because of the spaces between the notes – otherwise it would just be a jumble of sounds.

Negative space in photographs also gives room to breathe, to appreciate the subject of the picture, to avoid being distracted by other things. And just as having that space in our lives helps to enhance the rest of what we do, having that space in our photos – the space we call negative - can positively add something, as it definitely does in this beautiful image by lwsantos.

gilly of the camera points both ways 

img_5343-1 copy by lwsantos

object at rest

"An object in motion tends to remain in motion, and an object at rest tends to remain at rest." This physics lesson popped into my head as I pondered these images. It is easier to keep something already moving in motion, than it is to start from a stop. It is easier to remain still, than to start motion. It seems in life we are often trying to start or stop, rather than letting something rest.

Negative space in images gives your eye a break, allowing you to find the subject. You are able to linger, seeing the wonderful detail presented. In KJBehavior's handlebars, you can create a story of the bicycle, well-used and loved, as your eye remains at rest.

Objects of motion, at rest. Your eye, at rest. A great combination for interesting images, keeping the laws of physics in mind.

Kat of The Kat Eye View of the World

You must have had a fun childhood by KJBehavior

within a photograph

The negative space within a photograph is sheer bliss. The space can be calming and peaceful, allowing a place for the eyes to rest, while taking in the photo. A park bench of sorts, within the photo, for the admirer of photography. 

I found this very type of soulful space, nestled above, in between and below, my flowering tea pot and red cup.  The soulful feeling continued when I saw "View" by Red Kiwi Photography. The cotton candy sky and jeweled color water, welcomed me in, allowing me to admire it's beauty.  

Warmly,

Christina {soul aperture}

View by Red Kiwi Photography

not filling the void

I love negative space I really do, there is something so soothing about it. The void helps to direct my attention giving it just the right amount focal command. The juxtaposition between form and space can be a beautifully captured as light and dark, colorful and neutral or stark and opulent, the combinations are endless just like the negative space that surrounds them.

I took the photo above on a recent trip to a region in Southern California called Temecula. Just 75 miles north of Mexico, the area is unique in that its arid, almost desert like in the summer time, yet draws in the cool coastal air of the Pacific. Perfect conditions for growing grapes. This time of year the vineyards are approaching crush season with dark purple fruits hanging low off the vine. The contrast to the dusty crop dirt provided the perfect canvas to celebrate such colorful fruitful crops.

Looking through the Mortal Muse group I had a hard time choosing, all the negative space in the pool was drawing me in. I came upon Cathy 423 and her lovely photo of the delicate new shoot rising up among the rocks and moss. Its two leaves immediately alerted me to our last them two but it completely says negative space for me with that dark grey background. I love the contrast of light and dark in the bright green leaves against the abyss like background. Well done.

Lindsey of the modchik

untitled by Cathy 423

the space between

Negative. Positive. Lifting up. Weighting down. We all know which one we'd rather have. In fact, I'd say many of us spend more time than we're willing to admit in a mental battle with the lesser thoughts inside our heads, longing for happier, lighter ones. I know I do, and I attempt to find relief by taking notes on what tricks work and which ones don't. In the end, it all comes down to my awareness of the world surrounding me. It's a balancing act, an attempt at something greater, leading me in the direction I seek. But what if I could put my mind on autopilot and stop the mental chatter? What if I could turn something negative around and make it positive? It's possible, and I've found that by picking up my camera and focusing on the present moment, I see simply what's in front of me. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Amidst the typical chaos that envelops our lives, finding a clearing, or rather opening a space within ourselves, can be tough. There's so much going on! But when we record this in an image, its easy to see. In its own mysterious way, negative space gives our eye a place to go, relaxing our outlook, restoring our senses. It calms the mind and soothes the spirit. So whether its a city scene at twilight or autumnsun08's fig sitting on a windowsill, through these visuals, we have the ability to transform meaning. And this power can extend into other aspects of our worlds healing those fractures within us. We take a deep breath, compose the image and then click, altering our reality. Negative space. Positive bliss.

How have you transformed your world lately?

Holly { soupatraveler }

sun spot by autumnsun08

leave the light on

When I was a little girl, I was terribly afraid of the dark. I have vivid memories of the event that most people call "getting something to drink" in the middle of the night. As if having a night light wasn't enough, I would turn on every single light in my house as I walked down the stairs, through the dining room, into the kitchen and then back up to my bathroom. Most times, going downstairs wasn't too much of a problem. However, whenever I returned back to the stairs, I had visions for those awful monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.

You're laughing right now...I can tell. In all seriousness, those monkeys scared the daylights out of me. I would literally turn out the last light downstairs and race upstairs as quickly as possible. You'd think that this behavior would end as I got older...not so much. When I lived alone after college, I did the exact same thing. Something about having a light on in the house made everything okay...I was safe as long as I could leave the light on.

Interestingly enough, I now require complete darkness and silence in order to fall asleep (so what if I need a sleep mask and ear plugs). Part of me would like to believe that [HalaH]'s image is waiting for me. If only the sky looked like that when I was running up the stairs. Oh well, a girl can dream right?

Until next time,

Ashley of Ramblings and Photos

I have dreams more than there are stars in the sky by [HalaH]

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By the way, the winner of our first Mosaic Muse giveaway is #36, Jess from Images by Jess. Congratulations! Be sure to email us at mortalmuses9 [at] gmail.com with your address and we'll get your new necklace in the mail right away! We hope you'll participate in our next Mosaic Muse on September 2nd.

and the next theme is....NEGATIVE SPACE

Let's declutter our photography and try filling our viewfinders with negative space instead.

But what is negative space? Negative space, by definition, is the empty space around the subject or focus of a photograph. I had a difficult time getting my head around it too. So did Miles, by the look of things!

Here's another way of thinking about it for those who use Photoshop. If you can use one click of the magic-wand tool (which selects regions of a similar colour) to select most of the image, then you've got negative space going on!

You can use negative space to accentuate the beauty of a still life:

the reflection by susan k. case

Or make a landscape look more magnificent:

my skyline - 313/365 by carmnsandiego

Or maybe just to keep that glorious summer mood going:

last dip by mimo khair

Join us tomorrow as we start our musing with our new muses — Cara, Christina, Gilly, Holly and Lindsey — on the theme of Two. On the 19th of August, the last day of the theme, we'll be hosting a linky party where you can add your own links and show us all how you have chosen to interpret "two". We'll be doing these link-ups every other Friday for each theme this year — we hope you'll come out and play!

kirstin of fleeting moments