The next Photo Assignment is to explore possibilities of positive and negative space. Positive and negative space are compositional elements that describe what’s important in a photograph or visual composition and what is supportive.
Positive space is usually the subject of your photography – its where you want to draw the eye of the viewer. The space this takes up in the composition is referred to as Positive Space. Negative Space refers to things like the background and supportive elements. Negative Space has a role beyond just staying out of the way. You can create interest by carefully using this negative space to support the subject in your photograph’s composition.
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS
ALL PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS
ALL VIEWER WORK FOR PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS
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Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
USA
My name is Ted Forbes and I make videos about photography. I’ve been making photographs most of my life and I have a tremendously deep passion for photography that I want to share with you on YouTube.
The Art of Photography is my channel and I produce photography videos to provide a 360 degree look into the world of making images. We all want to get better so lets do this together!
I make videos covering famous photographers, photography techniques, composition, the history of photography, philosophy and much more.
I also have a strong community of photographers who watch the show and we frequently do social media challenges for photographers to submit their own work. I feature the best and most interesting on the show when we do these so come check it out and get involved!
You can see all Photo Assignments here -> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGEE7pGLuppQQHQEGclQqCYSz6aJU8Uof
I am doing this type of assignment for a photography class and it is driving me cray
Your Videos are very Educational. I really enjoy learning and watching them. Thank you for sharing !
Great, informative video …… but, I find it so irritating that the text has random capital letters at the beginning of some words in the sentences!!! Like, why?
This is a great video on the concept of negetive + positive spacing in photos. I was looking for some reference for a class I am taking and wanted to thank you for your videos. I am now interested in participating in your assignments. Thanks again Ted.
Anymore photo assignments #photoassignments #aop @tedforbes ???????
Cool video
Love the subject and the examples, but shouldn't you have done positive and negative space with your very busy background? Examples, door, format meta, light, shelves with lights. They were more attracting my eyes.
Thanks for the great content here. Power packed 9 minutes!!
Even your current frame have the same negative space with that dark contrast
Irving Penn used two frontal lights not one in the Miles Davis photograph.
Wow! Great tutorial on -ve and +ve spaces.
Thank you so much for posting such great, informative videos. I enjoy and learn something new with each video. I feel your show is the photo show on YouTube hands down. Please keep them coming. Thank you, Gary
just uploaded my images for this assignment. let me know if you find it on facebook, otherwise, the hi-res images are here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vonzfoto/albums/72157684955966554
Ah, thank you for these brilliant nuggets, Ted!
Again, great video Ted . Offcourse I love your use of the Penn images as a reference. I think Penn was one of the best photographers using Positive and negative space in his compositions. Great inspiration!
When is the deadline?
Hi Ted, this is the first assignment I've entered and I've discovered something that might be worth mentioning in future.
I put the hashtag on a photo I'd posted to IG a few months ago and it didn't show up in the hashtag search feed – even after an hour or more. It turns out that IG lists the entries according to the date the photo was first posted, not when the hashtag was added. This means that you would not have found my entry.
So I reposted the pic with a different title, added the hashtag and it showed up immediately.
I'm guessing that I'm not the only person who didn't know of this quirk of IG, and might be why some people wonder if their pic ever gets to you.
Hi Ted, I love the show, have you ever done a video on making a zine, i have become very interested in making one for myself.
Hi Ted, this is Sergio. I’m really fascinating from your video and specially for what you teaching me and many photographer you are discussing about, any way, watching your video I have always a question in mind which I would like to make to you: is there some famous photographer who you don’t like and, of course, why? Always appreciate for your video and your answer.
I think I subconsciously already explore this style without really having a label for it. The challenge I guess is defining the guidelines for what you may be looking for for this particular assignment. Like are we looking to minimize the subject(s) in the frame, are we to only capture bare and desolate spaces etc.
I am looking forward to this. Our Camera Club challenge this month is B&W. Thanks for all of this. Brian
https://soapbox.wistia.com/videos/O6OAsej0FOYD
#getonyoursoapbox
I need your help. I am in a contest at Wistia to win a really nice camera and I need you to share this with the entire world including the # above. I have until August 9 to get as many shares as I can….with your help. Thanks. B.
Hey Ted!
You should do a piece on Brett Weston whilst we're on the subject of positive/negative spaces
love those Assignments Ted, particulary the way you explain the theme with the great work of some great artists.
Hi,
I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to improve event photography or if there's any famous artists
Love the videos Ted! Just submitted mine, looking forward to more great content!
Hey, Ted, you may want to throw in a due date in the description. You said two weeks, does that make it exactly two weeks from the date posted? (August 9th?) Or by the Monday of that week? Does putting them up a few days earlier mean you're more likely to be able to use them?
Also, has the AoP Flickr group been sidelined? I know it wasn't mentioned in the how to participate video, but I see people regularly submitting to it anyway. (at least some of which are definitely going with the assignment's theme!)
One last question: should I directly post the shots to Twitter, or link to them on another site? (I'm guessing direct is probably easiest for you)
Great vid
Thanks Ted. Very informative illustration. I can't wait to see what people come up with.
Great assignment. It's an opportunity for me to look into this practice. I was always critical of my own uses of it because it feels like CHEATING to me!? Somehow I'm suspicious because it makes composition so much easier, simpler. It feels like a shortcut.
Ever thought about doing a podcast?
Photo assignment on a Tuesday?! Can it be? This should be a fun one.
love your channel so so much. Thank you.
I've been watching your videos for a year now and I had no idea your studio was literally down the street from me. I live on Granbury road by the train tracks.
I'm in…..
positive and negative space is one of my favorite things to play with in photography I love this assignment already!
Did you change your colour grading @tedforbes
Looking forward to doing this, it'll be my first photo assignment to do.
Not sure how to show the positive and the negative.
@Ted. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and educating us. I don't have any social media other the YouTube. I have been following all the assignments and I'm up to date.
As long as there are passionate people like you PHOTOGRAPHY will stay alive!
Nice video, I loved the photos you used as examples.
It's kinda funny this is the current assignment. I shot a roll of ilford XP2 last week. Because it was black and white I was trying to think a little more in terms of negative space as I was shooting.
Thank you for another great challenge Ted! I'm really looking forward to shooting for this one and seeing the images!
Wish I could participate. Had to send my camera off for some maintenance.