With a portfolio that spans expansive vistas to finely observed details, in both colour and black & white, I give myself the freedom to choose the approach that best serves each subject I photograph.
The sea - familiar to those who follow my talks - is a recurring theme in my work. Most of the time, I crop my images tightly, as I find it best captures the shifting moods and hypnotic energy of water. However, there is another way to convey the ocean’s power: through the use of negative space.
Negative space is a powerful compositional tool that directs the eye to key elements and enhances visual impact. This 'breathing space' not only simplifies the composition but also alters the mood of the photograph, allowing it to resonate more deeply. When used effectively, it brings a sense of elegance and clarity, ideal for fine art prints.
In this particular image, I placed the lighthouse intentionally off-centre to emphasise a sense of isolation, while the sea spray plays a crucial role in boosting the perceived unpredictability and force of the sea. As a result of reducing the composition to its bare essentials, I have created something more evocative—an open canvas that invites the viewer to interpret the scene freely, without boundaries. This sense of possibilities to fill in meaning and create one's own narrative is liberating and precious, and proves that negative space is not the absence of content - it can be everything.
Beata Moore
Discover. Experience. Create
