Lamp Lines Triangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

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There is a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from finding a minimalist photograph without searching for it. This one happened near the basement parking area at Ravindra Manch in Jaipur, on an ordinary afternoon when the light decided to do something extraordinary. I'd say for me, with a smile.

The shadow of a street lamp fell right across a set of closed windows and created something I had not planned for. A clean right-angled triangle (simple geometrical shape) sitting at the bottom right of the frame. Its diagonal edge was formed entirely by the shadow, its two straight sides being completed by the lines of the window frame itself.

The street lamp shadow landed precisely at the intersection of two dominant vertical and horizontal lines in the window. One element or the street lamp shadow, highlighted the geometry that was already present.

This is what minimalist photography trains you to see. Not the dramatic or the complex, but the moment when something ordinary arranges itself into something with visual logic. That is why I love minimalist photography so much. It's fun to stumble upon new nature interplays and visual finds.

The Composition

This minimalist photograph falls under what I call Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of minimalist photography, one of the core types of minimalism I have written about.

The frame holds three things:

1. Lines from the window structure
2. The shadow of the street lamp
3. The triangle they produce together.

The black and white treatment removes any distraction that colour might have introduced and lets the geometry do all the talking.

The shadow is the main subject here but it does not stand alone. It needs the lines to give it a boundary and the triangle to give it a purpose. Remove any one of the three and the photograph loses its meaning. The elements are less still and yet there is more.

Camera settings

For those interested in the technical side, here is the EXIF data. I want to be clear though that minimalist photography is far more about what you choose to include and exclude in a frame rather than what settings you use to capture it. Please don't fall in the technical trap. Always focus on vision and composition.

Camera: Canon EOS 600D
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/500 sec.

The low ISO kept the image clean and free of grains. The fast shutter froze the shadow edge crisply. The narrow aperture kept the flat window surface in sharp focus throughout. 

Why Shadows Work in Minimalist Photography

A shadow has two qualities that make it perfect for minimalist photography. First of all, it is flat and has no texture or detail. It simply lies against a surface and borrows the geometry of whatever object cast it. 

Second, it is temporary. It exists only at that angle of light, at that time of day, in that specific season. You either see it or you miss it.

The street lamp shadow here is particularly useful because a street lamp is a simple object with a simple silhouette. Just a clean form that casts a clean shadow. When that shadow falls across clean architectural lines, the result is a frame where everything earns its place.

Available as a Fine Art Print

This photograph is available as a minimalism wall art print through my Fine Art America store. It works particularly well as minimalism decor in spaces that favour black and white and clean geometric forms. View and buy the print here.

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism

• What is Minimalist Photography?