It Happens only in India

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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It was a very hot sunny day. I almost got dehydrated due to lack of water. I stopped by at a local kiosk inside the main entrance gate of Amer Fort, Jaipur and purchased a nice cold bottle of mineral water to rejuvenate myself. While I was heading back from the fort, I came across this staircase. I got particularly impressed by the "Jugaad" or the alternative stop-gap arrangement made for water, by a villager to carry and keep it away from heat. He probably filled the plastic bag with water on his way up to the fort, from a local roadside water tap. Since the heat was fierce, he cleverly hung the bag on the side rail of the staircase. The staircase was under shade, and that helped the villager bring down the temperature of the water by a few degrees. Hats-off to him and his idea. Well, It happens only in India, we have an alternative solution for almost everything.

A word on the Composition. 

The photo falls under the Minimalism Category: Minimalism as Less Elements, with only tow elements in the image, i.e the staircase and the plastic bag.

I focused on the plastic bag and used the geometry available to add interest to the composition. Shooting vertical was intentional, so as to show the ascending staircase disappear on its way up and and to leave a little room for imagination.

The Other Way

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Shot at Amer Fort - Jaipur. I began by trying to shoot just the Arc's as a minimalist subject. But, I was being constantly distracted by people passing by. That gave me an idea. Why not include people as well in the frame to compliment the Arcs. I readied myself for the shot by pre-focusing the camera. I pressed the shutter button down the half-way and focused on the edge of the last arc. I waited for someone to pass by. As soon as I saw this man coming, I pressed down the shutter button completely. The man was looking the other way and not in the frame made. This made the shot even more interesting. This is a way hinted at his disappointed with what life has given him. He now chooses, not to look even look in the camera or face people from the real world. He rather chose to look "The Other Way.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now