Dome Versus Flying Birds

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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Black and White Minimal Art photograph of the Dome of Albert Hall Museum Jaipur against the sky, with birds flying across.

Albert Hall Jaipur Museum is a great place to shoot flying birds. You go there anytime of the day and you can spot birds flying across the sky. Whenever I go there I get really tempted to shoot them.

Sure a lot of shots might get cliched but a subtle variation here and there always works.

As you can see in the composition above, I have placed the Dome of the Museum right in the center of the frame, but at the bottom, following the rule of thirds.

Then, I waited for the birds to fly in the frame. I stood there for 5 minutes and took multiple shots.

While editing, I added some Vignetting to the photograph and I cut down on some exposure to get a dark effect in the photograph.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 24-105 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/7.1
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/1250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-800
  
  
• Focal Length: 105 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Dome Versus Flying Birds Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Lines Curves And Square

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of Lines Curves and Square as seen on a Wall at Diggi Palace, Jaipur.

No matter how good a Minimalist Photograph looks in Color, it always looks better in Black and White. 

I had shot this in Color. The wall was White and the Black Lines that you see, were Blue in color. This is a wall from Diggi Palace Jaipur. 

While I was editing this Photograph, I was really not happy with the Colors and that was primarily due to the fact that the wall had a yellow tint over it, as this shot was taken during Golden Hour, 

Therefore, I turned this Photograph into Black and White to see how it looked without color. 

As I have said earlier, that once you convert a Photo into Black and White, majority of the times, you would want to leave it Black and White. And that is what happened today as well.

The Composition is a little weird probably, or another way you can call weird in art is, creative. 

I am looking up at the wall from a side angle, trying to fit in the Pattern created with Lines, Curves and Square, yet trying to leave some Negative Space and also trying to make the frame look less cluttered. 

I shot this at 7.1 Aperture 

What do you think? Should I have taken this shot at a different Aperture setting?

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 24-105 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/7.1
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-320
  
  
• Focal Length: 105 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Lines Curves and Square  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Geometric Lines Of A Building

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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The intention here is to show Lines as a primary elements aka Minimalism as Simple Geometry. 

These Geometric Lines were captured at Jawahar Kala Kendra, with my Canon 6D Mark II Camera. 

I have titled so many photos for my blog and today I ran out of ideas to title this photograph (PS: I ran out of ideas to title my photos 2 years ago) therefore I simply titled this as Geometric Lines of a Building.

I have taken similar shots before but this time I tilted the camera in my hand a bit to get a different outcome. As you can see, I am also a bit to the right of the subject rather than being right in the front. 

When it comes to Minimalism as Simple Geometry, 

Lines is a subject that can be easily found almost anywhere. 

If you want to practice Simple Geometric shots, start with Lines. 

Later, you can shoot Doors or Windows ( ie Rectangles or Squares) and then look for other shapes.

OR create some Geometry via Camera Tilt or Your Movement or by Using Shadows to your advantage by cropping some geometry out of it. (not cropping in the computer but by your physical movement, like creating shadow triangles etc)

Again, Like on one of my recent posts, I edited this to keep things more on the Gray side. I did not want more contrast than what we have here.

I don't know why but maybe something in my mind made me do that. 

Its always better to follow your mind and not overrule it in art I believe. 

Let it have its own freedom and see where it takes you.

With that its a wrap..

See you later.

Good Day !

Windows with Red Border

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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This is a Look Up Minimal Shot that I clicked at Ravindra Manch Jaipur.

I had the 100 mm Prime Macro Canon L Series F/2.8 Lens mounted on my Canon 600D Crop Sensor Camera. 

I went to Ravindra Manch to attend Jaipur Art Summit.

I remember it was very hot and I captured this Minimalist Photograph at about 3 p.m in the afternoon. 

I attend a lot of Art Events for they help me absorb the Art Vibes around. 

Well, I was a little bored tonight and I wanted to post something Very Simple. 

So, I decided to post these Windows with Red Border i.e. Minimalism as Simple Geometry Minimal.

• Primarily we have Two Big Rectangles and Two Big Long Lines in the frame.
  
• And As I mostly do, I chose a Side Angle. 

Hope that you enjoyed the shot. 

Let me know of your feedback. 

Have a Good Evening :)

The Inverted Light Triangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Greetings from Pink City once again. 

Hope this picture finds you in the best of your health and spirit. 

Oh wait a minute, that's how I used to write the opening lines of a letter when I was learning letter writing in my 8th Grade in St Xaviers School Jaipur. 

Anyways, I am pretty sure that you are definitely fine :) for the massively negative Lunar Eclipses have passed and even the very recent Solar Eclipse. 

So with those behind our back, lets smile and be merry for a while :)

OK, so as you can see I am back with a Black and White Minimalism Shot of The Inverted Light Triangle

Yet again, these walls belong to Jawahar Kala Kendra, 

haha well NO.... this time it is Jantar Mantar, Jaipur.

What prompted me to take this shot was the Inverted Light Triangle being formed on the wall high above. All thanks to Sunlight/ Nature.

You see its difficult to find Triangles, and I consider myself lucky if nature hands over one to me :)

The Camera Kit I had that day was my Canon 600D and the 100 mm Prime Macro Lens. 

The composition is pretty simple to comprehend, I just followed the rule of thirds here, on the right, left and at the top of the frame.

and Bam the frame is ready. 

This is Core Minimalism as I like to call it.

For its done using Simple Geometry, of course Black and White and Light and Shadow contributes  nicely to the frame aesthetics.

Hope you enjoyed the shot.

Have a Good Day / Night

The Distant Window

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a Distant window at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

This shot is taken from the new Cafe that has opened up at Jawahar Kala Kendra, on the 1st Floor name Cafe Quaint. 

I went there last week, just to try their menu and the wonderful Vanilla Tea that they serve. 

Of course, other than the menu, my motive was to get at a unique height or what I call "Location Advantage" to create a different sort of a frame. How else am I supposed to get a new Minimalist Photograph from Jawahar Kala Kendra aka JKK?

I have taken so many shots at JKK but just 1 or two from an elevated level. 

Hey ! are you wondering that I had actually nothing to with the Cafe and I can go to any extent to get  a Minimalist Frame from a different perspective/angle? 

Well, then guess what? Your guess is right. 

The Cafe was just an excuse ;)

There is something in this picture that I generally do not do in most Minimalist compositions and that thing is including a foreground element. 

The Green Leaves, although  blurred and out of focus, are the Highlight of the Photograph here...It is not accidental. 

To start off, I had taken similar shots avoiding the leaves, only to later realize that its the Green Leaves that make the shot and not break it.

Hope you enjoyed the shot. Good Night.

A gentle reminder: You can buy Minimalist Wall Art Framed Prints that ship worldwide here: Buy Minimalist Photos

Red Walls Blue Sky

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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• Theme: Minimalism and Architecture

• Minimalism Type:  Simple Geometry

• Subject: Overlapping Red Walls

  
  

• Style: Looking Up (from the side)

• Geometric Elements: Lines

• Supporting Elements: 

   

  a) Blue Sky

   

  b) Shadows

   

  c) Lines

• Color Tones: Red and Blue

• Camera Used: Canon 600D

• Lens Used: Canon 100mm Prime Macro F 2.8 L Series Lens

• Location: Ravindra Manch Jaipur. (India)

Hope you enjoyed the shot.

Do let me know if you like these bullets style photo highlights, rather than long paragraphs. 

Good Day.

Arc Vs Steps

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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• Subject: Part of an Astronomical Instrument
  

• Style: Shooting from the Side
  

• Color Tone: Yellow / Brown
  

• Shot Location: Jantar Mantar Jaipur 

   

• Minimalism Type: Simple Geometry

   
  

• Geometric Shapes: Arc, Lines(steps)

   
  

• Aesthetic Elements: 

   

  a) Texture

   

  b) Light and Shadow

   

  c) Juxtaposition between the Arc and Steps

  
  

  d) Tight Vertical / Landscape composition

   
  

• Camera Used: Canon 600D

   
  

• Lens Used: Canon 55-250 mm Zoom Telephoto Kit Lens

Staircase Minimal

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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I clicked this Minimalist Photograph at Hawa Mahal, Jaipur (India). If you have not been to this Place, then you must visit it. It is one of the Main Tourist Attractions of the City.

You will find lots of intriguing architecture here. The Ddoors, Windows and the Staircases are just a treat for the eyes. Not to forget the subtle decay and texture on the walls and of course the very beautiful colors. 

Lets quickly take a look at the Highlights of the Shot

• Minimalism Type: Simple Geometry (primarily the lines)
  
• Theme: Minimalism and Architecture
  
• Style: Shooting flat from the front.
  
• Aesthetic Elements:
  
  
  
  • The mysterious Left Turn
     
  • Subtle Texture on the Walls
     
  • Lines: Leading lines on the right and that of the steps
     
  • Decay on the Steps
    

• Camera Used: Canon 600D
  
• Lens Used: Canon 50mm F 1.4 Prime Lens

More Information:

Other than that I would like to mention that, these kind of composition is all about which part of the staircase are you taking the photo from. And how far and close you want to show that in the frame..

Another choice is the decide what kind of depth you want to show..

Consider all these factors when shooting Staircase Minimalism

Hope that you enjoyed the shot.

Take Care !

Have a Good Day :)

Pigeon and its Shadow

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
Shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur View NFT

A Minimalist Photograph of a Pigeon sitting high up on a Red wall with his shadow being caste behind him, at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

Minimalism Type: Minimalism as Less Elements

• Photography Style: Looking up

• Color Palette: Red and Blue  

• Camera Used: Canon 600D

• Shot Location: Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

    

Aesthetic Elements: 

a) Red Wall

b) Blue Sky

c) Light and Shadow aka Natures Art at Play

d) Real World vs Shadow World comparison

e) Lines

f) Negative Space

A word on the Reason to Shoot this minimalist photograph the way I did.

I was at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur when I spotted this pigeon sitting high up on a red wall with its shadow falling right behind it.

I have shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra many times and the light there does something special to walls, especially in late mornings when the sun hits at a low to mid angle and shadows get longer and deeper. This was one of those moments.

What pulled me in was the comparison between the two worlds in the same frame.

The pigeon is real, physical, three dimensional figure. The shadow is flat and projected, almost like a ghost version of the same bird.

Both are there together and that gap between the real and the shadow is exactly what I wanted the viewer to see when they look at this minimalist photograph.

To make the comparison work I had to place both subjects correctly. I moved to my left so the pigeon landed on the top right of the frame and the shadow landed on the bottom left.

That one movement did two things at once. It put both subjects on the Rule of Thirds grid and it opened up the negative space between them, which is what lets the photograph breathe.

The red wall and the blue sky are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here in terms of color. The warmth of the red against the coolness of the blue sky not only keeps your eye at the frame rather keeps your engaged long enough. That is the power of that color combo.

The lines in the wall architecture further gives the photograph a quiet structure underneath.

This is minimalist photography as Less Elements. 

👉 Check all types of minimalist photography

Hope that you enjoyed the Minimalist Shot of the Pigeon and its Shadow. 

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism

• What is Minimalist Photography?

The Partial Window

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

Hello, 

Good Evening !

The above Minimalist Photo has been categorized as Minimalism as Parts of the Whole.

The reason being because I have shown you a Part of the White Window above, rather than the whole of it, Leaving room for Imagination. 

This shot was taken Yesterday i.e. on 6th of August 2017 with my Canon 600D Camera and 100mm Prime Macro L series F 2.8 Lens.

One thing to note here is the EXIF Data aka Camera Settings. 

The focus point in the Photograph was on The Partial Window.

I had to choose a High Aperture Value, so that the lines of the side rails of the staircase in the foreground, stayed sharp. 

If on the other hand, I had used a Low Aperture value like F2.8, then the foreground lines would have got blurred, spoiling the feel of the shot. 

Below is the EXIF Data for more clarity:

 

• Camera Mode: Full Manual
• ISO: 400
• F-stop: F/11
• Shutter Speed: 1/40 sec.

Hope you enjoyed the Shot.  

Thank you!

Two Triangles Vs Lines

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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This Sunday I was invited by my photographer friend Manav, to Jawahar Kala Kendra for a Photowalk.

Initially I refused, because I had already taken many shots at that place. But because I was feeling tired to go out to a far off place, I agreed.

When I reached Jawahar Kala Kendra, my friend was already sitting with another acquaintance enjoying a cup of coffee.

Before I greeted and joined him, I took about 15 minutes of solo time searching for subjects.

It was a challenge for me, as I had already shot most part of the building. After 10 minutes I realized that I could not find anything worthwhile to frame.

So I tried going in for "creating my own subject" via "visual layering" or "overlapping of surfaces" method. Never heard of these terms before? Never mind, these are my own terms.

I stood right under the structure that had two identical floors with attached balconies, one to my left and one to my right. I started to look up and I kept moving to my right until I had Two Triangles being made by the cut/opening in the wall structure of the floor on the right.

Now, Lets look at the lines on the left. These lines were created by a similar opening in the wall of the floor on the left. If I had moved forward, then Two more similar Triangles would have been created.

Well, I let these lines just take their place in the frame. Didn't fiddle much there. 

I basically worked on the size and placement of the Two Triangles on the right, primarily by my physical movement. My movement included all four ways i.e forward, backwards, to my left and to my right.

After about 4 shots, I got the frame that I wanted. 

The Photo falls under the Minimalism Type: Simple Geometry. The Simple Geometric shapes being Triangles and Lines. 

The lens used here is Canon 100mm Prime L Series Macro Lens.

Camera Used is Canon 600D Crop Sensor. 

Hope you enjoyed the shot.

Have a nice day.

Another Shot from the same angle 

• 10 Squares 2 Triangles

Windows in Repetition Vs The Green Tree

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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This shot falls under the Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes Category. What we have here, is a repetition pattern created by the Windows of the rooms of a hotel in Jaipur. 

I have purposefully placed the Green Tree on the bottom left corner of the frame, so as to break the Pattern of Repetition. Without the Green Tree, the shot would be too vanilla, at least for me.

I shot this from an over-bridge, in-case you were wondering from where I got the height in the frame. Its the result of the over-bridge elevation, that I am looking-up but yet my view is kind of flattish or parallel to the ground. 

Other than the height, the 100 mm Macro Lens helped me to shoot this comfortably from a distance.

Hope that you enjoyed the shot and the Minimalist explanation ;)

Stay tuned for more.  

*In-case you haven't noticed. My Sales Store is now loaded with about 450 photos :)

Have a look here https://prakash-ghai.pixels.com/ 

All Photos Ship Worldwide. 

Thank you !

Light Shadow Lines Architecture

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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Light Shadow Lines Architecture, is not a Minimalist Title, I agree :)

But, the photo definitely is. I chose such a title, so that it becomes easier for the blog followers to immediately comprehend the elements within the Minimalist Photograph.

The Photograph falls under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category. The subject being, primarily just the Lines of a Staircase at Jawahar Kala Kendra. That's the Simple Geometry here: Lines.

Lines are one of the most reliable subjects in minimalist photography and even better in minimalist architecture photography. They are already simple. You don't need to simplify them further.

This photograph was taken at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur. I shot this looking straight up with my 100mm Canon Prime Macro L lens.

Jawahar Kala Kendra has been one of my most visited locations for minimalist photography over the years. The building was designed by Charles Correa and the geometry is intentional throughout. A paradise for minimalist photographers.

Note: this photograph is available as a fine art wall print. Buy it here

Thank you !

Also Check: 

• Exhibitions

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism

• What is Minimalist Photography?

Illuminated Exit

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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Each soul has a purpose in life and the purpose is made known to it before it takes shelter into a body. Some souls are able to fulfill their purpose and are given an Illuminated (or celebrated) Exit from the world just like a gala farewell party to a performing employee of the company. The illuminated geometric structure with sky in the background is used here to depict such a scenario. 

Many souls on the other hand fall prey to minds influenced by the material society, hence they feel trapped and continuously crave for an exit. So the question is what do you do? Well, become aware of your soul and its wants. Listen its calls. Make it feel comfortable in your body. Don't do any sort of self-harm. Follow a healthy life-style. Souls may want to live longer in your body to fulfill their purpose and they would tend to feel restless in an unhealthy body.

Ok, now back to the shot. This shot was taken at Jantar Mantar during the first Instameet cum Photowalk oragnised by my Instagram Page "Learn Minimalism" for the theme Simple Geometry on 20.09.2015. (I am doing my bit to popularize this genre of photography.) Although I have categorized this shot under "Minimalism as Less Elements", this can also go in under Minimalism as Simple Geomentry for lines. 

I was down on my knees for the shot, looking towards the sky and it took me a good 6-7 shots to finally get done. I generally compose shots using my LCD screen but since it was extremely hot and bright nothing was visible on the screen. Therefore I switched over to the View Finder. Why did I mention this? because in the View Finder of most cameras there is no 3x3 overlapping grid which makes things a little tough for visual artists like me.

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism
  
  
• What is Minimalist Photography?
  
  
• 5 Minimalist Photos that Depict Less is More

Dual Staircases

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Architecture Photograph of a Dual staircase.

Why I Paired Two Staircases Instead of One?

I was walking around Swej Farm in Jaipur and I saw these two staircase openings cut into the side of a building and I just stopped there for a minute because something about the way they were sitting on that plain wall felt like it was a decent frame to capture, I just had to figure out exactly what that frame was.

The staircases were quite far from me, maybe 50 to 60 feet away, so I pulled out my Canon 55-250 mm lens and zoomed in a lot to get close to what I was seeing with my eyes, and because I was zoomed in that much I had to shoot at a higher shutter speed to make sure the image did not come out blurry, which is always the risk when you are handholding at long focal lengths.

I mostly never carry a tripod because I find it very inconvenient to set up on public places as I am an introvert. Instead I always shoot RAW and JPEG together so that later I can open the RAW file for corrections when at home and pull out more details or add some sharpness to the photograph to compensate for the handheld blur.

My first attempt was just capturing one staircase, shot in landscape orientation. When I reviewed it on the camera LCD screen, it felt a bit flat and boring. The photograph was not saying anything, rather just showing a shape sitting there with no real reason. That is the thing about minimalist photography and black and white minimalism specifically, you can have a clean frame and good light and still have a photograph that has no life in it if the composition is not doing any work.

The One Decision That Changed This Minimalist Shot

So I stepped back a little and looked at the full wall again. I realised that having both the  staircases together in a portrait frame was the right shot. When you stack them one above the other, the eye starts moving between them and comparing them and finding the small differences. That is what gives the photograph its energy.

In black and white minimalism the tonal contrast is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, so the dark underside of each staircase sitting against the lighter wall is where the whole image is held together. Portrait orientation was the right call.

Swej Farm is not a famous location and most people walk past buildings like this without a second look, but that is where I find the photographs that interest me the most. 

In the ordinary places where real geometry hides. The architecture minimalism is just sitting quietly waiting for someone to slow down, notice it and frame it right. That is what minimalist photography is about, the art of noticing both what's hidden and goes unnoticed despite being there.

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism
  
  
• What is Minimalist Photography?
  
  
• 5 Minimalist Photos that Depict Less is More