If Tomorrow Never Comes

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Each day I sit next to the window thinking about you, dreaming that one day we will be together. I tell myself to be patient and let nature do its job. But sometimes I am very fearful. I know that we are destined to be together, but what if "If Tomorrow never comes?.

Last Sunday, I was sitting idle at home relaxing and thinking where to go for a photo-walk. I ran out of options and was very reluctant to go the places I had been before. It is 15th June 2015 as I write, and on 3rd of June "Jaipur Metro", the new Public Transport service via Train was inaugurated in Jaipur. The train station is a mere 100 feet away from my house, so I thought it would be a nice idea to go there and shoot the new building and its creative architecture. I had planned to shoot that very popular "Still man, moving train" street photography shot which I had been longing for. I entered the placed and asked the security guard if photography was allowed. I was expecting a positive answer from him, but he replied that "photography is only allowed for those who have official written permission from the operations head". I was very disappointed. None of the public places in Jaipur allow photography (apart from the heritage tourist places) and I happen to miss a lot of quality street shots for that reason. I have seen many of my international photographer friends on Facebook post very good street shots taken at public places. I thought why not try taking permission, so I went to the inquiry counter and asked for the operations head, but he was not at his desk, I told myself, "forget it". And I decided to leave the train station.

While I was on may way out I saw a staircase which was under construction. I took that staircase and that lead me to this dark big hall with only a window letting in some light. I felt a little better as I knew I had my Minimalist frame right in front of my eyes. To compose, I placed the window on the right and the slanting rays of light running across, just under it. During editing, I enhanced the highlights and darkened the shadows.

Mysterious Staircase

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

I have posted many photos of Jantar Mantar before and I must have been there to shoot Minimalist Photos for about 8-10 times already. But the place is so filled with geometry that whenever I go there I am able to find newer shots. This one below was a result of me being lazy and for I was carrying a zoom lens. It was hot and sunny and I thought rather than going close towards the staircase to shoot, let me try the shot from distance for a change. Distance is an important aspect in minimalism. It makes your subject look small and Minimalistic and that is ideal. You can also shoot at 18mm with your regular kit lens to achieve similar results. As for me, I was zoomed in as usual with my 55-250mm zoom lens.

Now coming back to the shot, since I was far away from my subject I could include an extra element in my frame i.e the black door. The curved arcs of the door juxtaposed nicely with the straight lines of the staircase. Such a contrast brought in the much needed Art Effect. A quick reminder, make sure you make your staircases disappear towards the end to add mystery. I turned this into monochrome as architectural shots in black and white exposes the geometry and shapes well. Color generally distracts the eye.  Do share links of your black and white Minimalistic shots in comments.

Happy Clicking.

Shadows Speak

Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Is there Art in shadows or are shadows Art? Well, both are true. Each shadows has a story. It speaks an unspoken narrative to the viewer. What the narrative or the story is?,  depends on what he/she has been through, in their life. I have given you a lot of interpretations on long shadows before, for example I have related it to Intrinsic Value. But, this time around I want to know your interpretations, your story? Please mention that in the comments.

To compose, I shot this from a distance as the wall belonged to a complex, that was covered by a large fence. The window could have been avoided but it has been included on purpose, as it makes the viewer guess the rest of the structure. ("parts-of-the-whole" Minimalism). I did title this as Minimalism as Less Elements as this is not the best example of Parts of the Whole Minimalism and has just two elements i.e The cropped window and the lamp.

Shooting Long shadows in black and white, is probably one of the best examples of Minimalist Photography. Such photos tend to be more appealing to the viewers. 

Almost 100

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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The other day I was talking to my friend Vera Nikumaa from Sweden, whose father had died very recently at the age of 93. She told me that she was very proud that her dad lived for so long. When he was about 70 years old he told her that he wanted to live forever. Vera is an optimist and she keeps giving me motivating lectures whenever I am down and out. I showed her this photo, which I usually do to ask her if she likes the editing or not and her response was that this photo is somehow the one which she would like to use in her fathers death announcement. But she could not explain why it was the right photo. I stopped for a while and tried to interpret her sub-conscious mind. The extremely long shadow of the water outlet almost touching the base of the frame could have been interpreted by her mind as the wonderful 93 years or Almost 100 years that her father had lived. When I told her about my interpretation she was in agreement instantly and later expressed a desire to buy the photograph.

I sell my photos through my Fineartamerica Profile. Whenever I upload my photos there or to Blogger, Titling the photo is not that easy but I was sure of this one, and it had to be "Almost 100".

Composition

The photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements category. The Less Elements being

a) The Water outlet (and its shadow)
b) The textured wall.

I chose to shoot from the side. That way I was able to capture and show the entire long shadow of the water outlet and even make it appear a hint longer. I cropped the photo from both ends, to make the photo appear even more Minimalistic.

The Over-bridge

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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One big curve formed by the Over-bridge, Street Lights in repetition and Two Wires running across the frame.

The Minimalist Composition looks tough, isn't it? 

Yes and No. This was full of clutter in color, but after turning the photo into black and white it looked fairly simple. Therefore, when your photos look cluttered in color, try turning them to black and white. This does away with a lot of distraction and makes the look simpler.

The composition

I started by aligning the big Over-bridge Curve first and then I let the "Street Lamps in Repetition", just fall in place. I made sure that the lamps were 90 degrees upright. The two wires running across the frame adds to the Minimalist Aesthetics beautifully. The photo falls under the Minimalism Category: Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes i.e the Four Street Lamps.

Steps Door Squares

 Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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To shoot a little different you have to think a little different. 

I took this shot right outside the Jharkhand Mahadev Temple, in Vaishali Nagar Jaipur. Although I do go to the same tourist places like everyone else, but I prefer to shoot in the vicinity and not at the spot itself. The area around the spot generally has the best possible Minimalist shots,  as there are people living around it. There is usually a small market nearby and shopkeepers paint their shops, windows and walls in attention grabbing colors in an attempt to grab customers attention. At least that's how it is in India.

About the Minimalist Composition

What caught my eye here was the staircase on the right which probably is cemented now and closed for use. To compliment the zigzag staircase, I used the squares available in the big closed door. I purposely took the shot from the side rather than from the front to get the right composition and balance in the frame.

And there you have it "Steps Door Squares" - a Minimalist photo full of Simple Geometry.

Terrace Railing

 Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Sometimes you need to point the camera up very high to find Minimalist Shots. 

The above photo is an example as to how to use the railing of a terrace of a high rise building, to compose a Minimalistic Frame. I turned the camera to the vertical position, in order to add a fresh perspective and to leave negative space under the railing. The negative space in turn enhanced focus on the lines. I then converted the photo into black and white, to do away with the color distraction in the photo. Black and White also aided in bringing an artistic feel. 

10 Squares

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Shapes communicate well with the sub-conscious mind especially when it comes to Simple Geometry. I personally love Squares, All four sides of a square are well measured and equal, psychologically hinting at a perfectly planned and a well crafted Life. That could be my reason as to why I love Squares.

What is the Simple Geometry shape that you love? and Why? Leave your answer in the comments. That would be interesting to know.

Many observers would see this as 9 squares, but a hardcore Minimalist has the ability to zoom out and consider the window itself as 1 big Square having 9 squares in repetition within it, making a total of 10 Squares.

Perspective is what matters the most in Minimalism and a change of perspective can do wonders for your photography, not only Minimalist Photography but other compositions/photography genres as well.

Other Minimalist Photos that also contain a Square:

- Circle Square Waves

- Lines Vs Square

- Right Angled Triangle Vs The Square

- White Square

Synchronized Geometry

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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I have titled this as Synchronized Geometry because, these Zig Zag walls that you see are not merely walls, they are in fact concrete side railings of an actual staircase located at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

Generally, such railings are like flat diagonal lines but this Zig Zag pattern is created by the differential placement of stone slabs.

More on the Minimalistic Composition

The photo falls under the Minimalism Category: Minimalism as Simple Geometry. Simple geometry is quite evident here. I have clicked the photo from the side to show contrast between two similar patterns or Zigzags. The bigger or the longer side rail has more repetitions, whereas the smaller or the nearer one has less. Another reason I shot this from the side was to show a bit of depth in the frame and to keep the angle unique.

Another Shot of the same subject from a different angle:

• Side Rail Zig Zag Pattern

White Square

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a White square on a grainy Black Wall.

View: Colored Version

The walls were in fact red in color as this was shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra, but capturing red as the actual red you saw with naked eyes via your DSLR's aint that easy, unless you work with high quality prime lenses to shoot from.

Or maybe the case is that I am jinxed to shoot Red. (maybe not)

I mostly capture Minimalist Photographs with a multipurpose zoom lens as of now i.e. the Canon 55-250 mm. Sometimes it gives me great sharpness and color while I am not zoomed-in much and at other times, the results are not so great. But, I never delete those not so great shots as I kind of recycle them.

Well, here is the trick. The shots in which you cannot fix the color even in editing, simply convert them to Black and White. I follow this rule religiously, but keep in mind that you can only rescue a Photograph if it is well composed to begin with.

Some people also crop out Minimalist Frames out of the Whole image instead of capturing the exact same Photograph on the spot. I generally don't do this. At least that's not the intent I stand with the Camera in my hand in front of Photography subjects.

More on the Minimalistic Composition

I placed the White Square in the bottom of the frame, in order to follow the Rule of Thirds. The lines on the sides and above the White Square, balances the overall frame.

Other Minimalist Photos that also contain a Square:

- Circle Square Waves

- Lines Vs Square

- Right Angled Triangle Vs The Square

- 10 Squares

Cloud Vs the Lamp

 Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Here, I have shown the juxtaposition between two shapes/forms 

a) the Abstract Cloud, having no particular form or shape, Versus 
b) The Curve of the Lamp, which has a clearly defined form/shape. 

As you can see I have left negative space on the left, to make the interaction between the two forms/shapes stand out. It was a very tricky shot as and I had to maneuver a lot. I moved quite a bit to my left, to first get the cloud right behind the lamp visually. The cloud  was way above the lamp and there was a huge gap between them. To correct that, I moved near the lamp by walking towards it, and went down on my knees to bring the cloud down. The final adjustment was positioning the lamp right in the center of the moving cloud. 

The Minimalism Classification:

Minimalism Type: Minimalism as Less Elements

The Elements: Lamp, Cloud, Small Bird

Hope you enjoyed the photo and the behind the scenes action. Do leave your feedback below. Thank you. 

Similar Minimalist Shot:

 

- The Cloud Split

The Rusted Curl

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Curly rusted metal railing, complimented by Negative or empty space.

This shot was taken during the Govind Dev Ji Temple photo walk, that I went for with a could of my Photographer friends.

While my friends were out to shoot Street Photogramy, I as usual was on a Mission to capture some simple Black and White Minimalist Photographs.

While we were on our way back from the Photowalk I saw  this Beautiful Rusted Railing in front of a house.

I was on my 50mm prime Canon lens and I just could not resist to close in on The Rusted Curl design in it part of it. 

Some of you may ask but Why shoot Rust in Black and White that too in a Minimalist Photograph? 

Well, Minimalist or not, Black and White gives the Photograph more of an Art feel and also accentuates the shapes i.e make them more prominent, by doing away the visual distraction caused by color.

The Composition of the Photograph is fairly simple and straight forward, just like any other Classic Minimalist Photograph. Negative Space, Rules of Thirds, Less Elements, Geometry etc. 

Alternatively, you can also look at a similar Minimalist Photograph that I captured on a different ocassion.

Similar Minimalist Photograph:

Silver Curl

Adamant Shapes

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

The best part about going to the same place again and again is that you get newer shots every-time. The trick is to use a different lens each time you visit that place. Jawahar Kala Kendra - Jaipur is an all time favorite. This shot is basically a dimension play where 3D looks like 2D. The square within the rectangle on the left was the nearest to the frame followed by the edge of the receding wall (that dark vertical patch) and then the electric switch.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai

The White Door

Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of the open white door in the balcony, at Jawahar Kala Kendra Jaipur.

This shot was taken from the balcony at the first floor at Jawahar Kala Kendra. I spotted this open door and thought it could make for a good Minimalist Photograph Subject, especially because of the Empty or Negative space that was around it.

I could have captured this Photograph straight from the front, but to show Visual Depth in the frame I captured this from the side.

The open door creates a sort of a mystery esp in Black and White, while in reality, the wall was actually red, but I turned the shot into Black and White as Black and White Minimalist Photographs do stand out from the Colored ones.

Hope you enjoyed the Shot. 

Take Care

Vertical Rectangle engulfed by the Square

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Here, geometry within geometry is placed and dimension play is used. I placed that vertical rectangular door in the top right corner, within a white square. In fact, the white square lies within another white square(i.e the white outer border). Spotting geometry is one thing and having fun with it visually is another. That is the thing about minimalist visual art. One should know how to have fun with the elements in the frame. The best was is to keep experimenting, placing the elements in different places/corners in the frame. One should also exercise caution, as sometimes, over experimentation kills the shot rather than enhancing it.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

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

Rank Opposites

Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of two Earthen Clay Utensils, hanging on a wall with threads at an Art Exhibition at JKK Jaipur.

I was on a visit to an Earthen Clay Art Exhibition at Jawahar Kala Kendra (Art Center) - Jaipur.  I thought it would be really interesting to see the talent of clay artists and to interact with them to find out how they go about composing or creating their pieces. Also, what goes into the preparations and understanding the entire creation process.

I did interact with a very artists and I was amazed to find out about their wonderful creative minds. While I was going around artwork to artwork inside the Exhibition Hall, I stopped over at this fairly simple clay structures that looked very Minimalist in terms of design. The artist that made the structure was not available at that time. 

What I found interesting here was the opposite placement of the Clay Artwork. One was front faced and the other one was facing the wall. I new right that very moment that I had an opportunity to capture a nice Black and White Minimalist Photograph of this subject. After 2 shots I got what I wanted.

The Photograph falls under Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography, to learn more about other Types of Minimalism click here: 8 Types of Minimalism

Thank You

Have a Nice Day!

Intrinsic Value

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photo composed by using the elongated shadow of drainage pipe, as a subject. The shadow being accompanied by a vertical rectangle.

Sometimes, people fail to realize that they have far more potential hidden within them, than what they actually believe they have. This is depicted in the Minimalist Photo by the elongated shadow of the small pipe signifying( or the person), the huge potential hidden within them or their intrinsic value. They may or may not be aware of it. Most of us do not know our full potential. It is important to keep exploring and trying new ventures. That is one of the ways to find out.

More on the Minimal Composition

The main subject of the photo is the cylindrical pipe, which is complimented by the vertical rectangle on the right hand side. Some grains on the right and the smooth surface on the left, acts as opposite textures. Keeping the frame vertical, helped me to keep the long shadow of the pipe well within the frame. I kept this Black and White as that just makes the shadow look even more dramatic and there are plenty of people who really like Black and White Minimalist Photography.

Hope you enjoyed the Photograph. Stay tuned for more.

Looking for some Minimalist Wall Decor?

Head over to the page Buy Minimalist Photos

Awaiting Prosperity

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of Big shadow of a house gate on street.

We all want a prosperous life, don't we? 

Also, there are some, who want success the easy way. Well, success never comes easy and a lot of hard-work is required. But, beware, life is life. It is not guaranteed, that on working hard success is a surety. That is the unpredictable nature of life. It hands over fruits to the ones who are not even worthy of peanuts and vice-versa. Despite all this, the common man's job is to work hard. That is the  only way for him to improve upon his chances of success.

The Big Shadow of the gate here, indicates the preview of probable success which lies behind the closed gate. One needs to keep toiling each day of the month/year, for the rest of his life to try and reach beyond. For most, the wait is really long, therefore the title Awaiting Prosperity.

The question still remains, will Life ever be fair in handing over success to people?

A word on the Composition of the Photograph

The photograph is a little maximally minimal in nature. The subject is the shadow of lines in repetition and hence I have categorized the photograph under Minimalism as in Repeating shapes category of Minimalist Photography. 

I clipped a part of the gate and let the shadow cover the majority of the frame. The downward sloping angle adds more interest and flow. I could have moved the stone away but I like to keep scenes more on the natural side so I decided against it. 

Hope you enjoyed the Photograph. Stay tuned for many more are to follow.

Pro Tip: never miss entrance gates, they are great subjects for Minimalist Compositions. 

Would love to hear your feedback!

Predatory Feet

Minimalism as Low Detail

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A black and white Minimalist Photograph of the feet of a predatory bird with sharp nails sitting on a wall.

This is a special Minimalist shot as this was taken when I used to shoot during moving traffic on the streets. I used to hang the camera around my neck, riding my scooter going place to place, in search of Minimalist Photo subjects.

The moment I used to spot something interesting, I would stop right there, in the middle of  traffic. I would just turn my head towards the subject and point the camera at it and shoot, while still sitting on my scooter. 

I spotted these Predatory Feet of a bird sitting on a wall close to the main road that leads to the Vishvakarma Industrial Area in Jaipur. The bird stood still and did not even move an inch. Since I was zoomed in, I did not interfere with its privacy. 

The lens that I was on, was a Canon 55-250 mm . This took about 3 hours of post processing as I had to take out most of details from the shot. 

Although it was time consuming but the result was this Low Detail Minimalist Photograph, which was very satisfying to look at and to produce.

Tell me, if you enjoyed the photo. - Feedback awaited.