Open Window Squares and Shadows

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

A Black and White Look-Up Minimal Art Photograph of an Open Window with Squares and its Shadow falling on a Wall, at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

Look-Up Minimalism is Lit. 

And when you find a subject like this, it is like hitting the Jackpot. This Open Window was found near the Art Gallery 1 and 2 at Jawahar Kala Kendra.

I usually stroll there on Sundays hunting for Art Exhibitions and Hustling for Minimalist Compositions. 

Jawahar Kala Kendra never disappoints. I am amazed myself as to how many different composition I have got from Jawahar Kala Kendra. Just Search my Blog using "Jawahar Kala Kendra" as keyword and you would know. I still can believe it and I am still not tired shooting there.

Anyways, What I liked here was that the Window has 4 Squares in it and the same Squares were also visible in the Shadow. I purposefully shot only a part of the Window to make the composition a bit interesting. 

Lastly, The huge Light and Shadow combination is what made my Jaw Drop. 

I had to hurry a bit to take the shot, as with past experience I know, shadows change lightning fast and your composition dreams may instantly go for a toss.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/6.3
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-400
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Open Window Squares and Shadows Minimalist Photograph.

Table Lamp

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Table Lamp shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

This shot was taken during a Clay Festival at Jawahar Kala Kendra. You can look at the Table to see cracks and that is proof of clay.

The cracks seem intentional though and they were eye catching therefore.

The Table Lamp is not made of Clay though, and it is just like any other electric Table Lamp.

I was passing by this art Installation casually, like how I did with the previous ones. What made me to stop and give this attention, was the Cracks in the Clay aka the Cracked Clay Desk.

I thought, shooting the cracked clay would make a nice Minimalist Pattern Frame.

Soon, I realized that this was indeed very basic Minimalist Photography and I should improvise. So, I decided to include the Table Lamp along with the Clay desk in the frame.

Initial few shots were taken from the front and they did not do the trick.

It is strange, though I shoot most of my Photographs from the side, I tend to forget doing so most of the time. After about 3 shots I moved to the side of the subject to shoot.

Viewing this from the side, I knew I had my shot.

Since, the lighting was low, I had to take 2 more shots. Obviously, I messed up with the Manual settings in the 1st shot. I still do ;)

Actually, I shot this in Color. But, of all the shots that I had in my folder for this subject, this one looked the best fit for a Black and White Frame.

Thanks to post processing, I now have my Black and White Minimalism Table Lamp Shot ready.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-1250
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Table Lamp Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Fork Shadow

Minimalism as Less Elements

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Fork and its long shadow, on a Marble table.

I had taken plenty of Fork Shadows Minimalist Photographs with my Mobile Phone earlier. But, so far I had not captured one with a DSLR aka my Canon 6D Mark II Full- Frame Camera on which I have spent a fortune.

So, here is the classic Fork Shadow Minimalist Photograph. It took me a while to figure it out as I did not want the shot to be very common.

I spotted the Sunlight coming from one direction and had the Fork placed in such a way that an Elongated Shadow was created.

I tried many angles but I kept this one, as this was the most creative. You can see the Edges of the Marble Table on the Top, creating a Triangular shape, and that is what is key here in the composition. Also the Dark parts above those lines.

The Fork is placed on the right with lots of Negative Space to the left. This is how I followed all the Photography+Minimalist Photography rules.

Sure the contrast is a bit high, and some like it that way.

One reason to do so, was to bring the 3 Tones of Black and White aka, Light, Medium and Dark. In hindsight, I could have had more of the Lighters Tones.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II

  
  
• Lens: Canon 50 mm Prime Lens

  
  
• F-stop: f/7.1
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100

  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm

  
  
• Metering mode: Spot

  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

How to Shoot Fork Shadow Photography

Fork shadow photography is one of the simplest yet most rewarding minimalist photography projects you can do at home. Here is exactly how I did it and how you can too:

1. Time of Day

The best time is when sunlight comes in at a low angle, early morning or late afternoon. This creates long elongated shadows which are far more dramatic than short midday shadows. Again, it also depends on the angle of light.

2. Position the Fork

Place the fork at an angle to the light source. I tried many positions before settling on this one. The key is to make sure the shadow falls on a clean uncluttered surface. So you can capture clean and clear shadows.

3. Choose Your Surface

A marble table, white paper, or plain floor, a wooden table works best. The cleaner the surface the more the shadow stands out. I used a marble table here which also added a faint texture to my shot. Select your base carefully. It is a very important aspect of Fork Shadow Photography

4. Camera Settings

• Shoot in manual mode
• Use a low ISO (I used ISO 100) for a clean image
• A small aperture like f/7 keeps everything sharp
• Fast shutter speed 1/160 sec or higher since you are shooting in bright sunlight

5. Composition

Do not centre the fork. I placed it to the right with lots of negative space to the left. This follows the rule of thirds and gives the shadow room to breathe. Make sure the Fork Shadow has room to breathe. Look for any natural shapes the edges of your surface create. Here the marble edge created a triangle which added to the composition.

6. Black and White

Convert to black and white to remove any colour distractions. This forces the viewer to focus purely on shape, tone, and shadow. Aim for three tones: light, medium, and dark. This uplifts the black and white fork shadow compoistion a lot. Do edit it properly.

Fork Shadow Photography Ideas to Try at Home

• Try different kitchen utensils, a spoon creates a rounder shadow, a knife creates a sharp thin line.
• Stack two ore more forks for a more complex overlapping shadow.
• Try coloured surfaces for a different mood, if you want but black and white is the best.
• Shoot from directly above (flat lay style) for a different perspective.
• Try at night with a single lamp instead of using sunlight.

Buy This For Shadow Minimalist Photography Print

This Fork Shadow minimalist photograph is available as a fine art print for your home or office. Printed on premium quality paper and canvas.

👉 Buy Fork Shadow Print

Available in multiple sizes. Ships worldwide.

Hope you enjoyed the Fork Shadow Minimalist Photograph.

Prakash Ghai

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism
• What is Minimalist Photography?

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 !

Floor Triangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a Right angled Light Triangle as seen on the floor at Jawahar Kala Kendra Jaipur, shot in black and white.

My love for Light Triangles(Simple Geometry) never seems to end. Here is another one and this time I named it Floor Triangle. It is fairly crazy to name Minimalist Photographs. If you have some tips on it, send me an email.

Now Let's look at the Minimalist Composition

The challenge after spotting the Light Triangle was to decide the angle/side/place from which to click it. I started by shooting it from the side, but then it wasn't looking that nice. So I decided, that why not this time make it a little flat and shoot it from the front. 

While placing the Light Triangle in the frame, I left on bar of space at the bottom and some Negative Space on the top. In editing I pulled down the highlights a bit and darkened the surrounding areas. 

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/4
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/1250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-320
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Floor Triangle  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

The Missing Couple

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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A Looking Up Black and White Minimalist "Photograph of Two Missing Pipes from a Pipe Arrangement.

What I found interesting here was, The Two Missing Pipes, that I call The Missing Couple. These were my starting point in the frame.

I placed them on the extreme right and on the top hand of the frame, following the Rule of Thirds.

Another highlight of the composition is, that we have One Horizontal Line in the Frame, and in contrast, Multiple Diagonal Lines.

Also, the holders of the Two Missing Pipes are actually Two Circles. So, a lot going on in terms of Simple Geometry here.

If you too want to learn to see everything in terms of Shape/Geometry, maybe have a look at this Article Train Your Eyes for Minimalist Photography 

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 50 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/11
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the The Missing Couple  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Lone Dove

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Lone Dove sitting on the Walls of Jawahar Kala Kendra building. 

So, Minimalism as in Small Objects is back and I also did a similar shot long time ago at the same place. Here is that shot "Bird Vs Lines"

As you can see, I have placed the Bird in the bottom left corner of the Minimalist Frame and used Leading Lines to point at my subject aka the Lone Dove. (Leading Lines = the white marble wall edges.)

Negative Space is also a key element here. Right before shooting this, I captured the photograph of a Cat that I spotted at nearby.

When I turned back, I spotted this Lone Dove sitting on the wall.

From shooting a Cat to shooting a Dove in a matter few seconds. That is the fun part in Photography :)

Also, I had to make sure to shoot the Lone Dove quick enough, or else it would just fly away.

This Minimalist Photograph was composed on the LCD Screen to get all the alignments right. Thanks to my Canon EOS 6D Mark II Full Frame Camera that comes with fast focusing right via the LCD Screen because of its Dual Pixel focus technology.

To Have a look at my complete Photography Gear click here: Camera Kit

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/6.3
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-400
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Lone Dove  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day. !

White Triangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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On another Sunday while I visited Jawahar Kala Kendra, I visited a Design Exhibition held by INIFD, Pearl Academy Jaipur etc.

The Exhibition was on the first floor and there were sketches of Fashion-wear, some Paintings and even Photographs on the walls. They were also enrolling students for design courses.

Surprisingly, one girl approached me and asked me whether I was looking to get enrolled for a design course. Of course, I said No, but I was happy that she considered me young enough for it, aka probably a teenager ;) I am 37 by the way, now. Haha.

Anyways, While one my way back, I saw this Triangle being formed between the Side Rails of the Staircase that I was supposed to take on my way out.

I flipped the screen to the LCD view, Selected the Monochrome settings and Focused right on the White Triangle.

I took about 6-7 shots and about 5 minutes to finish shooting, as a lot of people were coming in the frame.

5 Minutes Later, I knew I had my Minimalism as Simple Geometry Photograph :)

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 50 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/4
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-2500
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Hope you enjoyed the White Triangle Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day. !

Diagonal Versus Horizontal Lines

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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What we have here is:

"A Black and White Minimal Art Photograph of a Window with Horizontal Blinds, placed on a White Wall with Diagonal lines created by Light and Shadows."

What motivated me to shoot this as a Subject was primarily two factors:

1) The Lines created by Nature. 

2) How there were only a handful Horizontal Lines amongst the many Multiple Diagonal Lines. 

All that I had to do here was to punch in the right exposure settings in my Camera and leave some Negative /Empty space on the right hand side :)

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 50 mm Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/7.1
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Hope you enjoyed the Diagonal Versus Horizontal Lines Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day. !

Albert Hall Tower

Minimalism as Low Detail

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

This Albert Hall Tower Photograph was shot on a Rainy Day. This image is actually a water reflection image of the Tower along with the flying birds as seen in the reflection. 

I have flipped the image upside down. 

The Photo falls under the Minimalism as Low Detail category of Minimalism. The elements are clearly less and the detail is low, some parts are left to users imagination. 

I am posting a photo of Minimalism as in Low Detail after a long Time. You feedback will be good to have.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 24-105 mm Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/16
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-2000
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 62 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Hope you enjoyed the Albert Hall Tower  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day. !

Similar Shot: Albert Hall Museum Reflection

Lamp and Lines

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Again, this shot of Lamp and Lines was taken at Orbit Mall, Jaipur.

I was standing on the Staircase at 1st Floor and I was looking down.

I was quite far from the Subject and I used the Canon 100mm Lens to capture this. 

The Lamp is my primary subject here and other than that I have used Two Lines, one of the staircase and one of the garden wall, as complimentary subjects. 

Since the Elements are very few and the Photo is fairly simple, This Minimalist Photograph goes in the Minimalism as Less Elements category of Minimalist Photography / Minimalism.

The EXIF Data for the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Maker: Canon
  
  
• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Macro L Series Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/22
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-8000
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Hope you enjoyed the Lamp and Lines Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day. !

Plastic Chair Shadow Minimalist Photography Series

Photo (1) - Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Photo (2) - Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Photo (3) - Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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This is a set of 3 Black and White Minimalist Photographs.

When I am out there and the subject is in front of my eyes, this is how I shoot. I take multiple shots from different angles. Later I pick one shot and post it here on my Minimalist Photography Blog. 

But today, I decided to post all 3 shots. I guess I posted a few Photo Series earlier as well.

This one is actually a Mini Photo-Series comprising of only 3 photos. 

The Ideal number of Photos in a Photo-Series according to some is 7-10 but one can post as many photos as one may like. Its your blog and your choice after all :)

I earlier, did post a Minimalist Photography Photo-Series comprising of 30 photos in one of my earlier posts Mobile Photography Series.

OK, I must also mention that I nearly misplaced these set of photographs after I upgraded to a new camera. 

I recently upgraded my Camera from Canon EOS 600D (crop sensor)  to Canon EOS 6D Mark - II (full frame) Camera.

These photos were lying in the now abandoned 600D Camera. But well, I only abandoned them for 6 months ;)

Actually, its monsoon time and this Sunday I wanted to shoot some Water Droplets Macro Minimalism. 

I remembered I had captured some decent shots from my old 600D Camera with the 100mm Canon L Series Macro Lens mounted on it.

So, I thought lets put the 100 mm Macro Lens on both, the Crop-Sensor and the Full-Frame Camera and see the difference in images captured. 

So, I captured some raindrops on the Lotus Leaves of my garden and compared the results. 

The photo quality was nearly identical and the only difference was, that I could get closer to my subject on the 600D.

The reason was that Crop-Sensor Cameras have a Crop Factor of 1.6 and my 100 mm Lens therefore acted as a 160 mm lens.

While I was transferring the Water Droplets Macro Minimalism photos  series from the old camera to my computer, I also found my last shoot that I did with it on January 7, 2018.

I had not transferred them to my computed in 6 months. 

Wow, that's probably the longest time I have kept Minimalist Photos on a memory card without transferring them to my computer.

NOW, that I had the photos transferred, I edited one Minimalist Photograph of the Plastic Chair Shadow to begin with and I thought that would be the only one I would post today. 

That Photograph is Photo No. (2) 

But Since the Subject "Chair" is close to my heart and also "Black and White" and "Light and Shadows",  as well, I thought let me rather post a Mini-Series this time. 

More Info:

This Plastic Chair was spotted at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Fair Area ,where they have made a Village replica with Old Style Mud houses. 

There was a Craft Exhibition that day and I was there with another Photographer friend of mine. 

While he was busy shooting Street Photography, my eyes were glued to this shadow. 

As you can see in Photo No. (2) my intention was to shoot "Parts of the Whole Minimalism"

The other shots I usually take as extra shots or practice shots or shots that I can post elsewhere.

The first two shots are taken from side angles and the 3rd shot is a little top-downish.

The intent in the 2nd and the 3rd shot is to create some imagination / mystery. 

Editing these 3 shots did not take too long thankfully and I managed pretty well with the JPEG's 

As I have mentioned before I shoot RAW+JPEG

I do so as I shoot only on Sundays as that's my holiday from work and because I always Shoot in the Full Manual Camera Mode.

So, If  I mess up the Expsoure or some settings, I have the RAW file to correct that. 

I don't have the liberty to go to the same place and I Can't shoot the same stuff as well, especially when it's Light and Shadow.

Light and Shadow is natures play, once its gone its gone. Its never going to be the same again the next time. 

As far as the EXIF Data goes, the setting are pretty similar for all 3 Photographs, so I will just post the EXIF Data for Photo No. (1)

The EXIF Data for the Photo (1) is below:

• Camera Maker: Canon
  
  
• Camera Model: Canon EOS 600D
  
  
• Lens: Canon 50 mm F/1.4 Lens
• F-stop: f/9
  
  
• Exposure time: 1/250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Max aperture: 1
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Hope you enjoyed the Plastic Chair Shadow Minimalist Photography Series.

Thank You, Have a Good Day.