Twig Spiral

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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A Minimal Art Photograph of a Twig Spiral and its Shadow shot at Home Sweet Home.

This shot was taken in the backyard of my House. There is this nice plant climbing all over the Wall Fence, forming these Twigs with different shapes and forms.

I used the 100 mm Canon Macro Lens to capture this shot. The composition is relatively simple. I started by focusing on the Twig Spiral on the lowest possible aperture I could, to ensure decent bokeh in the background/background blur.

The other thing I made sure of, was to get the Shadow of the Twig Spiral right under it, also aligned nicely within the Minimalist frame.

I retouched this Photograph quite a lot in the Editor because, some darker areas were too dark and the lighter ones too light.

Though, editing the RAW version consumed a lot of my time but in the end, I am satisfied with the results. 

If you have taken a Picture of a Twig Spiral as well, please do share a link of that in the comments.

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/2.8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/4000 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Twig Spiral Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Black Cloth Triangle

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a Triangle like shape made by Black Cloth, shot at a Kids Carnival at Jaipur City.

This shot was taken at a Kids Carnival that I thought I should attend, not because that I wanted to get onto some kids rides, but to snap out some nice Minimalist Photographs.

The area where I am standing was behind the tents, away from the swings/rides. 

I spotted this cloth pattern and tried to make sense of it. 

Since I am trained to see shapes, I could spot a Triangle like shape made by the Black cloth. I proceeded to take a few shots to give the frame some symmetry/balance and shape. 

Also, if you see in the back, there is some Light and Shadow combination. That further helped me compose this better. 

There wasn't a literal subject available here. I created the Black Cloth Triangle by the way I saw the pattern and by positioning myself appropriately.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 600D
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/4
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Focal Length: 100 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Black Cloth Triangle Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Six Steps

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of Six Steps of one of the two Entrance Staircases at Hawa Mahal Jaipur.

This Minimal Art photograph is an improvement over the earlier Minimalist picture that I took at the same place of the same staircase "A Call from the Unknown". 

In the earlier photograph, there was a lot of Negative Space and was a very low angle shot. But in this Photograph, you see that I am shooting somewhat top-down and the amount of Negative Space is less. 

Also, by adding the 2 Steps turning towards the left and making them disappear after that, I have tried to create some sort of Mystery in the frame to engage the viewer. 

Because, I am showing Pure/Simple Geometry as a base in this Minimalist Photograph, therefore, I classified it under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry  category of Minimalist Photography.

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/16
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-500
  
  
• Focal Length: 35 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Six Steps  Minimalist Photograph.

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

Vertical Vs Diagonal Lines

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimal Art Photo of a Black Wire running across Diagonally against an Orange textured wall with Vertical Sections.

What I liked here was the Shadow of the Diagonal Black Wire, being casted in parts on the Vertical Sections of the Orange wall, almost giving a surrealistic feel to the entire Photograph. 

Sure, since this Image is all about Lines, therefore once can easily classify this under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of Minimalism. 

I thought a long while on whether this image would look good in Black and White or Color. I am usually biased towards Black and White, but this time I kept the photo colored.

Maybe because other than the Red Color, I like Orange as the second best. What is your favorite color by the way?

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/8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/640 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-100
  
  
• Focal Length: 105 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Vertical Vs Diagonal Lines  Minimalist Photograph.

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

Cutting the Arrow

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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What motivated me to click this shot "Cutting the Arrow"  was the Black Wire cutting across. 

To begin with, I was standing too far from the White Arrow, and because of that the Black Wire was nowhere near it.

I kept moving towards the White Arrow till the time I had the Wire cut it (visually) approximately in half. 

Note: this is a Look Up / Looking-Up Minimal Shot and it falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of 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/16
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-3200
  
  
• 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 Cutting the Arrow Minimalist Photograph.

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

More shots using the White Arrow:

1) Blue Chair Versus White Arrow

2) Circle Vs White Arrow

3) The White Arrow

Water Drops in Black and White

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimal Art Macro Photograph of Water Drops clicked by Canon 100 mm prime Macro Lens

This Shot comes from my Kitchen ;)

Yes, your heard it right. These Water Drops were being formed on the surface of a Empty Soda Bottle, kept near a window in my kitchen. 

I spotted these and quickly grabbed my Canon 100 mm prime Macro Lens. 

Since the bottle was near the window, these drops were well lit. 

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• Lens: Canon 100 mm Prime Macro L Series Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/2.8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-1000
  
  
• 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 Water Drops in Black and White  Minimalist Photograph.

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

Reflection of Glass Door Handle in Mirror

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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One thing that I have learned over the past few years in photography, is that the photograph that you take/make does not need to be 100% technically correct to be a good photograph. If the composition supersedes the technical error, the photo is still considered good. 

Composition wins hands down over technicality.

I remember, one day when I was talking to Vera, one of my biggest Art Buyer who has purchased over 30 of my Minimalist Photographs, mentioned to me that, old black and white technically incorrect street photographs, sell at huge prices at auctions. She further added, "as a photographer you may put more emphasis on the photo being technically correct, but the buyer lays more emphasis on the composition and the overall appeal of the photograph. What story it has to tell, what mood or feel it takes you to and likewise".

While I was editing this Minimalist Photograph, I recalled what she had mentioned. If you carefully see, the Blue metal door handle is not fully sharp on a closer look, whereas its reflection in the mirror is fully sharp. If one looks at the picture from a normal thumbnail point of view, the photo looks fine. But on full zoom the technical shortcoming is visible. 

So, I initially though I would rather not post this photograph. But then, I told myself, wait what I want to communicate here is far more important. 

I wanted to show how the Reflection of Glass Door Handle in Mirror helped in forming an Abstract Heart-like shape. And that is pretty evident here, that that;s the main highlight of the photograph. Therefore, I changed my mind and posted this.

Back to the Composition: It's Minimalism as Less Elements. The main element just being the Abstract Heart-Shape.

The photo was taken during the Jaipur Literature Festival 2017 organized at Diggi Palace Jaipur.

Lens used: Canon 50mm F/1.4 prime lens

Camera Mode: Full Manual

Lens Focus Mode: Auto Focus

Camera Focus Mode: Manual - Center Point Focus was selected as that is the only "Cross-type" focus point in my Camera (Canon 600D). I first locked the focus and then recomposed the shot to apply Rule of Thirds to get the Negative Space on the right. 

Hope you liked this little effort of mine to explain my intentions behind the shot.

Rhombus and Rectangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Black and White Minimalism with Simple Geometric Shapes, is what I have a personal bias for. Such images just hit the head. 

Geometry per say, communicates something at a subconscious level. I simply cannot put that into words. 

What I found interesting here, was the Rhombus or Diamond like shape appearing on the white pillar and a subsequent Rectangle being formed on the floor, extreme left.

This kind of placement of the two geometric shapes, balanced the frame nicely. 

Also I knew, this would look better in Black and White, so I simply de-saturated the image in post processing.

Photo Highlights

• The photograph falls under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of Minimalism.  
• Light and Shadow Play by Nature, always makes the photo stand out. The reason being, when nature is in action, it always paints a pretty picture.
• The dark scratches on the wall adds extra zing to the image. 
• Location: Jawahar Kala Kendra Jaipur
• Lens: Canon 50mm F/1.4 prime 
• Shot Handheld

Silver Curl

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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A Looking-Up Minimalist Photograph of Silver Metal Curl against Blue Sky.

Minimalist Photos with Core Simplicity? 

Well, this is one of such Photographs. Extremely Simple, and it just involves a very Basic Geometric Shape aka a Curl or a Curve against the Blue Sky. This was a fairly easy looking-up Minimal Shot.

Only thing that I had to keep in mind was to place the Silver Metal Curl in such a way in the frame that there was enough Negative Space left at appropriate places and that the bottom part of the Silver Curl could be placed according to the Rule of Thirds. Rule of Thirds was followed by placing the bottom part of the Silver Curl in the extreme right hand side of the frame.

• Lens used: Canon 50mm prime f1.4
• Camera Used: Canon 600D or T3i Rebel
• Location: Somewhere in Jaipur
• Date Taken: 13-11-2016
• Posted: 08-12-2016

EXIF Data:  

• ISO: ISO-100
• Aperture: f/8.0
• Exposure time: 1/250 sec

Similar Photograph: The Rusted Curl

Abandoned Car

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Abandoned Car Location: Near Jaleb Chowk, Jaipur City.

I had not clicked Parts of the Whole Minimalism in a long while. Therefore, I decided to give it a try on my Last Photography Outing. 

As you can see, I have taken the front portion of the Abandoned Car and used it to cut the frame diagonally. The blue and white textured wall adds to the Visual. The shadows, you see on the wall, as well as on the car, are coming from the metal fence on the left.

Please Note: The photo is a bit "Maximally Minimal" rather than being Minimally Minimal. But, it is still Minimal :)

Abstract Photographers might like to call this an Abstract Photograph, but we, The Minimalists call it Minimal till the time it represents real world objects (or when the real world is identifiable) and as long as it falls under one of the 8 Types of Minimalism in Photography.

The Cloud Split

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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I always wanted to shoot these lamps. I cross them every Sunday and the opposite direction of the two lamps, always used to intrigue me.

But, somehow I never clicked them. Today, was different. It was different because, today these lamps were Split by a White Minimalist Cloud and of course that's why I titled this post as "The Cloud Split".

The moment I spotted the cloud, I knew I had to take this shot. I dint have much time, as I was on my scooter and I had stopped right in the middle of the traffic. The cloud too was moving fast. I spent about 4 minutes on the shot and the cloud happened to move off-center twice in that time period.

Turning to black and white wasn't easy and I took me quite a bit of editing to get the grays and whites right. And that resulted in a bit of grains in the shot, but I do not mind them, especially because in Black and White Photography/Minimalism "All is OK".

The Minimalist Classification

The Photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography.

The Number of Elements being just two:

a) The Lamps
b) The Cloud

Cant get simpler than this.

Hope you enjoyed this Minimalist Composition. I had posted a Similar Photo earlier:

"Cloud Vs Lamp"

Don't forget to check that out.

Water Reflection Of Garden Lamps At The Akshardham Temple, Jaipur

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A few days back, I went to The Akshardham Temple, Jaipur with my mother and her sister. I had recommended this place to them. The architecture here, is quite intriguing and the place also has a well-maintained garden right opposite the temple stairs. 

We arrived a little early, at about 5.40 pm. I inquired with the gatekeeper about what time does the Main Aarti ( prayer) takes place everyday. He told us that there are Two Aarti's (prayers), one at 7 pm and the other one at 8 pm. 

We had plenty of time, so we decided to take a walk in the garden and took some casual cellphone pictures. It was still only 6.15 pm and we had plenty of time left for the Main Prayer to begin. 

There is a small eating place inside the vicinity, towards the right of the Temple. We decided to have our evening snacks there to kill some more time. I had been to this Temple before. So, I knew there was another place right below the Main Temple, where worship takes place. 

I told my mother while we were eating, that I shall quickly go and check, if that portion of the temple is still open like last time. 

While I was on my way, I spotted this water puddle, but to my disappointment I could not see a decent reflection in it. I proceeded to the place downstairs. 

On my way back, I again had a look at this water puddle from a distance. This time, I could see the reflection of a palm tree placed in the garden, in it. Right behind the Tree, there was this beautiful lamp that you see in the reflection. So, I became both curious and excited. I wanted to find out whether with my feet movement, I'd be able to get the reflection of that Garden Lamp in the water puddle. 

After a lot of adjustment and bending and trying to look with one eye closed, I finally found the reflection of the Garden Lamp being casted in the water puddle. I did not had the camera with me that point of time. It was on the table at which I was having my evening snack with my mother.

Since light had started to fade fast, I knew I had little time to go back, bring the camera, punch in the settings and Click the photo. So, I rushed to get my camera back and finally took this shot.

Initially, I tried using a faster shutter speed and a lower ISO, but that did not work well as the light was fading. 

Therefore, I switched to the following EXIF settings:

• ISO speed: ISO-400
• Exposure time: 1/100 sec
• F-stop: f/3.5
• Exposure bias: 0 step

 

Lets also talk about the Classification:

The Photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of "Minimalist Photography". 

The main elements being: 

a) The Floor

b) The Water Reflection Of Garden Lamps.

Also, there is plenty of negative space in the frame which adds to the beauty. 

Please Note: I have flipped the photo upside-down to make it more appealing. Reflection Photos generally are taken straight first to adjust for rule of thirds and to balance the composition. Later, they are Flipped. It may sound a little tricky, but you will get it right with some practice. 

To get a clearer idea of what I mean, turn your cellphone upside down. If, you are viewing this picture via the computer, then right click, and "Save Photo" and then Flip it.

OK, I am done for the day. 

Hope to see you soon.

One Way Traffic Sign

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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I spotted this One Way Traffic Sign right in front of Jantar Mantar (Jaipur) entrance gate. 

I parked my bike under the sign and this was the first shot of my Minimalist Photography photo-walk today. I mostly take photos from my standard Canon DSLR Kit, but this particular shot was taken by my Samsung Galaxy S6 SmartPhone Camera. 

The reason why I chose to take this picture via my cellphone and not via the DSLR was simple. I needed a wide angle lens to achieve the kind of composition I had planned in my mind. The subject was way too close and I had my Canon 50mm prime 1.4 lens on, on my DSLR. I do not own a wide angle lens. If I had one, I would have used that. 

More on the Minimalist Composition

As you can see, I am right under The One Way Traffic Sign. I was looking at it at an elevation of approximately 70 degrees. I bent down on my knees to begin with, but that wasn't sufficient. So I decided to sit on the road. Trust me, it was fun. More so, because the people around started to observe me. I am sure they were all wondering... What was so special about this Traffic Sign? that they had missed and I did not.

Anyways, lets get back to the Minimalist Photograph.  I took about three shots from my Cellphone and finally I was happy with one. Usually, I edit cellphone Minimalist shots with the Phone's default editing app. But, this photo, I transferred from my cellphone to my Laptop and then edited it. I did so to better enhance the contrast and the overall saturation. A hint of sharpness too, was added. 

The Classification: The photo falls under Minimalism as Less Elements category.

The Less Elements being the following:-

1st Element: Blue Sky

2nd Element: One Way Traffic Sign

3rd Element: Yellow Wall

Hope you enjoyed the Shot. 

Don't forget to follow Traffic Rules ! 

Drive Safe.

Tapering In

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photo of Architectural lines formation tapering towards the end, on a Textured Pink Indian Wall Near Govind Devji Temple Jaipur.

Seasons Greetings to all :)

It has been a while since I last updated the blog. To be frank, I was on a break. Now, I feel better, both physically and mentally. While on the break, I spent most of my time meeting my friends and talking to them about spiritualism and philosophy. But, lets keep that aside for the moment. I shall do a post later on those topics.

Well, what you see above, in the Minimalist Photograph is basically "Architectural Lines Tapering in" towards the end.

This place is near the Govind Devji temple, Jaipur. I had been to this place before in the past but this time I wanted to shoot something completely different. So, instead of taking the picture from the front or from a 45 degree side angle, I went really up close to the side of the wall this time. I was nearly touching it. This helped me to Taper the Two Big Lines in the frame.

The first one being, The Zigzag Line on the top, and the second one, created the beautiful  right angled triangle at the bottom. The extreme side angle view, helped me to make these lines converge and also to create a lot of depth in the frame.

The Classification:

The photo falls under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of Minimalist Photography. The Simple Geometry being "Just the intention to show lines in the frame".

Hope you enjoyed the shot. Have a great Evening / Night / Day :)

More Pink Minimalism Shot Below:

 

• Clay Pot

   

• Pink Staircase 

   

• Brass Water Tap on Pink Indian Wall with Subtle Texture

   

• Electric Meter Surrounded by Pink

30 Minimalist Photos taken by a Smart Phone

Minimalist Photo: 1

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo: 2

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

  

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

  

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

  

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

 

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Photo By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo: 29

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

  

Minimalist Photo: 30

 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

I own a Samsung Galaxy S6 Mobile Smartphone and all of these 30 Minimalist photos have been clicked by it. I think the camera is decent. I am waiting to get my hands on to the new Samsung Galaxy S7.

Every Photo above falls under one of the 8 Types of Minimalism in Photography. 

To find out which type of Minimalism each photo falls under, hover the mouse pointer over the photo and wait for 1-2 seconds. The Type of Minimalism will pop-up.

Note: I did post processing using the phone's default software. In some photos, the Adobe Photoshop Express Free App for Android phones, available at the Google Play Store, was also used along with the default phone editor.

PS: These photos are not available for purchase. Have a look at DSLR Photos here: Buy Minimalism 

Also Check:

- 8 Black and White Minimalist Photographs shot via Samsung S6 Smartphone Camera

- 5 Minimalist Photos that depict Less is More

- Exploring Suppressed Inner Creativity via Minimalist Photography