Apartment Side

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

© Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of the Side of a residential apartment building in Jaipur City.

This Looking up Minimalist Photograph was taken at Swej Farm Jaipur. The place hosts a lot of residential and office apartments.

This shot was actually predetermined. Even before getting out of my house, I knew that I would be capturing a Windows in Repetition Minimalist Photograph.

All I had to do here was to find a good set of well designed simplistic windows that were mounted on a wall with a decent color. The gray color and white bordered windows were prefect for a Minimalist Frame and color palette.

The next thing was to not be too close to the subject rather shoot this from a distance. This would enable me to leave some negative space, show the objects as small and therefore maintain the Minimalism feel.

The other question that popped up in my head was whether to convert this photo into Black and White, but since the Gray and White combination acted as a good Minimalist color palette, I left the photo colored.

The EXIF Data of the Photo is as follows:

• Camera Model: Canon EOS 600 D
  
  
• Lens: Canon 55-250 mm Prime Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-200
  
  
• Focal Length: 123 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Pattern
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Apartment Side Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

Railing Bar Shadow and Lines

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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This Sunday I went to Birla Auditorium that host shows/ seminars on astronomy and science. Some people also call it Birla Planetarium.

Hunting for Minimal Art Photographs, I even reached this place.

I did not think I would find any shot here though. 

But I did spot the Side Rail Bar near the sloping Parking Area climb. 

From there I started building my shot.

After a couple of clicks, I added some more Lines to compliment the Railing Bar and its shadow.

I mean the lines in the Top right section. Yes, those are Complimentary Lines.

Most of the Photo is Simple Geometric Lines and there categorized into Minimalism as Less Elements.

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/22
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-250
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Manual

Hope you enjoyed the Railing Bar Shadow and Lines  Minimalist Photograph.

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

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

Black and White Minimalist Photography looks very appealing and pleasing to the eye and there are a number of reasons for it. 

• Firstly, Black and White removes Color Distraction from a Minimalist Photograph and the focus of the viewer shifts directly to the Core Subject or the Key Elements in the Photograph and how these elements interact with each other.
• Second, Black and White Minimalist Photographs help give the Photograph a certain Mood and Emotion/Feel.
• Third, A sense of Timelessness is achieved with Color being purposefully taken away.
• Fourthly, with color basically absent, Shapes, Patterns or Symmetry, Geometry, all stands out very beautifully. It is a visual treat.

For the reasons stated above, Black and White Minimalist Photography is also a personal favorite of mine. I wish I could shoot and post more of it and do a series, but for starters I will sharing with you a series of Black and White Minimalist Photographs that I captured using my Samsung smartphone and here they are:

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

Minimalist Photo 1

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 2

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 3

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 4

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 5

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 6

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 7

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Minimalist Photo 8

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

Some of the 8 Black and White Minimalist Photographs have been edited using the Samsung Galaxy S6 Default Photo Editing App. Some are edited using the Free Adobe Photoshop Express Android App and others using Adobe Photoshop on my Laptop. 

To get better results from my Samsung Galaxy S6 Mobile Camera:

• I use the 3X3 Grid
  
  
• I shoot mostly in the Manual Mode with 1 stop under exposure.
  
  
• Keep my hand very still while shooting
  
  
• Take 2-3 shots of the same subject to be sure of the focus.
  
  
• Shoot by getting as close to the subject as possible.

For general Photography Tips, I would suggest you check out my article

• 55 Photography Tips Every Photographer Must Read Once.

Thank You !
Have a Great Day.

Also Check: 

30 Minimalist Photos taken by a Smart Phone

The Water Sprinkler

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Hello All !

I am back with a Minimalist Photograph. This time I chose Black and White Photograph over Colored one, for I haven't posted a decent Black and White Minimalist Photo in a while. 

So lets quickly get to the Photograph.

The Photo above of The Water Sprinkler, falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category. The Elements being the Grass, the Fence, and The Water Sprinkler playing a small little guest appearance :)

I clicked this photograph from an over-bridge, looking down from the top. The angle was a unique one indeed. This place is a garden maintained at the back-side of a famous Hotel in Jaipur.

One usually doesn't get access to such places, so an Over-bridge is a nice idea.

OK, So while I was taking the shot, I spotted a guard walking around the open garden. I was planning initially, to take a Minimalism as in Small Objects photograph by showing the guard small in size relative to the vast open garden. But, that didn't happen, as in the shots that I took, the placement and the shape of the guard dint come out the way I wanted to. 

So, I switched to Plan B, ie. Shooting this shot under the Minimalism as Less Elements, without the guard.

I took a Colored Shot of the above Garden field to begin with but that came out pretty flat

The Water Sprinkler firing, also wasn't visible in that shot. 

In my next try, I tried to time the spray of The Water Sprinkler. I wanted to place it nicely according to the rule of thirds on the right of the frame. A couple of shots down I placed it right where I wanted to. I let it move a little towards the center for the frame. That's it, I was happy then and I moved on to my next location.

Today, I was just a different mood, so instead of sharing the work in Colored, I converted the Photograph into Black and White and I liked that more so I Posted that. Hope you enjoyed the little behind the scenes action.

See you all next post. 

The Tilted Black Mug

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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So I went to an Exhibition of Household Items and to my surprise I spotted this :)

The Titled Black Mug you see, is the one that a customer returned to the seller and the seller kept it on top of the repeating black mugs temporarily, before keeping it back in the stack. 

A regular shot of Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes would have been, the Black Mugs in Repetition but without the Tilted Black Mug. 

The Titled Black Mug drastically increasing the Art Appeal of the Minimalist Photograph. Also note, that it has been carefully placed in the bottom left corner, following the rule of thirds. 

Hope you enjoyed this Minimalist Photograph made using some Kitchenware. :)

The Yellow Rectangle

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Good Evening.

Time and again I get back to basics i.e Basic Shapes and Simple Minimalism.

This is the most fun part, for this is what we used to learn in childhood. Basic Shapes and Colors.

Such Minimalist Photos are exciting to shoot and mind you, they might bring in a feeling of nostalgia.

That said, Lets quickly have a look at the Composition.

By moving to my left and bending down a little on my knees, I was able to carve out a small yellow rectangle from a big yellow sign board, that I found at an art exhibition. 

Placing it in the top right corner was my first instinct.

Since this is a part clipped from the whole, this Photograph falls under the Parts of the Whole Minimalism. 

One thing to remember here is that, It should be obvious to the viewer at first glance, that your intention is to show a part of the whole subject. 

That is all I have to say today. 

See you next time :)

Chao !   

Two Entangled Dry White Twigs

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Two Entangled Dry White Twigs. Well that's some title. Took me a long time to think that. Why? because 'Simplicity is obvious, but because there is so much clutter around us, we fail to spot it".

This is Macro Minimalism / Macro Photography and of course the theme here is "Nature".

I generally don't shoot such subjects, but since I have my New Canon 100mm Macro Lens with me now, I am exploring Macro Nature as a Minimalism Subject. To be frank, I am enjoying it. 

Good Lenses and Camera Power does help. I am planning to buy the upcoming Canon 6D Mark II full-frame Camera in the next couple of months. It's yet to be announced by the way ;)

OK, so lets get to the Composition Highlights now.

This is Minimalism as in Less Elements. The only Elements here being,

a) The Two Entangled Dry White Twigs and 

b) The Smooth Creamy Bokeh Background. 

I actually found this at Smriti Van (forest) in Jaipur. I was there for an Instagram Meet. This Twig pair was spotted at the Centerpiece Decoration of the Yoga Garden at Smriti Van, which had a lot of creeper plants on it.

I was having a discussion with my friend and was telling him how eager I was to spot and shoot a Spider Web. I initially spotted a few Strands of the Spiders Web but I wasn't happy with that. 

When I looked around the entire Centerpiece Decoration, I actually failed to spot any worthwhile Spider Webs. With a sad, dull mood, I decided to make these Two Entangled Dry White Twigs as my stop-gap subject. 

I clicked this very casually and took just 2 shots. Later, I discarded one of it, but kept this one.

I did one mistake here, which I later corrected in post processing/editing. It is very difficult to get sharp focus in handheld Macro Shots. And my Camera provides only 1 Cross-Point Focus option. That is the Center Focus Point, out of the 9 in total available in the view-finder to focus.

So, to get this sharp, I used that center focus point and clicked this image. But, I ended up center-placing my subject and that was looking awful, just awful. 

I did not use the other focus points as they would not have given me this clear and sharp picture. Also, I did not Compose-Recompose by physically moving the camera after locking focus, to get the rule of thirds right, because in Macro Lenses, you tend to lose focus with the slightest of movement. 

Therefore, I simply cropped the Image from the left and Bang ! Rule of thirds was applied :)

OK, that a long chatter.

Hope you liked my effort. Stay tuned for more.

Regards

Prakash Ghai 

Related Post:

• 7 Macro Minimalist Photos featuring Water Droplets

The Missing Window Pane

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo  By © Prakash Ghai

Though I have titled this photo as The Missing Window Pane, I also have another interpretation of it.

I looked for a meaning for this photograph within my Sub-conscious mind. When I did, I realized this relates to my real life story. 

I had a girl friend back in 2003, with whom I were to get married. But since she was elder to me by a couple of years and was already working, things did not work out the way I had thought. Her parents wanted her to get married asap but I had plan to fly to Bangalore for my MBA Degree. 

I was left with a tough choice, whether to fly to Bangalore for higher education or Simply Marry her. I chose to get a Degree, based on the assumption that its true love and she would happily wait. 

But, since I moved to a far off location from my city, our relationship turned into a long distance one. 

Soon, there were misunderstandings and many a times I flew back home to clarify. But one day it all ended abruptly. We had a big misunderstanding, which I could not sort out. Along with that, her ego got hurt. I kept asking her to give me One Last Chance to Clarify and Explain, but She refused. 

The Missing Window Pane above is that Missing Last Chance, she never gave me. If she had, life would have been different.  

That said, I would like to thank her as well, as This art i.e. Minimalist Photography, that I do today, is because of her.

OK, Long emotional story ! NO 

I have long forgotten her for good :) I have learned to move-on. 

Move-on, just reminded me to move-on quickly to the Composition.

Composition Highlights 

The Shot above Falls under the Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes Category of Minimalist Photography. What made me click this shot, was the one Missing Window Pane. 

It broke the repetition very beautifully.

Also the Reflections in the window creates nice visual abstraction. It somewhat sparks a feeling of nostalgia. 

Another way to look at the picture is In Terms of Shapes. These are 4 Vertical Rectangles in Repetition.

The One Curve made my the Electrical Wire coming out from the 3rd Missing Window Pane, also breaks nicely the visual symmetry.

So, Those were the Photo Highlights. Hope that you enjoyed the Shot. 

See you around next time ! Comments and Feedback Welcomed !

PS: ...by the way this photograph deserves a poem (well..more than a haiku).  If I was a poet, I would have written one.

Related Posts:

• Broken Window Pane
• Two Window Panes

Underneath The Yellow Umbrella

Minimalism as Less Elements

 

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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• Category: Minimalism as Less Elements

   

• Color Scheme: Yellow/Orange

   

• Elements: Lines

   

• High Bright Effect: Overhead Sun

   

• Location: Somewhere in Jaipur

The Diamond Stone

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Monochrome / Black and White Minimalist Photo of a rough textured Diamond Stone.

This is a close-up shot of a Diamond Stone from an Indian house wall. Such stones are carved out meticulously by hand, by workers using traditional Indian cutting tools. Very few workers in India do this now and this stone cutting art is now in its last days. Mechanical cutting has taken over.

A word on the composition of the Minimalist Photograph

The photograph was captured in the afternoon. The Light and Shadow effect formed a Triangle on the left. 

The Texture of the Diamond Stone adds a lot of beauty to the shot. It is an extreme close up and therefore decently sharp and clear to look at. This reminds me of this famous quote by Robert Capa (a Hungarian photo journalist), “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”

I always try to get as close as possible to the subject, depending on the shot of course, to get clearer pictures. Have you heard of or seen Diamond Stones? If so, do let me know in the comments where did you spot them?

Thank You

I hope you enjoyed the Minimalist Shot of the Diamond Stone. 

Take Care.