Two Window Panes

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimal Art Photograph of Light Coming through Two Window Panes at a Staircase of a Shopping Mall.

This shot took a long time to get here. I mean I tried to edit this shot at 5 other occasions, but I only got the Black and White editing right, this time.

I had to make the staircase darker and some other parts dark as well, so that I could bring down the excess detail in the shot.

Sometimes, I do this during editing at other times I try to be careful on field. What happens is that, while you are on field, you tend to take a lot of shots and sometimes you get carried away in the flow. Here, I did end up capturing more details than required.

To Compose this, my starting point was the Two Window Panes. I placed them on the extreme right and top hand side of the frame and let rest of the subjects fit in.

I shot this in color and therefore that made it even more difficult to imagine this as a Minimal shot for starters. I have written about it before, but I will explain it again:-

"Sometimes you need to take the color off the photograph, to do away with the clutter caused as a result of it."

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/8
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/15 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-400
  
  
• Focal Length: 50 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Two Window Panes  Minimalist Photograph.

Thank you for your time. Have a Nice Day !

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Black Ball Reflection

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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What we have here is another Macro Minimalism Photograph. The Subject, is just a small round Black Ball that I picked-up under my Coffee Table.

The table was covered elegantly with a glossy silver mica. The light was coming in from the front and behind me there was a big white wall. 

What I found interesting here, was the small little reflection of the Black Ball being created on the silver-ish and smooth surface of the Coffee Table.

I had my Macro Lens on, and it took me about 4-5 shots to get this right. 

I was on Full Manual Camera Settings with Both the Camera and Lens's focus settings set to Manual as well.

Since I wanted to emphasize the Black Ball's Reflection, I placed the subject only following the left rule of thirds, and avoided the bottom rule of thirds alignment. As you can see, the Black Ball is near the center row of the rule of thirds grid, while its reflection slips towards the bottom row.

Minimalism Category and Composition:

This Minimalist Photo falls under the Minimalism as in Small Objects category of Minimalist Photography. 

The intention is clearly to show its small size, against the large empty spaces. 

To enhance emphasis on the subject, a lot of Negative Space has been used.

Minimalist Reflection of Street Light

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of the Reflection of street light in stagnant water on the road.

There is only one element in the frame i.e the Minimalist Reflection of Street Light, in the puddle of stagnant water. 

The subject is placed on the bottom right corner so as to follow the Rule of Thirds. A lot of Negative Space has been left on the top, to make the eye wander in the frame and find the subject eventually.

Such compositions are very tricky, and you only get them right with loads of practice. Shooting water reflections could take hundreds of wrong photos. I spotted this arrangement after looking over at about 10-12 water puddles.

You have to bend down every-time, move 360 degrees around it to check what can be spotted in it. Once you find the right subject in the puddle, try various angles and combinations, by varying the degrees at which that you bend. 

Hope you enjoyed the post. 

Stay tuned for more Minimalist Photographs!

Stagnant Life

Minimalism Type: Zeroism

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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Zeroism Using Water Reflections, at Jal Dhara, Jaipur

This photograph was taken at Jal Dhara, a water recreation park in Jaipur. I went there with the intention to only capture water reflections minimalism.

What are you actually looking at?

The yellow on the left is the reflection of a building. The blue running through the centre is the sky above. The green on the right comes from algae in the water. At first glance most people have no idea that this is water and that is exactly the point in Zeroism. Since I told you in the beginning that I went to Jal Dhara you guess it that yes this is a water reflection, otherwise mostly like you were 50-50 on this

When a photograph refuses to reveal its subject immediately, and the viewer has to do the work to figure the subject out it falls under Zeroism with the caveat that there is a minimalist structure underneath.

Why this is Zeroism and not Minimalism as in Low Detail which is another Type of Minimalism?

If you could look at this photograph and immediately connect it to a real world reference, it would fall under Minimalism as Low Detail. Low Detail shows you something recognisable, just stripped back.

Zeroism withholds the subject entirely. This photograph does the latter. The elements are controlled. The composition has logic but the subject does not announce itself. 

How I read this photograph

A life that was once colorful and full of movement has come to a standstill. The colors are still there but they are no longer flowing. They are just sitting still on the surface, going nowhere. Deep thought, I know, relateable?

Frequently Asked Questions about Zeroism

Q. What makes a water reflection photograph fall under Zeroism?

A. When the viewer cannot immediately identify the subject as water reflection, or any real world object, and the composition still follows minimalist principles, it qualifies as Zeroism.

Q. Can reflections be used frequently in minimalist photography?

A. Yes. Reflections work well in minimalism because they naturally strip away context and reduce a scene to colour, light, and pattern.

Q. Is Zeroism the hardest type of minimalism to capture?

A. It is the hardest to shoot with intent. it is a bit confusing to begin with but it comes with practice. Anyone can take an unidentifiable photograph. The challenge in Zeroism is making sure the composition still has structure and a minimalist logic underneath the ambiguity.

Q. Do I need special equipments to shoot Zeroism?

A. No. A phone camera works. What matters is your angle, your timing, and your ability to isolate.

This photograph was taken in a few minutes at an ordinary water park in Jaipur on an ordinary day. The only thing that made it worth stopping for was looking at the water long enough to see it as something else entirely.

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