Lone Dove

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

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. !

Lamp Through the Fence

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

Buy Now

A Black and White Minimal Art Photograph of a Distant Lamp as seen through the metal fence at Masala Chowk, Jaipur, India. Shot Captured with Canon 6D Mark II Camera.

How I composed this shot?

I started by focusing on the Distant Lamp, then I looked for the right aperture value to shoot this shot at. I did not want the fence in the foreground to appear blurry. Therefore, I shot this at a very high Aperture value of F/22. 

Since, I was shooting from the side and at an angle, this helped me to make the repeating fence bars create a kind of downward sloping diagonal line. 

That is pretty much all I want to say about the composition here. Also, have a look at the EXIF Data of the photo below.

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/22
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-320
  
  
• Focal Length: 70 mm
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  

Hope you enjoyed the Lamp Through the Fence  Minimalist Photograph.

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

11 Leaflets

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

A Minimalist Photograph of a Fallen Leaf with 11 Leaflets at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

As you can see, the size of the Leaf is pretty small as compared to the rest of the space in the Photograph, therefore I have categorized this Minimalist Photograph under the Minimalism as in Small Objects category of Minimalism.

The Composition is fairly simple. I just placed the Fallen Leaf with 11 Leaflets in the frame according to the Rule of Thirds.

Then, I left lots of Empty/Negative Space on the left and also at the bottom of the frame, to redirect attention back to the Subject.

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: 1/200 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-320
  
  
• 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 11 Leaflets Minimalist Photograph.

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

The Little Boy

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

What we have here is A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Little boy roaming around at the Open Air Amphitheater at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

I have posted a Minimalism as in Small Objects Photograph after a long time on my blog.

The Small Object here being The Little Boy.

It took me about 3 shots to get the boy right in the center.

It had a lot to do with timing.

I am generally on "One Shot" Focus and "Single Shot" shutter settings.

This was not shot on a continuous shutter therefore.

So yes, I timed this one.

The Little Boy came on this path 2 times and I got him nicely placed in the center of the path and the frame in his second appearance.

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/25
  
  
• Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-1600
  
  
• 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 Little Boy's Minimalist Photograph.

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

Pigeon passing by a fence

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

A Pigeon passing by a metal fence at Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur.

First, I composed the Zigzag Fence for the frame. Then I waited for the pigeon to walk into my frame near the "Rule of Thirds" area, in one of the inverted V's made by the fence.

During editing, I measured the crop required at both ends of the frame for the fence, to further enhance the symmetrical alignment.

As far as the Minimalism Classification goes, this Minimalist Photo falls under the Minimalism as in Small Objects category. 

The Small Object being the Pigeon (main subject).

The EXIF Data for the Photograph is below:

• Camera Maker: Canon
  
  
• Camera Model: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
  
  
• 
  
  Lens: Canon 24-105 mm L Series Kit Lens
  
  
• F-stop: f/22
  
  
• Exposure time: 1/320 sec.
  
  
• ISO speed: ISO-3200
  
  
• Exposure bias: 0 step
  
  
• Focal Length: 105 mm
  
  
• Max aperture: 4
  
  
• Metering mode: Spot
  
  
• Flash mode: No flash
  
  
• Exposure program: Manual
  
  
• White Balance: Auto

Thank You, Have a Good Day.

Black Ball Reflection

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

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.

Distant Brown Chair

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

I met a blogger at an Instameet recently and we discussed a few blogging basics that day. While on my way back from that technical meeting, I stopped at Cafe Coffee Day - Civil Lines, Jaipur, which is very near to my house. 

I thought it would be a good Idea to have a chilled glass of my favorite Tropical Iceberg Coffee.

So I ordered one for me, along with a Chicken Sandwich. To sit, I chose the window seat right next to the  billing counter. 

While I was waiting for my order to arrive, I noticed some reflections in the big wall to wall glass window adjacent to my seat. 

I thought maybe, there was a Minimalist Shot in those reflections. After composing a few frames roughly through my eyes, I decided to stop trying as the clutter was way too much. 

Meanwhile, my order arrived. 

The famous tagline of Cafe Coffee Day goes "A lot can happen over Coffee". 

Well, it played out quite well for me.

After, about 4-5 gulps of Tropical Iceberg Coffee, I noticed this Distant Brown Chair, through the glass window next to me. The Chair was placed inside the small room of the Security guard of the building.

Although it was night and the light wasn't much, thankfully the security guard's room had this bright white illuminating light falling on the Distant Brown Chair. This presented me with a great opportunity to capture a decent Minimalist Photograph.

I was on my 100mm Canon f2.8 Macro Lens (affiliate link). I set the lens to "Manual Focus" and punched in the following settings to take the shot:

Camera Settings: 

 

• ISO speed: ISO-400

• Exposure time: 1/20 sec

• F-stop: f/2.8

Well, in the end I was satisfied with the composition and now I can safely say that at least for me "A lot did happen over Coffee".

More on the Minimalist Composition

a) Minimalism Category: Minimalism as in Small Objects, the small object being the Distant Brown Chair

b) The Rule of thirds* is not applied here. The brown chair is placed almost in the center. 

I broke the rule. :)

*I always mention that one should never place subjects in the center of the frame. But here, I did place the subject in the center and the reason is: the Vertical White Rectangular box, within which the Distant Brown Chair is placed, makes the chair appear Off-Center visually. I hope you understand what I mean with "appear off-center visually, despite being in the center.

Also, both ends of the frame, i.e left and right are dark and blurred, that further justifying the lack of rule of third requirement rule.

With that "Off-center and Rule of Thirds MESS", its a wrap for the day !

I send you all warm greetings from India once again, its really cold thanks to unexpected winter rain :)

Golden Brass Pot

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

As we say goodbye to year 2016, this Golden Brass Pot is probably one of my year end posts. Personally, I cant wait to see the end of 2016. This year hasn't been great for me and I am eagerly looking forward to New Year 2017. Starting next year I would be taking out more time to take photographs, upgrade my Camera Gear and I would try and focus more on the visual appeal of the pictures.

I had also mentioned earlier, that I would be posting more variety under the Minimalism Category. 

The above photo of the Golden Brass Pot falls under the Minimalism as in Small Objects category, which earlier had only 8 Minimalist Photos and the count increases to 9 with this post. To see all the Minimalist Photographs under this category of Minimalism, click HERE

A word on the Composition

The Golden Brass Pot has been shot from a distance, so as to make it look small in size. Also, I have placed it on the top right corner of the frame, thereby leaving ample negative space on the left. 

Hope you enjoyed the shot. More photos coming soon. 

Have a Great New Year ! 

Happy Holidays :)

Distant Half Moon

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

This Photograph was taken on Sunday 11th December 2016 at Jaipur Art Summit, held at Ravindra Manch, Jaipur.

The Minimalist Subject here is the Distant Half Moon, the patterned line only compliments it. 

A lot of negative space has been used to redirect attention to the Minimalist Half-Moon.

The Photo falls under Minimalism as in Small Objects category, as the Distant Half-Moon here is very small in size.

Thank you all for you time. See you soon.

The X Factor

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

My subject here, is the small little black bird sitting on a wire next to the "X" shaped street light. And hence, this falls under the Minimalism as in Small Objects, as the type of Minimalism in Minimalist Photography.

This photo asks for a lot of editing in Photoshop and knowledge of the 0-255 range. Where 0 is pure black and 255 is pure white. Around 128 should be middle grey. You should hover over the black, white and grey areas of your photo to find out exactly how your photo will turn out when you send it for print. What looks black in the monitor screen may not necessarily be black. The message I wanted to communicate with this photo is that one might be just as alone as the little bird sitting on the wire while he/she is working hard to be different from others, but with persistence and hard-work, one day your uniqueness will give you that "X factor", which makes you successful in life. Remember the keyword is "Persistence". For example, I do not have an immediate audience for my Minimal work in my city or country, but I continued with my Minimalism for a couple of years. Now, people have started recognizing my work locally as well. I know its a long way to go but I am all prepared for it.

Similar Post: Bird Vs Lines

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

Pink Flower

Minimalism as in Small Objects

This shot I clicked inside my house, right near the entrance gate. The special positioning of the pink bougainvillea flower in the crack of the wall caught my attention. This in a way represented the will of a person to fight and try to live "Against all odds", against the backdrop of challenges. Yes, the message was good. To enhance the focus on the subject, I used a shorter depth of field. The flower was kept on the left, leaving negative space on the right of the frame. Please remember to stay as close as possible to your subject for clearer shots. I agree but, that if you are a little far, then you get better or shallower depth of field. You have to just find the right balance.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

Drainage Pipe

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

A Minimalist Photo of a cylindrical drainage pipe and its shadow. Accompanied by green algae on the wall.

This is Minimalism as in Small Objects, where my main subject is the Drainage Pipe.

In order to achieve the desired result and to show the pipe as small, I took this shot from a fair amount of distance. Shooting from a distance also helped me add the green algae under the pipe, as a supporting subject and also made the Drainage Pipe look more Minimalist.

You cannot find such shadows, like that of the pipe, on cloudy days or early mornings, so be prepared to go out on a sunny day. Carrying some water along is advisable or else you may well get dehydrated.

Hope you enjoyed the shot. Stay tuned for more.

Bird Vs Lines

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

A Black and White Minimalist Photo of a Bird sitting on the wall, with lines complementing it.

This Minimalist Shot was taken at Jawahar Kala Kendra - Jaipur, using two walls of different colors to show contrast between them. Later during editing, I turned the Photograph into Black and White and that further enhanced the contrast between the two walls. 

This Photograph has been intentionally captured from a distance, so that the size of the Bird appeared very small, making it a perfect fit for the "Minimalism as in Small Objects" category of Minimalist Photography.

A Word on the Composition.

The Little Bird sitting between two Diagonal Lines caught my eye to begin with. I had to be fast enough, which I was, so that the Little Bird did not fly away during the composition of the Photograph. Thankfully, the Little Bird stayed long enough and I had a decent Black and White Minimalist Photograph.

This is a Multi-layer shot. There is some distance between the two walls. The light gray one is nearer to the frame and the dark gray one is quite far. I joined these two sections visually and placed the Little Bird nearly at the intersection of the lines of the Two walls.

Also, I had to move a lot to my left and right, and I tried various combinations and angles to get this right.

Below is a Similar shot from the Same Location that you might be interested in:

• Lone Dove

Thank you. Have a Good Day !

Minimalist Reflection of Street Light

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

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!

Unsuccessful Camouflage

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
Buy Now

A black and white Minimalist Photo of a small bird trying to hide behind a street light.

The Bird looks as if it was trying hide behind the light by Camouflaging.

This is Minimalism as in Small objects. As you can see here the size of the bird is extremely small and that is the primary subject. To achieve the small size, a simple way is, not to get too close to the subject and shoot from a distance.

The white background you see is the clear blue sky which I have de-saturated via photo editing. To add a bit of spice to the image I turned the camera in my hand to so that the street lamp tilted a little to the left and that added a sense of movement to the image. 

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism
  
  
• What is Minimalist Photography?
  
  
• 5 Minimalist Photos that Depict Less is More