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

6 Arcs

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai 
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Apart from Jawahar Kala Kendra, that I keep mentioning in my posts, this place "Jantar Mantar" is my second favorite in Jaipur. The reason is simple. The place is full of colorful, geometric astronomical instruments. The primary colors that one would find there are, yellow, red, brown and whites. That makes for a really nice color palette. And of course if you choose to add the blue sky, like how I did above, then its even better. Well, as you can see, I have categorized this picture under "Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes", rather than "Minimalism as Less Elements". The reason is, that the 6 arcs in repetition (part of the yellow wall) is my primary subject in the photo and everything else around it has been used to redirect the viewers eye to it. For examples, the curve coming in from the right, points nicely to it. Also, the two rectangular frames around the arcs, gives them core attention. There are these other types of "Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes" where the shapes in repetition, encompass the entire frame and thereby does away with the distracting elements. Thus, reflecting core simplicity. One such example on it from one of my previous posts is "Surrounded by Greed". 

So, those shots are also valid along with these kind of "Newer" Minimal of Repetition shots. Of course these are more interesting. But mind you, a very very clear redirection of the viewers eyes to the core subject is required, so you have to hit the bulls eye every-time. Such compositions, I call advanced Minimalist Visual Art. Because, here you try and challenge the definition and types of minimalism, by bending the rules, by being more creative and explorative. And at the same time, you still managed to stay within the rules. That is this thing about art. We have to keep experimenting, otherwise we shall always remain within a shell.

Criss Cross

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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Light Shadow Minimalist Photography with Fabric Rolls in Jaipur

This shot was taken on a Sunday afternoon, at Jawahar Kala Kendra yet again, as it is one of my favorite hangouts in Jaipur city. I am usually there for Coffee and to meet the umpteen talented and creative individuals. One would usually find theater artists, visual arts students, photographers, videographers, painters, writers, poets, fashion designers, product designers, philosophers, some enlightened beings and  minimalists like me there. 

We all inter-mingle and exchange thoughts over coffee or lemon tea. The vibes are so creative and the experience is one of its kind. I particularly like talking to this one friend of mine, Astha Sharma, who is like my spiritual guide. We discuss a lot of philosophy and spiritualism and I am always surprised by her knowledge. She also likes minimalist dressing, and her general sense of fashion is very good.

Many a times I find myself discussing Minimalism in fashion with her & that really helps in understanding the genre as a whole. This particular arrangement of the cushions and the lines in the background, was done by Aman Bhaiya(also a photographer), Astha Sharma and Ayushi for a casual photo-shoot of theirs. I picked upon the arrangement once they were done.

I knew I had my Minimal shot waiting for me. Simple Geometry is always way more appealing than other forms of Minimalism. especially when it is more about lines. Well, something about geometry you see. Also, I always jump quickly onto anything that involves light and shadow. The composition has been kept simple and a touch of intricacy has been added by making the lines criss cross. 

The other notable detail is that the out of focus lines i.e the cushion lines, are coming in from the left and the in-focus lines come in from the right or opposite directions, and that is the highlight of the photo.

Must Read:

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

The Window

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Window with 6 Panes illuminating Light.

This Photograph was kept a little under exposed on purpose and was taken at City Palace - Jaipur.

I had to do a lot of editing here. I adjusted the highlights, exposure, levels and had to crop it many a times to get the final image the way I wanted. Black and white editing is not easy. You need to also understand the 0-255 range. I wish I had a larger size uploaded for this image but to balance out the composition I had to do what I did.

As a regular practice, I always add a small Buy Now link under each Minimalist Photograph I post here. This one too has that button. I have tied-up with Pixels.com (earlier Fine Art America) for making my Minimalist Photographs available for Sale worldwide. I love their service and have sold 150+ photos and some merchandise as well. The sales are good.

Click on "Buy Minimalist Photos" to browse the complete collection of Minimalist Photographs I have captured till date.

Thank you, I wish you a nice day and I send you greetings all the way from Jaipur, India.

Note: I am editing/updating this post after about 6 years. Original post date is 20.08.2014 and today it is 06.05.2020. Blogging is not that easy and maintaining and updating the blog on a regular basis is even tougher. I look forward for your feedback. In case you do end up reading this, please take time out and leave some feed back on my Minimalist Photographs in the comments section.