Synchronized Geometry

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

 

Black and White Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

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Black and White Minimalist Photograph of the Zigzag geometric side rails of a staircase at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

I have titled this as Synchronized Geometry and the name came naturally the moment I saw what was in front of me.

Most people walk past staircase railings without a second glance. A railing is generally supposed to be functional and not decorative. It is supposed to be a flat diagonal line running alongside the steps. But the railings at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur are different.

Here the stone slabs are placed at varying heights instead of following a continuous slope, and that creates a stepped zigzag pattern that repeats itself all the way up the staircase. That repetition is what caught my eye and motivated me to capture this black and white minimalist photograph.

More on the Minimalistic Composition

The photo falls under the Minimalism Category: Minimalism as Simple Geometry. Simple geometry is quite evident here.

I captured this photograph from the side deliberately. Standing in front of the railing would have flattened everything into a single zigzag. Shooting from the side gave me two railings in the same frame, one closer and one further away. 

The closer railing has fewer repetitions. The one behind it has more. That contrast between the two is what gives the photograph some depth and rhythm and creates a unique point of interest.

The shadows between the steps and the slight texture on the concrete surface also adds dimension to the photograph.

Jawahar Kala Kendra is full of frames like this if you slow down enough to notice them. The architecture there was designed by Charles Correa, and geometry is built into the DNA of the entire building. It is one of my favourite places to shoot minimalist photography in Jaipur.

Another Shot of the same subject from a different angle:

• Side Rail Zig Zag Pattern

Tea Stall

Minimalism as Few Distinctive Colors 

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of Colorful fabrics used by a Tea seller to protect and cover his Tea Stall/ kiosk from heat.

I was returning home on a Sunday afternoon after capturing some nice Minimalist Photographs at Jantar Mantar, Jaipur. On my way back I stopped at the road side "Tea Stall" to have a cup of Indian Chai, or Tea.

It was about 12.30 pm in the afternoon and it was really very hot and sunny. I had the camera in my lap still switched on and I was looking at the streets hunting for a street shot for some street photography, for a change. Something prompted me to look-up and when I did, I spotted this colorful mix of cloth and plastic. I knew this was an opportunity to capture a Minimalist Photograph.

This was being used as a temporary cover/shed by the Tea Seller by the street, to protect his customers and his kiosk from the heat of the Sun or Rain. The customers could now sit in a comforting way and enjoy Tea at his Tea Stall.

I captured this shot sitting on the chair, which is kinda funny isn't it? Sometimes I get really lazy.

I also made sure that I gave the brighter color i.e yellow, more space in the frame and arranged the pattern carefully in the frame using onscreen grid lines.

This photo falls under the Minimalist Photography Category: Minimalism as Few Distinctive Colors.

Another Minimalist Shot taken at the same location: Hide and Seek

White Square

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a White square on a grainy Black Wall.

View: Colored Version

The walls were in fact red in color as this was shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra, but capturing red as the actual red you saw with naked eyes via your DSLR's aint that easy, unless you work with high quality prime lenses to shoot from.

Or maybe the case is that I am jinxed to shoot Red. (maybe not)

I mostly capture Minimalist Photographs with a multipurpose zoom lens as of now i.e. the Canon 55-250 mm. Sometimes it gives me great sharpness and color while I am not zoomed-in much and at other times, the results are not so great. But, I never delete those not so great shots as I kind of recycle them.

Well, here is the trick. The shots in which you cannot fix the color even in editing, simply convert them to Black and White. I follow this rule religiously, but keep in mind that you can only rescue a Photograph if it is well composed to begin with.

Some people also crop out Minimalist Frames out of the Whole image instead of capturing the exact same Photograph on the spot. I generally don't do this. At least that's not the intent I stand with the Camera in my hand in front of Photography subjects.

More on the Minimalistic Composition

I placed the White Square in the bottom of the frame, in order to follow the Rule of Thirds. The lines on the sides and above the White Square, balances the overall frame.

Other Minimalist Photos that also contain a Square:

- Circle Square Waves

- Lines Vs Square

- Right Angled Triangle Vs The Square

- 10 Squares

Cloud Vs the Lamp

 Minimalism as Less Elements 

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai
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Here, I have shown the juxtaposition between two shapes/forms 

a) the Abstract Cloud, having no particular form or shape, Versus 
b) The Curve of the Lamp, which has a clearly defined form/shape. 

As you can see I have left negative space on the left, to make the interaction between the two forms/shapes stand out. It was a very tricky shot and I had to maneuver a lot. I moved quite a bit to my left, to first get the cloud right behind the lamp visually. The cloud  was way above the lamp and there was a huge gap between them. To correct that, I moved near the lamp by walking towards it, and went down on my knees to bring the cloud down. The final adjustment was positioning the lamp right in the center of the moving cloud. 

The Minimalism Classification:

Minimalism Type: Minimalism as Less Elements

The Elements: Lamp, Cloud, Small Bird

Hope you enjoyed the photo and the behind the scenes action. Do leave your feedback below. Thank you. 

Similar Minimalist Shot:

 The Cloud Split

Kindergarten School

Minimalism as Less Elements

Kindergarten Schools are probably the best subject for a Minimalist as you have all those multicolored walls and simple geometry to play with. I was out with my Camera on the streets of Jaipur, Bani Park on a very sunny and warm afternoon and I was very lucky to spot this small little school as I go to random places hunting for subjects. Initially I got carried away by the multicolored walls but I always prefer to keep things simple, so I composed the shot using only the wavy roof and its shadow falling on the colored wall.

Photo By © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now