Plastic Pipe on Textured Brown Wall and some SEO Tips

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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First things First, This photo is Minimalism as Less Elements 

I focused on the pipe and therefore you can see some blur on the left. If you want everything in focus from left to right and the pipe as well, then use a high aperture number probably like F11 and accordingly adjust the rest of your camera settings. I was very close to the subject and to get your photos to be decently sharp and clear, shooting them from a closer range is a must. 

Pro Tip: Avoid Zoom Lenses and Prefer the Prime ones.

More about the Composition: 

As you can see a lot of empty space has been added on the left. Empty space is very useful, especially if you want to use/license such photos for commercial use. Lets say, there is a XyzPipes company out there. They would love to have this as background for their print ads or PowerPoint presentation. There is ample copy space to write about the company or its product's information. Similarly, ad agencies would love to hire photographers who could shoot such photos for them. Imagine, there is a new clothing line and instead of the pipe there is a model in a red gown standing there. And you have the beautiful brown textured Indian wall on the left for a write up. Wouldn't that be interesting for an advertisement? 

Next time, you are in talks with a client for a product shoot, tell them that you could shoot something similar for them i.e a Minimalistic photo-shoot with lots of Negative Space. You never know, maybe they love the idea and you get that long awaited conversion.

Now lets get to the SEO Tips part.

After my previous post "Open Door and Water Outlet on a Red Wall", which too had some SEO information, I finalized on my new posting structure. 

i.e Photo First and Detailed Information under it.

I conducted two experiments in my last post:

a) The Title of the post was not an Art Title, like I generally keep in most of my posts. It was SEO optimized.

b) I posted the photo first and wrote the text under it. This is the exact opposite of what I do. (barring a few posts/now I am also updating the old ones to this new structure)

Both of these experiments were done to find out If I could get more traffic than usual, to the post. The results were good and Yes, I did get that extra traffic, that I was looking for.

Point a) explanation: When the title of the post is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) optimized, your post ranks higher for those keywords. Yes, it is that simple. But also make sure that you use the same keywords in the labels section of the post and in the file name of the photo you upload. Another good practice is to get all your individual post links crawled by Google's robots. This can be achieved by submitting them in the Google Webmasters Tool, under the "Fetch as Google" head.

Point b) explanation: Keeping the photo first, really helps in the voting that happens for a photo or article on StumbleUpon. I always submit each of my posts to it. 

StumbleUpon is the best social bookmarking site in the world and it sends you tons of traffic, if you use it the right way. If you have a website/blog, do open a StumbleUpon account and submit your  content. I would also like to caution you. Don't just submit your own content all the time, or else you will be banned. Be a genuine user. Add articles that you generally like on the web and arrange them by creating topic wise lists. Like or dislike others content while you Stumble and that's it, you're done. 

Note: If you like this article and photo, please copy the link to our post and submit it to the StumbleUpon Directory under the Photography Category, so that other users can discover it. (Thank you for the favor in advance.)

Now-a-days, I deviate a lot from the central point or the photography in my posts.

I tend to talk more of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. You must be wondering why such an emphasis on it. The answer is, that you can shoot the most wonderful photo in the world or write the most brilliant of all articles but, if that post does not reach the right audience and the right quantity of audience in numbers, then that post/photo/article might just end up going un-noticed. 

5 minutes back, I was on the phone with another Photographer friend of mine and we were debating something similar. Whether to write long articles or not, or just to focus on clicking good photos. We realized that both of us are Photographers and NOT writers. My friend's latest blog post contains, merely one line of description. Well, that is his style. And I appreciate it. But Internet and SEO work very differently. You have to have long write ups with photos, for your work to get noticed by search engines.

In Short, If you have a blog/website, you must write at least one long post a week for it to get indexed properly by search engines. Do not forget to include photos. If you are not a good photographer, you can license some photos from Shutterstock.
 

Do check out their subscription plans (disclosure: I am a both a Shutterstock contributor and an affiliate)

To conclude, I would say shooting minimalist photos is fine, less is more is fine, but when it comes to getting your website/blog out there to be seen by others, you have to follow a maximalist approach.

Open Door and Water Outlet on a Red Wall

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photo of an Open Door and Water outlet on a Red wall captured at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

This Minimalist photograph was shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

JKK or Jawahar Kala Kendra, as most Jaipur people know it, is a cultural centre designed by famous architect Charles Correa.

The architecture is full of simple geometry, colour blocks, and negative space, which makes it one of the best locations for minimalist photography in India.

What drew me to this particular wall was the red color and the long shadow of the water outlet compared to the open door on the right. A flat uninterrupted red surface with two geometric elements and I had my Simple Geometry minimalist photography to flaunt.

If you are familiar with the Types of Minimalism I have written about on this blog, Simple Geometry is the category where the composition is built entirely around clean shapes and lines, with the background doing as much work as the subject itself. The red wall here is not a backdrop. It is part of the image.

One thing I want to talk about is the colour red in photography.

It is genuinely difficult to capture. What your eye sees as a rich, warm red often comes out oversaturated or muddy in camera. Not the actual shade you saw. I had shot a version of this wall earlier, in the post An Artist’s Dilemma, but I converted the minimalist photograph to black and white at the time because I could not get the red to look right.

This time, I worked on the edit longer and got to a version of the red that I was happy with.

Jawahar Kala Kendra is a location I come back to again and again. The entire complex is designed around the nine squares of the Navagraha, and each square has its own character in terms of light, shadow, and texture.

If you are in Jaipur and you want to practise minimalist photography, Jawahar Kala Kendra is the one place I would send you first.

I run a photowalk there regularly, listed as an Airbnb Experience, where we spend time looking for exactly these kinds of frames together.

You can buy a fine art print of this photograph here: Open Door and Water Outlet on a Red Wall on Fine Art America

Thank you.

Other Minimalist Photos with Red as a primary Color:

- Love Story

- Challenging Circumstances

- Low Hanging Twig of A Plant Against a Red Wall

Exploring Suppressed Inner Creativity via Minimalist Photography

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai

This article will help you explore and express your Suppressed Inner creativity via Minimalist Photography

If you feel that everything around you is boring and monotonous, and that feeling makes you want to change or leave your job/work, or maybe go on a vacation, do yoga, meditate etc. 

Then, you are probably one of those Creative Individuals, trapped in a monotonous job, who has not yet answered the call of creativity coming from within. Whoosh ! that was long.

Creative individuals need expression to survive and NOT Suppression. If you have been constantly suppressing your creativity then you might be committing a big mistake.

Creative Individuals must give their suppressed creativity an outlet via some medium, like Photography, Art, Music etc. or they might end up panicking one day and take wrong and drastic decisions to fix things.

I am sure most of you are aware of such facts but certain Thought Barriers must have prevented you from taking the first step. The first step is everything. Once you begin then there is no looking back.

Last Updated: March 2026

Some Examples of Thought Barriers:

 

• I have a 6 day a week job, I don't have time for it.
• I do not have enough money for that painting class course.
• That photography course is really lengthy and the cameras are very pricey.
• I am a man, creativity is more of a female thing? (...some men)
• Someday I will definitely take out time for it.(... and you are never able to)
• Creativity is difficult to learn (.. not realizing we are all creative by birth, we all made tons of different houses with Lego blocks, remember?)
• I don't work for an Ad agency, why should I explore creativity at all.
• I will explore creativity only when it is required in my work/job. 
• Creativity... people might laugh at my work/ideas...as it would be non-standard.
• Creativity... there is no fixed definition of it, what is the point chasing it.
• Why waste time in a developing a hobby, I could make even more money in the extra time I take out each day.

The result of continuously suppressing your creativity could lead to:

• A complete mental breakdown, due to lack of variety in life/newer thoughts/ideas that refresh and re-energize the mind on a regular basis.
• Or You may suddenly give up your work/job entirely and decide only to follow your creative passion, be it music, painting, art or photography. Not the right move.

So, a better thing to do would be, that one keeps expressing his/her creativity in some portion or form (a little, from time to time) along with their work. Be it once a week or maybe once a fortnight. This keeps everything going. You, then do not need to take drastic steps to fix things.

**Self Expression is key to Mental and Emotional well-being.

For Expression = Meditation

If you are able to express your thoughts or unspoken words via some medium on a frequent basis, then there is no need for any yoga, meditation, vacations to refresh yourself. Your mind will automatically be cleared of unwanted thoughts and will remain fresh/charged for other routine works.

If you are guilty of not giving yourself the time to explore your Suppressed Inner Creativity then don't worry, for I will tell you an easy way to express and connect with your creative self.

And that way is, Minimalist Photography !!!

So now, you may ask why am I claiming Minimalist Photography to be a better and an easier medium to express inner creativity than most other mediums?

Because :-

1. You don't need to take out loads of time from your busy schedule to click a few pictures.
   
   
2. Even if you decide to shoot on Sundays(like how I do) or once every 15 days, it is sufficient.
   
   
3. Simply read this article What is Minimalist Photography? to begin your journey.
   
   
4. Note: You don't need to travel to specific places to take Minimalist Photographs, because subjects are available everywhere. See post Radiate Love where something as plain and vanilla as a white wall with just a simple geometric shape can be a great subject.
   
   
5. You can create subjects of your own combining different lines and patters/angles. See Example: Subconscious Expression.
   
   
6. Minimalist Photography, quickly gives you the knowledge of color scheme/palettes. i.e which colors look good in combination within a frame. See Minimalism as Few Distinctive Colors, under Types of Minimalism
   
   
7.  All that you need to do is See Shapes, and shoot them. For, in Minimalist Photography the elements represent their core shape/essence. Just make them speak for themselves.
   
   
8. You can create hundreds of different Minimalist frames, just by moving your body from one side to another, or by bending or taking shots from top.
   
   
9. You don't need to buy expensive cameras for it. You can manage shooting from a point and shoot camera or even a good camera phone like Apple iPhone6 or Samsung S6. I personally shoot from SamsungS6/S10 and I both love and hate it. Don't ask me why.
   
   
10. You can also shoot during lunch breaks. Yes, just floors, doors, windows, walls. All these make for nice Minimalist Photography subjects.
    
    
11. This kind of photography is meant for all age groups and for professional and non-professionals both. Basically, Minimalist Photography is for everyone.
    
    
12. Painting, Music and other mediums of creative expression might take months to learn. But Minimalist Photography is something you can begin tomorrow morning. We all are used to taking photos at occasions like birthdays, vacation trips etc. We are already familiar with the camera, aren't we?
    
    
13. Minimalist photography is more of visual art and compositions using basic elements. It has very little to do with advanced technical camera knowledge and equipments. Here, you just need to do the basics right.
    
    
14. I just did not want to finish at point no. 13 (unlucky number for some...)
    
    
15. Since 14 also doesn't feel right to end at, I thought it would be a good idea to ask the readers to sign up via email for the post updates, via point 15. Well, there is small box (with Email Address...as text pre-filled in it) on the Top Right of the website. Enter your Email address there and press the Submit button next to it, to get regular updates from our website.

OK, now that I have claimed that Minimalist Photography is easy and the subjects are available everywhere, lets take a couple of examples.

I) Four Colors - Minimalism as Few Distinctive Colors

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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Explanation: 

As you can see above, there was practically no subject available. I just created one for myself, out of the very boring floor carpet overlap. This is the fun part in Minimalist Photography.

I found this random overlap with shadows giving it company, at an art exhibition. I tilted the camera in my hand to place the intersection point of the four colors on the top left of the frame. I made the lines flow downward to the right, to create a sense of dynamism in the photo. And there you have it, Minimalism as Few distinctive colors. Lets take another example of a common subject below:

II) The Blue Line - Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography by © Prakash Ghai
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Explanation:

Staircases are another one of those very common subjects, that one can probably find almost anywhere. So next time, be on the lookout of staircases. Maybe, you need to avoid taking the lift (and that would also help you shed some extra pounds), for a change.

OK, lets get back to the photo. The key subject here is the Blue Line i.e the side rail of the staircase. This blue line is in complete contrast to the monochromatic white structure, and that is precisely what  prompted me to take the photo. To compose, I placed the blue side rail, on the right of the frame and the horizontal lines of the staircase, were left to fall in place on their own. One can not be perfect with all the shots. Accept that. Likewise, note that I could not manage to keep all the horizontal lines of the staircase steps, straight. But it is OK. 

Minimalist Photography is not about perfection. It is more about the arrangement of few elements within the frame using varied angles and combinations. The challenge is to keep everything simple yet interesting. Incredible visual clarity and letting the shapes speak for themselves is key to this art form.

Lets Conclude: Aren't the two photos examples shown above, really easy to click? Was it very difficult to find the subjects? Well,this proves that Minimalist Photography can give your Suppressed Inner Creativity, the WINGS it needs to fly. Just go out there and shoot. The subjects are unlimited and the number of frames you can produce, are simply infinite.

True Story: This story relates a lot to me. I own and run two retail stores in my city and work 6 days a week. I dislike the monotonous nature of my work. Well, "A Lot". But, Minimalist Photography has really has helped me discover my Suppressed Inner Creativity. I shoot mostly on Sundays. My hobby helps me achieve a weekly de-stress and prepares me for the next week of monotony. 

Without this creative expression, I would have completely fallen apart or I would have forced myself to completely leave business and get into creativity. Right now, I have maintained a fine balance between my hobby and work. Photography has helped me make friends with a lot of like-minded creative people and it feels way better than at work, when I am out with them.

Note: This is my first post, after switching over to a custom domain name i.e. www.PrakashGhai.com I purchased this domain name very recently via GoDaddy.com

Earlier I was using a .blogspot.in domain extension, which was probably not the right move. I had an year long discussion with a friend of mine on this. Now, I realize I should have switched to a custom domain name much earlier. Well, better late than never. Maybe someday, I would do a long post listing the benefits of using a custom domain name for a blog. But for now, Bye. I wish you all a great day.

Read More Articles on Minimalist Photography:-

• Phases of Life and Photography: & where "Minimalism" fits in

• Train Your Eyes for Minimalist Photography

• What is Minimalist Photography

• Types of Minimalism

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.

Lamp Lines Triangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Minimalist Photography By © Prakash Ghai

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There is a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from finding a minimalist photograph without searching for it. This one happened near the basement parking area at Ravindra Manch in Jaipur, on an ordinary afternoon when the light decided to do something extraordinary. I'd say for me, with a smile.

The shadow of a street lamp fell right across a set of closed windows and created something I had not planned for. A clean right-angled triangle (simple geometrical shape) sitting at the bottom right of the frame. Its diagonal edge was formed entirely by the shadow, its two straight sides being completed by the lines of the window frame itself.

The street lamp shadow landed precisely at the intersection of two dominant vertical and horizontal lines in the window. One element or the street lamp shadow, highlighted the geometry that was already present.

This is what minimalist photography trains you to see. Not the dramatic or the complex, but the moment when something ordinary arranges itself into something with visual logic. That is why I love minimalist photography so much. It's fun to stumble upon new nature interplays and visual finds.

The Composition

This minimalist photograph falls under what I call Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of minimalist photography, one of the core types of minimalism I have written about.

The frame holds three things:

1. Lines from the window structure
2. The shadow of the street lamp
3. The triangle they produce together.

The black and white treatment removes any distraction that colour might have introduced and lets the geometry do all the talking.

The shadow is the main subject here but it does not stand alone. It needs the lines to give it a boundary and the triangle to give it a purpose. Remove any one of the three and the photograph loses its meaning. The elements are less still and yet there is more.

Camera settings

For those interested in the technical side, here is the EXIF data. I want to be clear though that minimalist photography is far more about what you choose to include and exclude in a frame rather than what settings you use to capture it. Please don't fall in the technical trap. Always focus on vision and composition.

Camera: Canon EOS 600D
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/8
Shutter speed: 1/500 sec.

The low ISO kept the image clean and free of grains. The fast shutter froze the shadow edge crisply. The narrow aperture kept the flat window surface in sharp focus throughout. 

Why Shadows Work in Minimalist Photography

A shadow has two qualities that make it perfect for minimalist photography. First of all, it is flat and has no texture or detail. It simply lies against a surface and borrows the geometry of whatever object cast it. 

Second, it is temporary. It exists only at that angle of light, at that time of day, in that specific season. You either see it or you miss it.

The street lamp shadow here is particularly useful because a street lamp is a simple object with a simple silhouette. Just a clean form that casts a clean shadow. When that shadow falls across clean architectural lines, the result is a frame where everything earns its place.

Available as a Fine Art Print

This photograph is available as a minimalism wall art print through my Fine Art America store. It works particularly well as minimalism decor in spaces that favour black and white and clean geometric forms. View and buy the print here.

Must Read:

• Types of Minimalism

• What is Minimalist Photography?