Source of Happiness

Minimalism as Few Distinctive Colors 

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of the Colorful decoration at St Xavier's College Jaipur during the IMERA photography exhibition.

I was walking past the galleries of St Xavier's College Jaipur, where I went to view IMERA their annual Photography exhibition, that was held this Sunday. 

I had my DSLR hung around my neck as usual with that broad black Canon strap with the thin red border. I was hunting for some Minimalist subjects, but wasn't able to find any for a long time.

While I was randomly looking up to the sky, I found these beautiful arrangement of colors and there you go I had a Minimalist Photograph to capture. 

Similarly, in life we are mostly unhappy with the things around us and we kind of get into the trap and fail to engage or find things which can make us happy like hobbies like art, photography, interacting with people, traveling etc. It is not difficult to be happy in life, all that we need to do is to find our source of happiness and sometimes we find that source when we least expect it to find.

Now coming to the Composition part of the Photograph

Minimalism as few Distinctive Colors is not that tough to capture or compose. 

You need to actively look for color contrasts. Once you spot them, switch to the camera's LCD mode with the 3x3 grid on and try to place your subjects creatively,

I mostly shoot from the LCD Screen although focusing as a result is very slow compared to the viewfinder but you can definitely make stronger compositions.

Sure, you can also use the viewfinder, but I am more comfortable sometimes with the LCD screen display as then I can do perfect frame alignments. 

Hope you enjoyed the shot.

Stay tuned for more Minimalist Photographs :)

Eight Squares

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of Eight squares of two windows, complimented by lines and split into two sets of four squares each by the center line.

The best part about Windows is the geometry and design they carry and these Eight Squares were just too good to ignore. I have shot a lot of windows in the past by clipping their corners etc but this time I decided to fill the entire frame with a close-up shot of this window and removing all other distractions, making for a clean Minimalist Frame.

To make the composition interesting, I shot the photograph in such a way that the vertical line formed by the closure of the panels of window, splits these Eight Squares into two sets of four squares each.

Hope you enjoyed the shot. 

In case you want to buy this Minimalist Photograph, click the Buy Now link right under it. If you want to browse the entire collection of Minimalist Wall Art then head over here: Buy Minimalist Photos

If Windows could speak

Minimalism as Less Elements

"If windows could speak, they would have many stories to tell. They record life on the streets and what happens inside the house, the seasons that pass by and the moments of joy and grief. They bring in the first rays of light and the fresh air that we breathe. We have them all around us but we fail to recognize that life within them too exists." This Shot was taken near the Jharkhand Mahadev Temple in Jaipur. I was preparing for a street shot and was waiting for people to pass by this large textured white wall. Suddenly, I noticed this beautiful geometric "Caged" and silent pink window and immediately I decided to change my shot to a minimal one.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

Bathing in the Sun

Minimalism as Less Elements

Here you have simple geometry bathing in the afternoon sunlight. The composition comprises of one rectangle on the left hand and one rectangle on the right, with empty space/distance between them. The little curved line, formed by the metal pipe under the two geometric part-rectangles, acts as the supporting element which balances off the composition. The advantage of shooting in bright sunlight is that the walls are well lit and you can use shadows to your advantage. Shadows always give your photos an artistic feel.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

The Rusted Curl

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photograph of a Curly rusted metal railing, complimented by Negative or empty space.

This shot was taken during the Govind Dev Ji Temple photo walk, that I went for with a could of my Photographer friends.

While my friends were out to shoot Street Photogramy, I as usual was on a Mission to capture some simple Black and White Minimalist Photographs.

While we were on our way back from the Photowalk I saw  this Beautiful Rusted Railing in front of a house.

I was on my 50mm prime Canon lens and I just could not resist to close in on The Rusted Curl design in it part of it. 

Some of you may ask but Why shoot Rust in Black and White that too in a Minimalist Photograph? 

Well, Minimalist or not, Black and White gives the Photograph more of an Art feel and also accentuates the shapes i.e make them more prominent, by doing away the visual distraction caused by color.

The Composition of the Photograph is fairly simple and straight forward, just like any other Classic Minimalist Photograph. Negative Space, Rules of Thirds, Less Elements, Geometry etc. 

Alternatively, you can also look at a similar Minimalist Photograph that I captured on a different ocassion.

Similar Minimalist Photograph:

Silver Curl

Adamant Shapes

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

The best part about going to the same place again and again is that you get newer shots every-time. The trick is to use a different lens each time you visit that place. Jawahar Kala Kendra - Jaipur is an all time favorite. This shot is basically a dimension play where 3D looks like 2D. The square within the rectangle on the left was the nearest to the frame followed by the edge of the receding wall (that dark vertical patch) and then the electric switch.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai

Father and Son

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

The thick long bar on the top can be interpreted as an elongated rectangle. That rectangle represents father here. He lived a very long life, fought hard for his bread and has grown very old now. With age comes lack of enthusiasm and therefore he has turned very dull and boring. The son, or the rectangle just below the elongated one, on the other hand is young and vibrant. He has a long life ahead of him full of opportunities. His father has always supported his dreams and therefore you see the closeness between the two geometric elements. We can say the closeness represents love in the relationship.
To compose, I was on the 55-250mm Canon zoom lens. This was shot from a distance at the bani park circle, Jaipur.  Shot was taken around 4 pm in the evening. They highlight of the shot is the reflection of the trees in the smaller rectangle and that precisely, was the primary motivation to take the shot.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

Wounds of the Past

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

The main subject here is unfinished roundish cement patches. These patches came across as wounds to me, when I looked at them for a time slightly longer than normal. We all have a past, and for some it is good and joyous but, for some its a sad story. Some wounds are so deep, that they probably never heal and some are on the surface. This, is the artistic interpretation of the frame, otherwise I have primarily used lines as the core element.

Now, lets discuss the composition. The photo falls under the category of Minimalism as Less Elements. The elements being:
a) Lines
b) the abstract cement patches on the wall.

So they make two elements in total. The literal application of the rule of thirds is on the left, where the two vertical lines are. There was no other way of applying the rule here. Hope you enjoyed the shot. Feel free to share. Thank you

Little Steps

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

This was shot at Diggi Palace - Jaipur during the annual "Literature Festival". I bypassed all the areas where there were people and headed straight to the backyard. I was really very lucky to have spotted this wonderful arrangement of ladders. The photo is all about "Lines" i.e. simple geometry here. The special blue wall and the light coming from the big open gate from the left, enhanced the visual composition beautifully. I could have taken this shot from the front, but to add a bit of perspective to the image, I took it a little from the side. At the same time, I also made use of the diagonal line coming in from the left, and making it end towards the bottom right of the frame. This, along with the slight off center position, makes the photo look very different than normal.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

Corner Shot

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of a marble slab of a water dispenser, cropped into a rectangular shape, against a light orange wall. Shot captured at Diggi Malpura road.

This photograph was captured at the Diggi Malpura road. I was heading to the Diggi Kalyan Ji Mandir/Temple for a cultural festival. We were about 10 people, all a bunch of photography enthusiasts. We reached our destination half-an hour late, as we found a lot of traffic on our way.

Once we got off the car, we realized that, we had to walk about one kilometre by feet to reach the temple gate. This was completely unexpected. We were already tired, but we had no choice but to follow the tradition. Thousands of people were walking bare-feet and that was quite a sight.

Now lets take a look at the Composition of the Minimalist Photograph 

I spotted this bright vibrant, orange colored wall to my left, with water taps on it. This was basically a water dispensing place for people to have water, while they were on their way to the temple gate. I stopped by, to drink some water in order to prevent dehydration. It was a very warm, sunny afternoon. 

The marble slab you see, was the bottom portion of the water dispensing outlet. There were about 8 taps installed in total. The marble slab was basically a very large rectangular structure. I decided to create my own little rectangle from it.

I carefully clipped the corner of the rectangle and instantly, I had my own little rectangle. To add negative space, in liu of making the photo a classical Minimalist one, I placed the rectangle that I had cropped, on the top right corner of the frame.

This, actually made the photo fall under two Categories of Minimalist Photography:

a) Minimalism as Less Elements and since my subject is a Part of the whole structure, therefore

b) Minimalism as Parts of the Whole.

Well, I chose point b) as the classification of the photo, you can choose the one you want.

To buy a framed print of the Photograph click the Buy Now link under it or head over to Buy Minimalist Photos page.

Thank you 

Have a Good Day!

The White Door

Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of the open white door in the balcony, at Jawahar Kala Kendra Jaipur.

This shot was taken from the balcony at the first floor at Jawahar Kala Kendra. I spotted this open door and thought it could make for a good Minimalist Photograph Subject, especially because of the Empty or Negative space that was around it.

I could have captured this Photograph straight from the front, but to show Visual Depth in the frame I captured this from the side.

The open door creates a sort of a mystery esp in Black and White, while in reality, the wall was actually red, but I turned the shot into Black and White as Black and White Minimalist Photographs do stand out from the Colored ones.

Hope you enjoyed the Shot. 

Take Care

Ascending Staircase

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 

 

Shot at about 6 pm in the evening at Jharkhand Mahadev Temple in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur. 

Staircases make for very good Minimal subjects and seem very easy to shoot, but that is not the case. They are very tricky to shoot as you need to take care of the vertical lines, horizontal ones and the diagonal ones usually the rails and of course the symmetry. I would suggest take at least 5-6 shots every time you shoot them.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

The Get-together

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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Just like how friends meet for a cup of coffee or tea in the evening, here Simple Geometry is hosting a get-together.

The attendees being: 

a) An Arc
b) A Line
c) A Rectangle.

This Minimalist Photo falls under the Parts of the whole Minimalism, category of Minimalist Photography, as only a snippet or a part of each shape is shown.

The rest is left for the viewer to imagine.

The shot is taken at a low angle, and yes I was on my knees for it. I could have taken just the bicycle tyre as well in the frame, but that would have been too vanilla a shot.

Three elements, definitely makes it more interesting. But note, if there were more than three elements, doing justice to Minimalism would have been difficult.

More Bicycle Photographs:

• Option A versus B 

   

• The Tring-Tring Era 

   

• Bicycle Bench Lines 

   

• Bicycle Tyre versus the Rectangle

Vertical Rectangle engulfed by the Square

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Here, geometry within geometry is placed and dimension play is used. I placed that vertical rectangular door in the top right corner, within a white square. In fact, the white square lies within another white square(i.e the white outer border). Spotting geometry is one thing and having fun with it visually is another. That is the thing about minimalist visual art. One should know how to have fun with the elements in the frame. The best was is to keep experimenting, placing the elements in different places/corners in the frame. One should also exercise caution, as sometimes, over experimentation kills the shot rather than enhancing it.

Photo by © Prakash Ghai - Buy Now

Piano Keys

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photograph of the area under a circular staircase, very symbolic of piano keys.

This is a photograph of the Geometric structure under a circular staircase, which I spotted at Ganpati Plaza Jaipur.

I went to the Canon Camera shop to purchase an external flash. I thought that would be a good add-on for my Camera Kit, so I bought a Flash for myself.

I also had this at the back of my mind that maybe someday, I would get into Commercial Photography and I might need this thing then. So why not buy it now and experiment.

Soon after I purchased that expensive add-on, I roamed around to hunt for some Minimalist Photographs. I kept on wandering looking here and there, and I was struggling to stop Geometry.

But then, there was this Circular Staircase near me, that lead to the first floor. I thought it would be a good idea to step a bit away from the staircase and try and capture its circular/spiral nature.

I did so, but the shot had a lot of distracting elements in the background. I tried many shots but I wasn't able to crop those elements out or make the frame look Minimalist. So I gave up on those shots.

But, right under the Circular Staircase there was this Geometric Pattern, so I went under the staircase and zoomed in, looking up to capture this Minimalist Photography.

I found this rhythmic upward curve being formed, and that quickly reminded me of Piano Keys. And Bingo, I had my shot.

I hope you enjoyed this discovery of mine.

For more Minimalist Shots stay tuned or just bookmark this blog :)

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

Rank Opposites

Minimalism as Less Elements 

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of two Earthen Clay Utensils, hanging on a wall with threads at an Art Exhibition at JKK Jaipur.

I was on a visit to an Earthen Clay Art Exhibition at Jawahar Kala Kendra (Art Center) - Jaipur.  I thought it would be really interesting to see the talent of clay artists and to interact with them to find out how they go about composing or creating their pieces. Also, what goes into the preparations and understanding the entire creation process.

I did interact with a very artists and I was amazed to find out about their wonderful creative minds. While I was going around artwork to artwork inside the Exhibition Hall, I stopped over at this fairly simple clay structures that looked very Minimalist in terms of design. The artist that made the structure was not available at that time. 

What I found interesting here was the opposite placement of the Clay Artwork. One was front faced and the other one was facing the wall. I new right that very moment that I had an opportunity to capture a nice Black and White Minimalist Photograph of this subject. After 2 shots I got what I wanted.

The Photograph falls under Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography, to learn more about other Types of Minimalism click here: 8 Types of Minimalism

Thank You

Have a Nice Day!

Intrinsic Value

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Minimalist Photo composed by using the elongated shadow of drainage pipe, as a subject. The shadow being accompanied by a vertical rectangle.

Sometimes, people fail to realize that they have far more potential hidden within them, than what they actually believe they have. This is depicted in the Minimalist Photo by the elongated shadow of the small pipe signifying( or the person), the huge potential hidden within them or their intrinsic value. They may or may not be aware of it. Most of us do not know our full potential. It is important to keep exploring and trying new ventures. That is one of the ways to find out.

More on the Minimal Composition

The main subject of the photo is the cylindrical pipe, which is complimented by the vertical rectangle on the right hand side. Some grains on the right and the smooth surface on the left, acts as opposite textures. Keeping the frame vertical, helped me to keep the long shadow of the pipe well within the frame. I kept this Black and White as that just makes the shadow look even more dramatic and there are plenty of people who really like Black and White Minimalist Photography.

Hope you enjoyed the Photograph. Stay tuned for more.

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Head over to the page Buy Minimalist Photos

Awaiting Prosperity

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Black and White Minimalist Photo of Big shadow of a house gate on street.

We all want a prosperous life, don't we? 

Also, there are some, who want success the easy way. Well, success never comes easy and a lot of hard-work is required. But, beware, life is life. It is not guaranteed, that on working hard success is a surety. That is the unpredictable nature of life. It hands over fruits to the ones who are not even worthy of peanuts and vice-versa. Despite all this, the common man's job is to work hard. That is the  only way for him to improve upon his chances of success.

The Big Shadow of the gate here, indicates the preview of probable success which lies behind the closed gate. One needs to keep toiling each day of the month/year, for the rest of his life to try and reach beyond. For most, the wait is really long, therefore the title Awaiting Prosperity.

The question still remains, will Life ever be fair in handing over success to people?

A word on the Composition of the Photograph

The photograph is a little maximally minimal in nature. The subject is the shadow of lines in repetition and hence I have categorized the photograph under Minimalism as in Repeating shapes category of Minimalist Photography. 

I clipped a part of the gate and let the shadow cover the majority of the frame. The downward sloping angle adds more interest and flow. I could have moved the stone away but I like to keep scenes more on the natural side so I decided against it. 

Hope you enjoyed the Photograph. Stay tuned for many more are to follow.

Pro Tip: never miss entrance gates, they are great subjects for Minimalist Compositions. 

Would love to hear your feedback!

Guarded by the Lines.

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Colorful Minimalist Photo of the back side of a Tuk-tuk or auto-rickshaw, comprising of lines and shapes, parked on the streets of Jaipur.

I spotted this Tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) parked right in front of a slum. I was right outside the Tuk-Tuk driver's house. I was there for a photo-walk based on the theme Life in a Slum, with co-photographers. 

But guess what, I do not consider shooting poor people art at all. In fact, for me it is more like making fun of them. You may ask, so why did I attend the photo-walk? Well, I did so, to hangout with co-photographers, have "Chai" or Indian Tea with them, and discuss photography in general.

All the Photographers were clicking pictures as per the Photography theme, whereas I was as usual busy observing details and was trying to spot geometry and colors. As I mentioned above, this was right in front of the Tuk-Tuk drivers house, my eyes lit up wide once I saw such bright colors and my initial reaction was "oh wow, finally." 

Since the Tuk_tuk was stationery, I had the privilege of going really really close to it. I bent down on my knees and I made sure that those "Circles" on left "fitted appropriately within the Minimalist photo frame that I was trying to create. The circles had this armor guarding them, hence I kept the title "Guarded by the Lines". These circles fall in the left rule of thirds 3x3 grid quadrant. Another rule of thirds is applied on top, via the yellow portion.

It took me a while though to declutter and create this simple Minimalist Photograph with basic shapes and a minimal color palette. 

Hope you enjoyed the Photograph. 

Parallel Rectangles

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A colorful lookup Minimalist Photo comprising of parallel rectangles, yellow walls and blue sky.

This Minimalist Photograph was captured at Jantar Mantar, Jaipur. I wanted to show the contrasting colors yellow and blue here, along with simple geometrical shapes i.e. Lines and the two Rectangles.

I placed one rectangle on the top left (rule of thirds quadrant) and one on the bottom right (rule of thirds quadrant). So the result was two vertical parallel rectangles being joined by one line entering the frame from the left running over to the rectangle on the right. Editing the blue sky took me a lot of time. Showing sky the way it looked to the naked eye or showing the blue as blue, takes a lot, believe it.

It is basically a look-up Minimalist shot, where you basic look up towards the sky and try and capture something. It takes a bit of practice capturing Minimalist Photographs the look-up way. At first, you would feel as if you are not able to spot anything worthwhile. The trick is to keep hitting the shutter button and reviewing what you clicked. This will give you a fair idea as to what to click and what to let go.

Hope you enjoyed the Photo. Stay tuned for more.

Predatory Feet

Minimalism as Low Detail

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A black and white Minimalist Photograph of the feet of a predatory bird with sharp nails sitting on a wall.

This is a special Minimalist shot as this was taken when I used to shoot during moving traffic on the streets. I used to hang the camera around my neck, riding my scooter going place to place, in search of Minimalist Photo subjects.

The moment I used to spot something interesting, I would stop right there, in the middle of  traffic. I would just turn my head towards the subject and point the camera at it and shoot, while still sitting on my scooter. 

I spotted these Predatory Feet of a bird sitting on a wall close to the main road that leads to the Vishvakarma Industrial Area in Jaipur. The bird stood still and did not even move an inch. Since I was zoomed in, I did not interfere with its privacy. 

The lens that I was on, was a Canon 55-250 mm . This took about 3 hours of post processing as I had to take out most of details from the shot. 

Although it was time consuming but the result was this Low Detail Minimalist Photograph, which was very satisfying to look at and to produce.

Tell me, if you enjoyed the photo. - Feedback awaited.

Juxtaposition: Geometry Vs Abstract form

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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A Monochrome Minimalist Photograph of the abstract form/shadow of the round dome versus geometrical shapes at Amer Fort, Jaipur

The Juxtaposition between Simple Geometric shapes i.e rectangles and the Abstract shadow/shape  the "Gol Gumbad" or the Round Dome(in English) is shown here.

Wow, that was long and confusing, isn't it? Sometimes, my head just spins while taking such tricky Minimalist Photographs. I try so many different shots and angles and at times I end up erasing all photos of a particular shot/subject and start all over again. This did not happen this time around as finally, I got what I was looking for.

What caught my attention, was the overlapping shadow of the Gumbad on the second rectangle and the way it was curving down to the right. Initially, the shadow flirted for a while with the vertical line of the rectangle but she, probably was not interested and therefore the shadow slipped down further to the right. The key to the shot was, placing right the two rectangles, that's it. Once I did that, I moved a little to the left and the to the right, for adjustment and bang everything was perfect.

Hope you enjoyed the photograph. 

To buy framed prints of my work hear over to: Buy Minimalist Photos 

Drainage Pipe

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo by © Prakash Ghai
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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.