Golden Brass Pot

Minimalism as in Small Objects

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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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
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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.

Parallel Lines Repeating Shapes Maroon Staircase

Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Good evening everyone.

After a long time I have posted a Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes Photograph. Earlier this Label http://www.prakashghai.com/search/label/Repeating%20Shapes had only 9 Minimalist Photographs in it. Now the count rises to 10.

Soon, I would be posting more pictures in all Types of Minimal Categories under Minimalist Photography.

Ok, Lets get back to the above Minimalist Photo.

As you can see, I have used a few elements in this Parallel Lines Repeating Shapes Maroon Staircase Minimal Photograph. 

The elements being:-

a) Lines formed by the steps, 

b) Lines formed by the Maroon Color 

c) and the Repeating Pattern or curves. Everything here is in repetition 

and therefore this Image is categorized as Minimalism as in Repeating Shapes. 

PS: The Photo has been kept a touch under exposed. Sometimes too much exposure makes you lose detail in a photography. The crop is extremely tight as well. More details below:-

• Focus point was the second step from bottom. 
• Focus Mode of the Lens was Auto. 
• Focus on Camera was set to Center point. 
• Camera Mode: Full Manual

Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the Photograph.

Dry Yellow Leaves Hanging on Metal Fence

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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The Minimalist Photo above, "Dry Yellow Leaves Hanging on Metal Fence" is from my recent trip to Smriti Van Jaipur.

As you can see, my only subject here is the "Dry Yellow Leaves" and the metal fence in repetition is just to offer support to the main subject. Hence, we can classify this Minimalist Photo under the "Minimalism as Less Elements" category of Types of Minimalism in Photography.

I have taken this shot from my Canon 50mm f1.4 prime lens. Such shots would turn out better if you use a Macro Lens. The Bokeh or the Background blur that you see would be softer and creamier especially if you shoot on a Full Frame Camera.

A Macro Lens and a Full Frame Camera is on my list of buys for the Year 2017. Right now I use this Camera: Camera Kit

Minimalism and Nature is a Wonderful theme to shoot. Go out to a nearby garden and try your hands on it. I am sure you would enjoy it.

PS: If you like the above photo and want to hang it framed in your house then you can buy it from this link - BUY Now (Ships Worldwide)

OR - you can have a look at the complete sales gallery here: Buy Minimalist Photos

Silver Curl

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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A Looking-Up Minimalist Photograph of Silver Metal Curl against Blue Sky.

Minimalist Photos with Core Simplicity? 

Well, this is one of such Photographs. Extremely Simple, and it just involves a very Basic Geometric Shape aka a Curl or a Curve against the Blue Sky. This was a fairly easy looking-up Minimal Shot.

Only thing that I had to keep in mind was to place the Silver Metal Curl in such a way in the frame that there was enough Negative Space left at appropriate places and that the bottom part of the Silver Curl could be placed according to the Rule of Thirds. Rule of Thirds was followed by placing the bottom part of the Silver Curl in the extreme right hand side of the frame.

• Lens used: Canon 50mm prime f1.4
• Camera Used: Canon 600D or T3i Rebel
• Location: Somewhere in Jaipur
• Date Taken: 13-11-2016
• Posted: 08-12-2016

EXIF Data:  

• ISO: ISO-100
• Aperture: f/8.0
• Exposure time: 1/250 sec

Similar Photograph: The Rusted Curl

Two Golden Door Knobs

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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A Minimalist Photograph of Two Golden Door Knobs shot at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur.

This Photograph took long time to make it here. This door is located at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Indian Coffee House open area, next to the ordering counter. I tried to capture a Minimalist Photograph of this Door/ this area 5-6 times earlier but I failed every single time. 

The Two Golden Door Knobs always kept me interested. 

The first time I looked at the door was around 6 months back. I visit this place very often, but I just could not come up with any shot whatsoever earlier. Only last Sunday, was the day I finally got the shot that I wanted. 

So what changed during last week, was the question I asked myself?

Recently, I paused the "Learn Minimalism" Instagram page and many other social media accounts. Well, that gave me some free mind space, say about after a year. As soon as my mind was left with less clutter to handle, I was back in flow with my Minimalist Compositions. 

Lesson Learned: "Do less of social media and focus more on capturing on field photographs."

More on the Minimalist Composition

The photo falls under Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography.

Less elements being, just the Two Golden Door Knobs and the walls next to it. The composition is more of Minimalist Visual Art. 

Here, I have split the frame into 3 parts. First part being the repeating patter on the left. Second, the empty wall in the center and third, the open brown door with two golden knobs on the right. 

Remember: The subject here is just the Two Golden Door Knobs, everything else around it has been included just to enhance the overall Minimalist Composition.

Enjoyed the shot?

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Bicycle Tyre Colorful Lines Background

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Today, I am posting a Minimalist Photo of Tyre of a Bicycle with Colorful lines acting as a backdrop.

I had initially taken this photo with my Cellphone ( see: Mobile Minimalism ) but when I reviewed it on the screen, I thought this deserves to be on my Minimalism Blog. So, I took out My DSLR Camera to shoot this one more time. 

I shot this vertical so that I could use the colorful lines in the background in a creative way. Both the crop and the placement of the Bicycle Tyre on the bottom, is purposefully kept very tight. That kind of placement makes the viewer to take about one second to realize what the actual subject is. Once the viewer gives you his first second, he will surely spend more time on the photograph.

Classification and EXIF Data

The above photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography.

You can see more examples of such photographs HERE

EXIF Data:-

• ISO speed: ISO-200
• Exposure time: 1/160 sec.
• F-stop: f/8
• Exposure bias: 0 step

Hope you enjoyed the Shot. 

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Spiral Stairs

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Hello All !!

I am back with another Minimalist Photograph. I keep it easy these days and post Photographs only when I have some spare time. 

Back in 2014-15, I used to pressurize myself to do X number of blog posts / photographs a month. But, I realize that I am an artist and I should focus more on the purity of my expression and on the composition of the Photos that I click, rather than on "How to run a Blog". 

Focusing too much on the marketing aspect of the blog had started to affect my Photo Compositions. Therefore, I scaled back,  both on the number of posts and on Social Media marketing. 

PS: I do not publish all my photos here. I post Mobile Minimalism on my Instagram and some Canon DSLR(affiliate link) Photographs on my Facebook.  

A lot happened in the last few days. Donald Trump won the US elections, the Stock markets fell, Gold prices tumbled, there was a ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes in India etc etc.

Basically, a Minimalist like me ended up watching the Television for hours and got overloaded with News. 

Today,  to take a break from this, I decided to open my Photographs Folder, Edited a photo and started writing this blog post. A nice escape from all the noise.

Prior to writing this post, my Television was on. It is still on but No channel is displayed. I have pressed the TV/Av button to turn the screen Blank, Black and Silent. All that I can hear, is just the noise of the ceiling fan running. It is that peaceful, that calm. I am disconnected with the chaos of the world right now. Even my Mobile phone is a good two feet away from me for the last half an hour.

I am here, with you all and trust me it is blissful. 

"Less is more", "Silence is beautiful". are not just words. When you encounter such a state or feeling, you get immersed into it. You become a part of it.

By now it must be clear to you, that This post is my Escape from the "Noise of the world" today. And that is one of the major reasons I chose this "Spiral Stairs" photograph. It too, offers an escape.

Just look at how the stairs disappear to the top. Inviting you to climb up and Run away from the noise into open blue skies. To a place of "Peace and Calm", to a place of "Stillness".  

OK now, let back to the MINIMALIST Composition

The above photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements category of Minimalist Photography.

As you can see above, the Spiral Stairs are positioned Diagonally and at the same time are also in the Center of the Frame. This is a way out from the regular rule of thirds. 

If the Spiral Stairs were not tilted and were vertically placed right in the center of the frame at 90 degrees, the composition would have looked odd. Centered compositions are less appealing to the human brain. 

Therefore, to avoid Center positioning, I tilted my Canon EOS 600D DSLR Camera(affiliate link) in my hand. 

The Tilt, made the top of the staircase bend towards the right, and the bottom of the Stairs fill the space on the left. This, kind of compensated for the rule of thirds and the subject is both, placed in the center and NOT.

Well, I hope some of you would accompany me to the staircase. 

Let's "Escape Together".

Bicycle Tyre versus the Rectangle

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Good Evening People. This is the second blog post I am doing today. If you happen to miss the first one, here is the link to it: Electric Meter Surrounded by Pink

The Minimalist Photo of the Bicycle Tyre and Rectangle that you see above, falls under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category of Minimalism in Photography.

The Simple Geometric Shapes being:

a) The Circular Tyre of the bicycles

b) Lines within the bicycle tyre

c) The Rectangle on the right.

Negative space in such a photograph is best left on the TOP. I have cropped the Tyre of the Bicycle to about 3/4th, you can also try to keep it 1/4th if you want and show it just as a small curve. 

Similarly, the Rectangle, can be cut into a square by lateral movement.

I had posted a Black and White version of this Photograph earlier in Example No. 5 of the Article: Train your eyes for Minimalist Photography (click to view)

Do let me know which version of the Minimalist Photograph did you like?

Black and White or Colored? or Both?

Feedback keeps me going :) in fact keeps all of us going and improving.

Thank you for spending a few minutes here. See you next time.

More Bicycle Photographs:

• Bicycle Bench Lines 

   

• The Tring-Tring Era 

   

• Option A versus B 

   

• The Get-together

Electric Meter Surrounded by Pink

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Welcome to my New Blog-post. 

Because I am posting more of Colorful Minimalism lately, here is another Picture that depicts pure color i.e the color Pink.

To keep the image Minimalist, I have given the Pink Color a lot of space in the frame. Also note that following the Rules of Minimalism, I have carefully chosen this particular Electric Meter as it is placed on a Simple Geometric shape or A Square. 

That property, makes the picture even more Minimal, other than the Negative space and the Less Elements aspect.

Make sure you don't end up being too close to the subject in such shots. Distance is key here. Distance will make sure that the subject looks surrounded or engulfed by the Pink Color.

Another Detail that I would like to point out in the composition is, The Curved Blue Cable going to the right and its respective shadow. Without this cable in the frame, the photograph would have lacked the punch it needed to be here in the blog post. 

Hope you enjoyed the observations. 

For any questions or queries you can get in touch with me via the Contact page.

Similar Post: 

• Power Shortage

Abstract Minimalism or Zeroism

Minimalism Type: Zeroism

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Good Evening People. "I hope this POST finds you in the best of your health and spirit." If not, then you better be exercising. Ahh, did I just mention exercise?

Yes I did. I used to avoid exercising as I am a lazy fellow or lets say, I was. Lately, I have discovered Walking.

Although it is easy to do but at the same time it has huge benefits. Don't believe me? Try and google it for yourself. When I did, I was amazed to find out that by walking just 30 minutes a day, one can prevent so many diseases. Well "Simplicity works" you see !!!

And that's precisely the reason I mentioned this today. 

Being a Minimalist, I have now shifted my attention to the simple things in life that we tend to ignore,

just like how we cannot spot a Minimalist Subject, despite it being right in front of our eyes. It all requires practice and a sense of observation. But before you practice, you must begin somewhere right? The first step to it is "Intent" and trust me all you need to do is "Develop the Intent to observe simple things. The rest will follow."

That said, lets get back to the Minimalist Photograph

The above photo falls under the Minimalism Type: Zeroism, which I have explained in the Types of Minimalism post.

As mentioned there, the above photo does not reflect any real world object/subject at first glance or even at a closer look.

The Viewer is kept guessing. The eye keeps moving. Yet this photo is a Minimalist Photograph. You may want to call it Maximalist but I am very clear about it that it is Minimalist and I can explain.

The only subject here is the juxtaposition between colorful curves versus the vertical lines. That's it. This, in total is one element (or maybe you can call it two).

The subject is actually a frosted finish plastic house gate, lit by the suns rays. The photograph has been taken around 4 pm in the afternoon in the harsh sun.

You can also call the above photograph as an abstract photograph. But we, The Minimalists tend to call most pictures Minimal, till the time the elements are less and there is some bit of symmetry, geometry, logic or explanation in them.

If you cant explain a Minimalistic photograph with the Rules of Minimalism, only then one can call it pure abstract.

I hope that clears it out. If not, then wait for more posts under the Zeroism Label. OR else, if you plan to visit Jaipur- India sometime, we can meet and have a discussion on this over coffee.

See you next time. Take Care.

Happy Clicking !!!

Colored Version of The White Square and The Alphabet Z

Today I was shuffling through old Minimalist Pictures of mine in the computer. I stumbled upon one particular album from where I had edited and posted two Black and White Minimalist Photos on the blog.

The first photo being: White Square and the second being: The Alphabet Z

Last time, when I had edited these photographs, I was not able to edit them in color the way I wanted to, hence I had turned them into black and white. But, today I thought why not give it a re-try. Today, I finally was able to edit them in color and was pretty happy with the results. A lot of people like Black and White Photographs but some only like colored ones. 

With this post, I have made sure that I keep both of them happy :)

Long time ago, I had read a photography tip somewhere online and it said "Never delete a photograph ever, you may like it on a later date." I followed that advice  and it worked wonders.

Another reason why I chose color today could be, that subconsciously I must be preempting a good phase in life, therefore an inclination towards color. Lets see if that happens. 

Meanwhile, I am still recouping from energy that I lost from last month's Lunar Eclipse on September 16-17.

Coming back to the composition, I will not talk much about it as I had already done that in the Black and White versions.

You can read them here: a) White Square b) The Alphabet Z 

Colored Version of The White Square

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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 Colored Version of The Alphabet Z

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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Leave a comment as to which version of the Two Photographs did you like?

Colored or Black and White?

Well, That's it Folks for today! 

Seasons Greetings to all.

Winters are here, take care of your health !!!

Abandoned Car

Minimalism as Parts of the Whole

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Abandoned Car Location: Near Jaleb Chowk, Jaipur City.

I had not clicked Parts of the Whole Minimalism in a long while. Therefore, I decided to give it a try on my Last Photography Outing. 

As you can see, I have taken the front portion of the Abandoned Car and used it to cut the frame diagonally. The blue and white textured wall adds to the Visual. The shadows, you see on the wall, as well as on the car, are coming from the metal fence on the left.

Please Note: The photo is a bit "Maximally Minimal" rather than being Minimally Minimal. But, it is still Minimal :)

Abstract Photographers might like to call this an Abstract Photograph, but we, The Minimalists call it Minimal till the time it represents real world objects (or when the real world is identifiable) and as long as it falls under one of the 8 Types of Minimalism in Photography.

The Cloud Split

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai

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I always wanted to shoot these lamps. I cross them every Sunday and the opposite direction of the two lamps, always used to intrigue me.

But, somehow I never clicked them. Today, was different. It was different because, today these lamps were Split by a White Minimalist Cloud and of course that's why I titled this post as "The Cloud Split".

The moment I spotted the cloud, I knew I had to take this shot. I dint have much time, as I was on my scooter and I had stopped right in the middle of the traffic. The cloud too was moving fast. I spent about 4 minutes on the shot and the cloud happened to move off-center twice in that time period.

Turning to black and white wasn't easy and I took me quite a bit of editing to get the grays and whites right. And that resulted in a bit of grains in the shot, but I do not mind them, especially because in Black and White Photography/Minimalism "All is OK".

The Minimalist Classification

The Photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of Minimalist Photography.

The Number of Elements being just two:

a) The Lamps
b) The Cloud

Cant get simpler than this.

Hope you enjoyed this Minimalist Composition. I had posted a Similar Photo earlier:

"Cloud Vs Lamp"

Don't forget to check that out.

Water Reflection Of Garden Lamps At The Akshardham Temple, Jaipur

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A few days back, I went to The Akshardham Temple, Jaipur with my mother and her sister. I had recommended this place to them. The architecture here, is quite intriguing and the place also has a well-maintained garden right opposite the temple stairs. 

We arrived a little early, at about 5.40 pm. I inquired with the gatekeeper about what time does the Main Aarti ( prayer) takes place everyday. He told us that there are Two Aarti's (prayers), one at 7 pm and the other one at 8 pm. 

We had plenty of time, so we decided to take a walk in the garden and took some casual cellphone pictures. It was still only 6.15 pm and we had plenty of time left for the Main Prayer to begin. 

There is a small eating place inside the vicinity, towards the right of the Temple. We decided to have our evening snacks there to kill some more time. I had been to this Temple before. So, I knew there was another place right below the Main Temple, where worship takes place. 

I told my mother while we were eating, that I shall quickly go and check, if that portion of the temple is still open like last time. 

While I was on my way, I spotted this water puddle, but to my disappointment I could not see a decent reflection in it. I proceeded to the place downstairs. 

On my way back, I again had a look at this water puddle from a distance. This time, I could see the reflection of a palm tree placed in the garden, in it. Right behind the Tree, there was this beautiful lamp that you see in the reflection. So, I became both curious and excited. I wanted to find out whether with my feet movement, I'd be able to get the reflection of that Garden Lamp in the water puddle. 

After a lot of adjustment and bending and trying to look with one eye closed, I finally found the reflection of the Garden Lamp being casted in the water puddle. I did not had the camera with me that point of time. It was on the table at which I was having my evening snack with my mother.

Since light had started to fade fast, I knew I had little time to go back, bring the camera, punch in the settings and Click the photo. So, I rushed to get my camera back and finally took this shot.

Initially, I tried using a faster shutter speed and a lower ISO, but that did not work well as the light was fading. 

Therefore, I switched to the following EXIF settings:

• ISO speed: ISO-400
• Exposure time: 1/100 sec
• F-stop: f/3.5
• Exposure bias: 0 step

 

Lets also talk about the Classification:

The Photo falls under the Minimalism as Less Elements Category of "Minimalist Photography". 

The main elements being: 

a) The Floor

b) The Water Reflection Of Garden Lamps.

Also, there is plenty of negative space in the frame which adds to the beauty. 

Please Note: I have flipped the photo upside-down to make it more appealing. Reflection Photos generally are taken straight first to adjust for rule of thirds and to balance the composition. Later, they are Flipped. It may sound a little tricky, but you will get it right with some practice. 

To get a clearer idea of what I mean, turn your cellphone upside down. If, you are viewing this picture via the computer, then right click, and "Save Photo" and then Flip it.

OK, I am done for the day. 

Hope to see you soon.

The Blue Square

Minimalism as Simple Geometry

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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A Lookup Minimalist Photograph of a Blue Square within a Yellow Wall.

As you can see above this Minimalist Photo is all about "The Blue Square" aka a Simple Geometric Shape. Squares are my favorite shape when it comes to Minimalism as Simple Geometry. 

Here, you can see a Blue Square. And I hope one day, I collect as many different colored Squares as I can. Ok, lets talk more about the Composition of the Minimalist Photograph.

Shall I? or it is very obvious?

This Photograph was taken right outside the exit gate of Jantar Mantar Jaipur. As you can see, I have used a lot of Negative Space in the photograph. I filled that space with the Blue Sky, and placed my subject at the extreme bottom right. 

This, is a perfect example of both: Minimalism as Less Elements and Minimalism as Simple Geometry Photography. It is a matter of choice as to which head you want to categorize this Minimalist Photograph under. 

This style of looking up in the sky and shooting is called Look-up or Looking-Up Photography. 

By that logic this is a Look-up Minimalist Photograph. Look-up Photography is really very interesting especially when it involves shooting Minimal Art. 

You wont find it out, until you try  Look-up Minimalist Photography yourself. Trust me, the results are going to impress you.  

If you have had clicked any Look-up Photos or Look-up Minimalist Photographs, make sure to leave a link to that Photograph below. It would be nice to have a look at your Creativity.

Don't worry about not having a zoom lens etc. I took this Photograph from a Canon 50mm Prime Lens. You can even try using the wide angle Mobile Phone Camera Lens, to Explore your Creativity.

Happy Clicking !

One Way Traffic Sign

Minimalism as Less Elements

Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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I spotted this One Way Traffic Sign right in front of Jantar Mantar (Jaipur) entrance gate. 

I parked my bike under the sign and this was the first shot of my Minimalist Photography photo-walk today. I mostly take photos from my standard Canon DSLR Kit, but this particular shot was taken by my Samsung Galaxy S6 SmartPhone Camera. 

The reason why I chose to take this picture via my cellphone and not via the DSLR was simple. I needed a wide angle lens to achieve the kind of composition I had planned in my mind. The subject was way too close and I had my Canon 50mm prime 1.4 lens on, on my DSLR. I do not own a wide angle lens. If I had one, I would have used that. 

More on the Minimalist Composition

As you can see, I am right under The One Way Traffic Sign. I was looking at it at an elevation of approximately 70 degrees. I bent down on my knees to begin with, but that wasn't sufficient. So I decided to sit on the road. Trust me, it was fun. More so, because the people around started to observe me. I am sure they were all wondering... What was so special about this Traffic Sign? that they had missed and I did not.

Anyways, lets get back to the Minimalist Photograph.  I took about three shots from my Cellphone and finally I was happy with one. Usually, I edit cellphone Minimalist shots with the Phone's default editing app. But, this photo, I transferred from my cellphone to my Laptop and then edited it. I did so to better enhance the contrast and the overall saturation. A hint of sharpness too, was added. 

The Classification: The photo falls under Minimalism as Less Elements category.

The Less Elements being the following:-

1st Element: Blue Sky

2nd Element: One Way Traffic Sign

3rd Element: Yellow Wall

Hope you enjoyed the Shot. 

Don't forget to follow Traffic Rules ! 

Drive Safe.