14 February, 2016

Happiness is Within your Reach

Minimalism as Simple Geometry


Minimalist Photo of Lines on an Orange Textured Indian wall with a Green Door.
Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Happiness (represented here by the green door) is within one's reach, all that one needs to do is change his or her Field of View(FOV) / Channel. You currently have a particular set of friends/taste of music/food/places/clothes/habits etc, and that is your current observable world which you think is bad, and is full of negativity and selfish people. 

So, what is it that you need to do to fix it? Well, you need to observe the choices you have made under each observable category and alter/omit/or replace things or people that generate negative energy or make you feel low on self-esteem. Suppose meeting Mr. X (whom you meet regularly) makes you feel a little inferior, recall all those people in whose company you feel much more relaxed, confident, at ease and happy. Now, try and meet those people more often and avoid meeting Mr. X. The same goes with the choice of music. Purposefully listen to those songs that cheer up your mood, rather than the ones that make you feel sad. Eat at good restaurants once in a while even if they are a little expensive, rather than visiting often the cheap ones. You will find yourself much more upbeat and happy as those places as they give you a sense of accomplishment, that you are fortunate enough to afford it and enjoy a better standard of living than most people. You will therefore also be grateful to God. Be picky, even when it comes to sitting on a particular table or chair.  Everything has vibes. Get that place reserved in advance or wait for it to get vacated.  If a particular jeans or shirt makes you feel more confident, wear that more frequently, who is stopping you? Choose health drinks, over alcohol/wine. The healthier you are, the better you feel. 

Well my point is, that "We should develop a good sense of observation and use that in our favor" to stay in the loop of positivity, just do not let the loop break, keep rolling the happy little things over. The source maybe minuscule but it does not matter. Rather than seeking happiness, create it. Lets say your current field of view is "Channel A (comprising of all your old habits/friends/choices etc)", do the tweaking as mentioned above and create an entirely new channel for yourself i.e "Channel B". If required, meet an entirely new set of people, go to places you have never been before, experiment, until you set it right. Those dance numbers are not meant for teenagers only, you could shake a leg on them too. When was the last time you went to a club and danced? Do you think age is a barrier? No, not at all. You are young at heart as always and forever will be. "Rediscover yourself" and remember that your default setting is "Happiness" revert back to it for good.

Coming back to the photo, This is a storeroom for the electrical equipments at Central Park, Jaipur. I chose an extreme side angle view and shot this at about F/8 aperture, with focus on the intersection of the 2nd and the 3rd line, to roughly keep everything in focus. My initial shots did not have the green door in them but later I decided to include it to enhance the visual appeal. The photo falls under the Minimalism as Simple Geometry category. 

10 February, 2016

Together Yet Apart

Minimalism as Simple Geometry 


Minimalist Photo of Parallel clotheslines against a textured Indian wall.
Photo By © Prakash Ghai
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Some relationships are strange, difficult, stagnant and not easy to manage. You are both in and out of love at the same time. Together, but miles apart. It is a strange feeling and you just cant do anything about it. You are helpless. You can only sit at the shore and admire the beauty of the sea and its waves from far away, but you can not walk-in for a dip like you used to do before. Of course the relationship began with a big bang, loads of love and care but now there is a "constant gap" in the relationship. You both came to know how different you are from each other and that you have very different habits, friends, and views on life. You've just stumbled upon the "compatible yet incompatible" stage of the relationship. Neither of you have created the distance in the relationship but it is there and is a constant one. You have "not fought" but you don't talk much either. You've realized that the feel and charm of the relationship is overYou neither want to end it, nor do you want to let it continue. You are still friends but "only friends on paper", you are more of an acquaintance now. Such a relationship is being depicted here by two parallel lines(that never meet) created by the traditional Indian plastic clotheslines(ropes) used to dry clothes out in the open here in India.  


Composition


The photo uses "Simple Geometry" as a base. i.e Lines and the Black Triangle. The lines would have been boring to look at, if I would have kept them at 180 degrees. Keeping them at a slight upward tilt adds some sense of motion to the shot. The viewers eyes are almost lead out of the frame to the right by the parallel lines but are brought right back into it by the masculine shadow of the triangle going just the opposite way. 


Other Minimalist Photos using Clothesline as a Subject: