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If you are a follower reader of this blog, you are probably aware that some weeks ago I called for submissions for a Group Writing Project dedicated to Minimalism in Photography.

With it, I intended not only to discover what my readers had to say on the subject but also to further explore a “side” of photography that is very attractive to me.

Although the complexity of the project was high, and thus the small number of submissions, I feel that Minimalism in Photography is actually something that many try to achieve probably without even realizing it.

Going the minimalist way can produce extremely powerful images, but usually requires a special attention and some planning. Nonetheless, if one thinks minimalism, avenues of images start to open in front of the lens, and even cluttered scenes often have nice subjects for minimalist photos.

I’m also including the images on this post. If the authors prefer that they be removed, just say so and I will.

So, this is what you had to say on Minimalism in Photography (in the order I got them):

• Kriz Cpec (did I got the name right?) sends a macro shot of what seems to be some small fruits. It’s a very attractive photo with green as the major tone. The shallow depth of field blurs the leaf and branches that blend nicely with the green background. Although it deviates from my own definition of minimalist, the single tonal palette and the focus on one particular subject can probably be sufficient to include it in the category.

• Rachel from The Feminist Phoenix also went for flora, but using isolation on black (done with lighting) to highlight only a few features of the flowers. I particularly liked the way that the center of the flowers, that usually attracts flower photographers, is in shadows. I’ll have to say that the lighting used for the second photo was absolutely brilliant. Also, the cropping of the frame on the second photo was fantastic, giving it a sense of incompleteness that begs the brain to draw something there. She also shares her insights on these photos.

• Brian from the Epic Edits Blog brings us a fantastic article (as usual) in which he describes his approach and experiments to this project, from the preparation to the final processing of the photos. The line that comes out: “simple, minimum, shapes, lines, colors, empty space, look up, look down, walk slow…”. Since he has a collection of his photos there taken with this project in mind, the best is really to go and see them all. It’s worth it. Nonetheless, I’ll drop my favorite here. Notice how a repetition of lines mixed with highly contrasting colors can produce a visual shock (in the good sense).

• Chris (almost forgot you, sorry), goes for the color abstract. If I had to guess, I’d say we are looking at a macro of some grass leaves, but whatever it is, it creates a fantastic effect which is achieved mainly by the complementary colors filling the frame (red and green). I’d actually like to know how the processing of this one was done. Care to comment Chris?

• And finally, my own entry to the project. I will not choose any particular photo from it since it is basically a descriptive article with my thoughts on how a good minimalist photo can be achieved. I guess you’ll have to go and read it.

And that is all for this project. To the people who have participated, I can only express my profound appreciation for your superb entries.

I think that from just this few examples we can see how wide this field of photography can be and how worth it is to explore it further.

I have the feeling that this will not be the last time you’ll read about Minimalism in Photography (and not only on this blog).

Minimalism is indeed the art of less. As a life philosophy, minimalists focus on a few essential elements of life disregarding or making less use of everything else.

Also in literature Minimalism has been profoundly explored. The action is led by context rather than actual description and the “image” is much up to the reader to recreate. Same applies for minimalism in music where composition tends to be stripped down to essentials, often creating repetitions of sound. It’s up to the audience to fill in the gaps.

Translated to the visual arts, Minimalism tends to focus on the abstract. Simple things capable of evoking emotion without superfluous content. A bash of color on a white canvas, or an expanded detail can bring out great minimalist paintings.

Minimalism in Photography

When it comes to photography, Minimalism gets somewhat confusing with many schools of thought discussing it. Some believe that the definition and execution of minimalism in the other plastic arts should also be translated for photography (detail, less information, etc.) while others tend to agree that in photography minimalism is more open to creativity and as long as there is a focus on the subject and the background is buried, a photo can be considered minimalist. This latter school of thought can widely include some macro shots in the category.

As a personal opinion, I tend to go with the first. Less information, high contrast between background and subject, and often extremism in processing.

The photo on the right is, for me, a prime example. A fairly common tabletop image where the majority of the frame is devoid of light with only two objects (far from abstract) perfectly visible and recognizable. All the main focus goes to these two objects. One thing that attracted me in this photo was the fact that although the cup is on a secondary plane, the way it was illuminated (or photoshoped) makes it the primary subject on the frame. The eyes are naturally drawn to it.

Color in minimalism

Although I’m fond of monochromes, color can play a big role in minimalist photos, but extra care needs to be employed if minimalism is the objective. A frame full of color with an abstract theme does not make it a minimalist photo per se. Now, if the colors are blended well, and the whole frame is devoid a main subject, my guess is that you can categorize it as such (photo on the right).

Another prime example for minimalism is “light painting”. Usually a frame is black with traces of light as the main subject. In these cases, color is almost essential.

In the images above you can see what I meant. Although the right one still produces a nice effect, the left one (original) is much more powerful due to color, but both can be considered minimalist.

Another application of color in minimalism is to actually withdraw the attention from the subject.

This type of photos is usually not much seen since the subjects loose priority in the frame and require a “special kind of taste” from the audience to be truly appreciated. Nonetheless, using a background with the same tonal patterns as the subject can produce some highly appealing minimalist photography.

Minimalism in Portrait Photography

If you search around, you’ll see that the great photography artists became known for their portraits. Portrait Photography is one of the hardest subjects of photography to master. So much is a variable that does not depend on the photographer, although much of it can be circumvented by proper studio techniques.

Minimalism portraits are, as a rule, obtained by playing with the light. Hiding features with shadow while highlighting others is usually the norm and can lead to the most beautiful albeit extreme photos. Again, much of the success depends on the model, and when I’m the model it can’t really be said that beautiful photos come out. Hey, I’ve tried.

6 Tips for Minimalist photos

1. Remove eye distractions: Anything that can be taken out of the frame, take it out, or hide it in shadow. Let there be only one main subject on the frame.
2. Make it Striking: Whether you go for a splash of color or a splash of light, make it in a way that captures the eye.
3. Make it though provoking: A photo doesn’t need to tell it all. Make it so your audience has to engage the neurons and think about what you are trying to say.
4. Play with light: Hide and highlight your subject with shadows and light in a way that represents a not-so-common approach.
5. Go for patterns: Repetitive patterns in an image can make it not only beautiful but appealing. Again, don’t reveal everything.
6. Details matter: While a wide frame with plenty of information can be beautiful, the secret of minimalism is in details.

And this concludes my first thoughts on Minimalism in Photography. It’s a field that I’m very passionate about and it’s more than likely that I’ll come back to it again.

This is also, of course, my own entry to my Minimalism in Photography Project.

Now, get out there and explore your minimalist side. Oh, and take your camera with you…

Just a small heads up…

The results for the Minimalism in Photography project will be posted on the beginning of the next week, so you still have a few more days just in case you want to participate.