“Keep it simple” is the oft repeated advice in photography. The concept of minimalist photography hatches on that word – simplicity. Images with a minimum number of components, sometimes almost bare in its presentation, with the subject sometimes out of the frame or if not, almost overwhelmed or reduced by negative space, color or background. Shots of this type when properly executed provides interest, drama and appeal to images. I won’t delve deeply into the topic but instead refer to photographer Simon Bray who explains everything in his article A 10-Step Guide to Superb Minimalist Photography. In it he expounds on what minimalism is all about, how to keep it simple, how color complements the lack of subject matter, how lines and textures compensate for a minimalist image, how to keep an eye out for stand-alone subjects, how to tell the story and get creative. The point in minimalist photography is to convey more from less and to be totally creative. It was jazz legend Charles Mingus who said: “Anyone can make the simple complicated; creativity makes the complicated simple.” Its like this, when you see a house with a window, focus on the window or even just part of it. When you see a door, focus on the handle. When you see a tree, focus on a branch or a twig. This again requires your photographic eye, trained for “seeing.” When thought out, envisioned and creatively captured, a minimalist image can be attention-grabbing, eye-catching and even enigmatic.
Going minimalist