The Beauty of Less : Minimalism in Photography

"In art, everything is possible.

But everything is not necessary."

- Arvo Part

A photograph is the capture of a micro second frozen in time. In the process of that capture, the photographer makes innumerable decisions that shape his or her creation.

How often have you stared at that creation, drawn in by the precision of its composition, the thoughtful usage of light, seduced by the deliberate choice of colours, listening to the silent message screaming at you?

Minimalist images often do that to me.

While I have always been drawn to minimalist photography, I studied it a little more purposefully as part of my preparation for my trip to Hokkaido.

Some of the images I saw  were so artistic that it left a hollow, aching void in me that persisted in staying with me for a long time . I stared at these images for many minutes, awestruck by the serene beauty it conveyed, by the deliberate restraint it displayed.

How perfectly composed were these images ! How exquisite the colours were and perfect the texture was ! There seemed to be such a sense of serenity about them.

Boy, would I love to create something like these !

But, what is minimalism ?

Is it just about having lots of negative space ? Is it only about simplicity ?

To me, minimalism is elegance. Antoine de Saint-Exupery had famously said, “A designer knows that he has attained perfection, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

At the same time, minimalism is not about blindly cutting off elements. It is about consciously driving focus to what you love. Joshua Becker, who has written books on minimalism, had said,“Minimalism isn’t about removing things you love. It’s about removing the things that distract you from the things you love.”

The last line in the quote above, about focusing on what you love, made me realize that minimalism is also a philosophy.

Over the last decade or so, fueled by an increasing awareness of the extreme differences in philosophies and values within my vast circle, I realize that I have slowly, often unconsciously, moved away from relationships, choosing to focus on those that nourish me and fill me with positive energy.

Maybe, that has been the trigger for me to go looking for minimalism in my photography too. A search for space, for peace, for calm.

In photography, this could be achieved by filtering out distractions, by distilling an image to its core aspects. By achieving that, by ensuring an absence of any complexity, the viewer will not be confused as to what to focus on. At the same time, it is not just about achieving simplicity, but communicating powerfully through simplicity.

In its essence, a photograph has to convey some emotion to the viewer. The viewer needs to feel something about the image.

By simply removing all other elements in the frame, I might achieve a minimalist creation. But is it powerful enough ? Does the viewer pause for a moment from the tireless flick of the forefinger across the screen ? If it does achieve that pause, does it move the viewer ?

That brings us to the composition of a photograph. Composition is critical in any photograph, but in minimalist creations where there are no distractions, I guess, it's importance becomes even more relevant.

When there are not too many elements in the frame, where do you place those that are there ? Which position works best ? Why ?

How do I use colours better ? How can I use texture better ?

And the vexing question ( for me ) of how large or small should the subject be ? I had read this beautiful line – Minimalism is not the lack of something, but is the perfect amount of something.

But, what is that "perfect" amount ? Who defines perfection ?

I usually prefer keeping my subjects a little small when I compose minimalist images. I like providing a lot of space, making them larger seems loud to me, it disturbs the calm that I am searching for. When occasionally I break that approach I wonder later...should I have reduced the subject a tad bit more?

I also tend to break the famous Rule of Thirds, more as an act of rebellion than from any deep thought. Then I think I should be a bit more responsible and I try to become a bit orderly. Later, I look at these images and think that the subjects are placed oh so properly and predictably. Why, oh why ? Place them where you want to. Break em rules...follow your heart, have fun!

A friend said that he prefers to have balance in the negative space and hence he places his subjects a little more to the centre. That's an interesting thought...but am not sure. Maybe I shall try it and see.

Ultimately, the fact is that there are no rules. As most of the masters advise – create for yourself and not for your audience. Which, of course, is easier said than done.

Here are some of my attempts from my last two trips, interestingly to two places that couldn't be more different from each other. Japan and Africa.

Calm and orderly Japan especially in winter, offers immense scope to try out minimalist images, the landscape being mostly carpeted with snow. Africa, in contrast appears intense, dramatic and constantly in motion. But, you could try to create minimalist images with a little bit of thought here too.

Minimalism need not also be only bathed in white as the images from Africa show.

Right now, I am far from satisfied with most of what I have created. I feel there is that critical "something" still missing in most of my images. But, I can't put my finger on what exactly is nagging me.

Do these images work for you ? Which ones do ? And which don’t ?

More importantly...Why don't they ? Let me know please. That might give me food for thought.

The Red Crowned Cranes with their white and black with the distinctive red crown in a snow-covered landscape screamed out for minimalist images

Quotation marks !I had a blast trying to isolate interesting compositions

A much desired composition...God knows how many shots I would have tried before getting one that worked for me

When the landscape is as it is in winter at Hokkaido, sometimes, all we need is a subject to come wandering into the frame. Here we have a pair of foxes having a delightful time in the snow

Isolate. Use snow as a foreground. Click. ( I loved that eye staring at you ! )

Snow provides such lovely opportunities...btw should the subject have been a tad smaller ?

Minimalism plus a pattern...works ??

The Three Amigos, it was the slender line of the ditch that caught my eye

Red fox on white !!!

There are no distractions, the focus stays on the Sika deer... but should the negative space be a little more than what I have provided here ? I think so

Too big a subject ? Would more space on the right help...what do you think ?

Early morning mist coupled with a slight over exposure to convey a very hazy subtle feel

Opportunities can be found at midday too...in Amboseli, Mount Kilimanjaro watches a lone tusker's march to food. They say the golden rule is not to have the horizon as the centre line but for some reason, I felt the contrast in the colours and texture in the two halves demanded a perfect balance

A couple of wildebeest moving away from a dust storm provides another excellent opportunity. Here the sky was dramatic. It demanded to be on centre stage, the horizon had to go as low as possible

Darkness often can be a good ally in minimalism

An even starker attempt ...

Cheers !

Ashok