Minimalist Photography - the 8 Elements

Minimalist Photography - The 8 Elements

Being a minimalist photographer, simply means artfully doing with less. In life a person may own simple but tasteful furniture and basic but timeless clothes. In photography being a minimalist photographer is similar. A simple minimalist image is with one subject and no distractions sum it all up. But like anything in life there is minimalism and then there is minimalism. A really good minimalist photograph has qualities that other photographs don’t always have or need. Sometimes the photographer can get a perfect picture in the mind’s eye and translate it onto the camera sensor and a perfect image emerges. More often the minimalist photograph is fine tuned in the digital darkroom.

What is the one factor that makes a good minimalist image a great one? Is there an answer to this question? Maybe not a simple one but there are a few things that all minimalist photographers would agree that make a great minimalist photograph.

Counting Backwards...

8) Use of Compositional Elements: Minimalism like other forms of photography can benefit from good use of the elements of composition. Leading lines, rule of thirds, odd numbers, textures, balance, etc. apply here too. And as always rules were meant to be broken, provided there is a good reason. Think about what the finished product will look like. Don`t get too “invested” in your own work thinking you’ve got something great but the rest of the world doesn't see it.

The List of Rules for Composition in Photography

7) A clean photograph, one subject without distraction: The minimalist photographer ensures there are no wires, branches or other superfluous objects are in the photograph. It’s best to remove these objects when the photograph is taken. Alternatively the use of software to clean the photograph can be used but be sure to use the right technique to take the entire distracting object out. Often software can leave a “residue” or a bit of blur.

6) Impact: Minimalist photography makes a statement and the minimalist photographer uses drama are much more appealing than boring shots straight forward shots. What is it about the minimalist image that gives it that little extra appeal that will make it an exceptional shot?

5) Use of negative space: Negative space is the space in minimalist photos that are filled with…nothing. In order to effectively use negative space in a minimalist photo the subject should be small and the negative space overwhelming. The negative space should contrast the object. For instance a white background and a small black subject, maybe even a long shadow. A colour minimalist image example could be a small red terracotta pot on an overwhelming bright blue background.

4) Simple subjects: An example of a simple subject can be a single red leaf against a blurry green background but probably not a whole tree. It could be a black marble with a long shadow on a white surface but not the whole bag of marbles. I think you see the point. A minimalist image may not be a perfectly simple image but a simple concept is very important.

3) Strong Contrast, Simple Patterns: If the minimalist image involves a pattern it must be a simple pattern and would generally have strong contrast with the background. A flower popping through a white picket fence on a dark blue sky might make a good example of a strong contrasting minimalist image with a simple pattern and subject.

2) Textures: Textures can play an important part in producing a certain mood of your minimalist image. However when using a texture use caution. A gritty minimalist image may look better with a gravelly background but the use of a background just because you have one rarely makes sense

1) Evokes an emotion: What feeling do you get when looking at a minimalist photograph? A sense of peace? Maybe a sense of strength? Or a sense of a harsh environment? How about a sense of victory?

• If you could create a popular poster of your minimalist photography could you give it a powerful one word name? How about a single runner passionately breaking through a finish line ribbon with a simple setting? Wouldn’t that just say volumes about “Victory”? What would make it minimalist? Probably an empty background and negative space would help in making a shot a work of minimalism.

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A really great minimalist image is hard to produce and in doing some of my research I found a whole lot of mediocre shots (including one or two of mine I must admit!) To become good at minimalist photography requires study, time and patience. Minimalist photography is a subset of the larger hobby or profession of photography that requires passion and dedication to become great.

Some of my other articles

5 Tips for Great Minimalist Photography

Raw vs Jpeg - What You Need to Know

How to Shop for a Used Camera Lens

Build a Home Photography Studio for Less

Changing Your Photo to Outstanding Black and White

Composition in Photography: Depth of Field

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Jan Maklak Photo