Minimalist Photography

Minimalist photography is a simplistic approach to expressing the finer aspects of creative photography. Minimalist storytelling with images filled with vivid auras are warmly accepted by audiences, but images that are soul-stinging can be equally impactful on the audience.

The genre of minimalist photography enables the observer to participate in a more complex conversation around the subject matter. This photography art declutters visual noise that most people would experience in their everyday lives. This art form allows you to evolve and innovate. The aesthetic approach of telling a story with minimum objects and colours in the frame with the simplest composition is the strength of this art.

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What is minimalist photography?

The power of this genre is inspired by the concept of minimalism. It is as subjective as is any style of art. That is, a simplest, yet soothing art form that can strike a deep meaning in the observer’s heart, while the minimalist nature of the art may be meaningless for another viewer.

The highest amount of simplicity in minimalism involves the usage of a minimal amount of composition viz shape, colour and lines. In a way, this art can force you to make bold choices about sharing your vision while also boosting confidence in yourself about discovering new elements.

Minimalist photography enables viewers to participate in a more complex conversation around the subject matter.
Photography Reference

Different pieces of equipment that can help you in minimalist photography

Often deemed as an indifferent photographic style, it has its own set of challenges. The pieces of equipment mentioned in the article can help you in capturing shots that are not only minimalist and simple but also reveal your artistic side to convey your concepts.

Wide focal range

Lenses with a wide focal range and macro lens can be helpful. In every genre of photography, lenses play a crucial role in capturing quality images and revealing the photographer’s concepts. A lens with a wide focal length is great for both landscapes as well as portraits. Also keep a macro lens in your kit. The zoom capacity of this lens is great for subjects that are far away.

Polarizing filters

Polarizing camera filters might play a significant role in shooting interesting images. These filters can potentially decrease glares and reflections in an image. In addition, they will increase contrast with minimal colour distortion. Especially where you may be photographing for instance in a city or urban environment where there are a lot of reflections from glass.

Some important camera settings

Every camera setting can be useful in minimalist photography. Yet, some of the important settings mentioned here could help in most situations.

Keep settings in manual mode

Minimalist photography art is mainly about capturing a soul-touching image. So, keep the camera settings in manual mode so that you can experiment with composition.

Choosing the right aperture setting

It is vital to choose the right aperture settings. You should adjust the aperture as per your need to emphasize the background or foreground. Aperture will also give you the ability to blur elements within the frame so the viewer’s eye can focus on the subject.

Adjusting the focus of your camera

Keeping the focus on automatic mode is highly advantageous for those who are new to minimalistic photography. However, manual focus mode will give the photographer an upper hand in choosing the right part of the frame to focus on.

Some tips for shooting more pronounced scenes

Here some tips are discussed which will help you to learn how to approach this genre of photography. Some ideas, techniques, and a few more tips to get started:

Keep a single point of interest
Your core objective in shooting for photographic minimalism is to keep the frame as clean as possible to offer viewers a single point of interest. Before finalizing the image, ask yourself if you need to remove anything unwanted from the frame. It will strengthen that single point of interest you want in the image.

Utilize negative space in your favour
As a minimalist photographer, using negative space could become the most important part of the composition. Negative space means using space around as well as in between the element or elements within the frame. Keep the space simple in composition and texture. It will emphasize the subject and will ensure your work is more compelling.

Composition matters in minimalist photography

The right placement of the subject helps your viewers to read the image and your thoughts behind the concept with ease. A practical technique you can employ is visualizing the image in thumbnail size and analysing the general balance of composition. This way you can get a better direction and indication of the flow of the composition.

Don’t underestimate contrast

As a minimalist photographer you may find greyscale images perfect for this genre, however bold colours do possess a charm of their own. Nonetheless, finding a colour combination to complement the simplicity is something you should consider achieving.

Simplicity is king

Simplicity that tears down to the very essence of the subject remains the very core of this genre, and since the genre is all about simplicity, you should look beyond the complex nature of your subject to capture its essence with your camera.

An enchanting image will be one that appreciates the subject by removing all other distractions. In minimalist photography, you will need to experiment, try something new, and practice until you get that perfect shot.