I’m a huge fan of minimalism, specifically photographic minimalism and abstraction through the use of urban shapes. I’ve never formally studied photography (or any form of art for that matter) but there is something in the simplicity of shapes and forms that is really appealing to me, probably because of the challenge of turning our technological environment into something beautiful.

If I were to try and explain what minimalism is, I’d have to say it’s summed up by the phrase “less is more“. If you want a more formal definition, minimalism is “an art movement in sculpture and painting that began in the 1950s and emphasized extreme simplification of form and colour”, but that sounds rather dull and boring. To try and pinpoint someone from this period that best illustrates minimalism, the artist Mark Rothko is probably the best example I can give.

At any rate, I spend a lot of time recently trying to take abstract or minimalist-style photos; I’m no real expert, but here are a few tips I’ve picked up from viewing a few Flickr forums, and my own ideas in trying to find that elusive ultra-minimal and ultra-cool shot.

1. Less really is more: I’ve said it once already, but it doesn’t hurt to say again. They don’t call it minimalism for nothing. The uncluttered beauty of the shot is what makes it so appealing.

2. The image is the subject: often I find that I’m not focusing on a particular object or subject in minimalism; instead, I’m concentrating on combining individual elements into a “whole”.

3. Use shadows: shadows can make the mundane seem a lot more interesting, and will often break monotony in what would otherwise be a boring image.

4. The three C’s: I find composition, colour and contours have far more significance in minimalist and abstract photos than they would otherwise have. Since there’s not always a “subject” to draw the viewer’s attention, the end product is what has to be appealing. Uniformity, patterns, shape and texture are also extremely important, but calling it “STUCCCUP” sounded daft at worst, and a business acronym at best.

5. Contrast: Okay, I could’ve called it the four C’s, but this deserved its own special mention. While texture can play a good role in creating great minimalist shots, it sometimes pays to really manipulate the contrast in order to smooth and flatten the image. This works extremely well with urban minimalism in particular.

6. Black & White: What’s more simple than black and white with shades of grey? This is a great way to get rid of colours you don’t like in an otherwise cool shot.

So, there are six ideas for people to borrow or throw away. I made most of them up as I went, so if you’ve got some suggestions, feel free to add your own, or tell me why these ideas suck.

Moonrise through the branches of a Baobab Tree at Mopani camp in the Kruger National Park. From Wikipedia:

The baobab (Adansonia), or monkey bread tree are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and mainland Africa and Australia (one species in each). The mainland African species also occurs in Madagascar, but it is not a native of that country. The species reach heights of between 5�??25 m (exceptionally 30 m) tall, and up to 7 m (exceptionally 11 m) in trunk diameter. They are noted for storing water inside the swollen trunk, with the capacity to store up to 120,000 litres of water to endure the harsh drought conditions particular to each region [1]. All occur in seasonally arid areas, and are deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season. Some are reputed to be many thousands of years old, though as the wood does not produce annual growth rings, this is impossible to verify; few botanists give any credence to these claims of extreme age.

The Malagasy species are important components of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. Within that biome, A. madagascariensis and A. rubrostipa occur specifically in the Anjajavy Forest, sometimes growing out of the tsingy limestone itself.

The leaves are also common as a leaf vegetable throughout the area of mainland African distribution, including Malawi, Zimbabwe, and the Sahel. They are eaten both fresh and in the form of a dry powder. In Nigeria, the leaves are locally known as kuka, and are used to make kuka soup. The dry pulp of the fruit, after separation from the seeds and fibers, is eaten directly or mixed into porridge or milk. The seeds are most used as a thickener for soups, but may also be fermented into a seasoning, roasted for direct consumption, or pounded to extract vegetable oil. The tree also provides a source of fibre, dye, and fuel.

The Boab was used by Indigenous Australians as a source of water and food; the leaves were used medicinally. They also painted and carved the outside of the fruits, and wore them as ornaments. A very large, hollow boab south of Derby, Western Australia was used in the 1890s as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on their way to Derby for sentencing. The Boab Prison Tree still stands and is now a tourist attraction.

weave, one

Originally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

One of the things I like to do is to look at everyday objects and try to make a photo out of it. I’m also particularly interested in minimalist/texture based photos. This was actually the back of a chair at Kew Gardens in the patio area near one of the main gates. As Bill Moyers said, “Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.”

hoppers

Originally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

“Nature makes the locust with an appetite for crops; man would have made him with an appetite for sand”

- Mark Twain

peace

Originally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

“Peace is not something you wish for; It’s something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.”

- Robert Fulghum

watching your step

Originally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

“The ability to surreptitiously collect a variety of data all related to the same person; track individuals as they walk in public places (airports, train stations, stores); enhance profiles through the monitoring of consumer behaviour in stores; read the details of clothes and accessories worn and medicines carried by customers are all examples of uses of RFID technology that give rise to privacy concerns.”

- EU working document on RFID, January 2005, as quoted from Spychips by Katherin Albrecht and Liz McIntyre.

tunnelvision

Originally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

�??The grave is but a covered bridge Leading from light to light, through a brief darkness!�?�

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American Poet 19th Century

thoughtOriginally uploaded by lowfatbrains.

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

- Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.