Minimalism by bear bonnell and JTContinental

Anybody who has been on the Team knows that Jeremy [ JTContinental ] gets miserable each time the Minimalism / Simplicity challenge runs. Sometimes the moaning is quite loud and while I haven't seen his portrait, I think he pulls out a fair bit of his hair too. We keep telling him to do a session to alleviate the pain. To no avail until one day we heard that Danuta [ bear.bonnell ] and he were collaborating on the session.

Now you may think a session on minimalism / simplicity should be simple enough. Let us assure you that it isn't. But enough of talk - let's hand you over to Jeremy and Danuta.

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Teacher:
Try to answer this:
Define minimalism
In 10 words or less.

Student:
buddhadog help me!
Minimalism haiku
Is needed quickly!

Since neither Jeremy (JTContinental) nor Danuta (bear.bonnell) could provide the short answer demanded by Teacher, they have provided this "lengthy" session on minimalism and simplicity instead!

Unlike a minimalist work of art itself, any discussion or description of minimalism usually involves lots of details that usually take up plenty of space and time... and passion. Classic definitions of minimalism usually run along these lines: The art form stripped down to its bare essentials. Simple enough, you say. But just what *are* the bare essentials?

Interestingly enough, humans were already "doing" minimalism some 27,000 years ago, when they were minimally human ;-). The cave paintings in France and Spain are wonderful examples of early minimalist art:





Skipping over a millennium or two, let's jump to examples of minimalism and simplicity in pop culture. Stuff you wouldn't even dream of acknowledging is pure "mini" or "simpi." Stuff that uses the least color, the least material, the fewest shapes, the smallest whatever, to evoke the most from us, in terms of reactions, attention, puzzlement or pure enjoyment. For example, cartoons :

Who doesn't recognize these few lines and shapes?
see this reference

Even tattoos:

Proudly worn by A2L

Perhaps the biggest political marketing strategy of all time is based in minimalist sketching. The political campaign poster below was created by street artist Shepard Fairey, who is known for his rudimentary line drawings in his graffiti stickers (see also Andre the Giant Has a Posse and Fairey's omnipresent Obey campaign).




NOW, THE ESSENTIALS
In the session, we're going by the principle that a photograph is worth about 40-60 words. But the words here are worth their font size in gold! Each photo has been carefully chosen to highlight principles and techniques of minimalist photography.

Let's start off with a subject that JT suggests every budding minimalist should experiment with: Columns.

by claude05

In Klaus' shot, the viewer gets lost in the pure photographic elements--shape, light, color gradation, and that's a good thing. In fact, it's the essence of minimalism: When the focus of the photo becomes those few items, plus the composition and camera angle, instead the actual subject matter. In this photo, the layout of the columns provides some fantastic contrasts between the light and shadow. The photo also highlights the fact that equipment plays a far lesser role in creating good minimalist images than in other types of photography. Post-processing may be very useful, but it's training the eye that's far more important.

EXAMPLES OF MINIMALIST TECHNIQUE
The shot below by nespyxel is a great example of pure minimalism, as it is all about photographic technique while the subject matter is incidental. See how Stefano uses both his camera and the composition to create cool lines and an appealing abstract.

by Nespyxel

The photo below is all about technique--line, line, line = graphic, graphic, graphic. Elizabeth's photo showcases the best part of a building that's probably pretty ugly in real life, and transforms it into something beautiful.

by Abizeleth

Below are some variations on the theme. Note that Danuta would call these photos abstract, but not minimalist, because of the amount of detail. Well, we wonder what Pinnacle judges would say if these photos were posted in the "minimalist/simplicity" thread?

But, sez JT!!!! "All four of these shots are abstracts or details, but Abizeleth's and dmalewski's shots in particular say "minimalism" to me because of simplistic repeating elements in the composition--the same combination of line and shape is being represented throughout the shot, and the subject matter is really line and not repetition or architecture."

Hah! Let the viewer beware. Let the photographer be on guard. Let the one with questions run away! LOL.

by mamie007

by roberta zouain

by dmalewski

OTHER ELEMENTS IMPORTANT IN MINIMALISM: LINES AND SHAPES

This following shot by Merdichesky is the best photo JT has seen on Flickr in a long time. While it does make use of some digital manipulation, that processing is used to enhance the strong lines and shapes formed by the windows. The contrast of the blue against the almost blinding white also gives it fantastic visual appeal. This is the way that negative space should be used in a true minimalist photo--to create tension with the subject matter, rather than just serve as a backdrop.

by Merdichesky

Now, the following photo would be more minimalist without the moon, but the sky juxtaposes well with the uneven line of the architecture, and the contrasting colors are neat.

by crazykanga

USING LIGHT IN MINIMALISM

by clay.wells

Here, Clay has stripped out the meaning of the subject matter entirely; the shot is about the concept of photography as an art form rather than just a pretty photo. JT thinks that a slight crop across the top would enhance the minimalism, but it is a good example of how to use light in minimalist photography. Not only does it accent the linear composition of Clay's photo, but it also gives it a bleak, austere quality that is quintessential minimalism.

Next, a wonderful use of light and shadow: The light on the human figure juxtaposes with the ledge to make a cross pattern that is very biblical to JT, or at least represents meditation and penitence. There is also an element of disembodiment and floating in this composition that is very cool, and works in this shot.

by chichicuilote

Danuta's not sure she sees any penitence here, as she thinks it would look great on the wall next to this one...

by margiebean

...which, given a little more contrast to blot out the line of the back, would be ultimate minimalism for her!

Now, JT's a little jealous of the next photo....

by nik10ur

Very mysterious simplicity at work here, he says. A strong line trails into the monochromatic mist, creating a sense of travel, melancholy, and yearning. So evocative--.

Next is a neat image from Maria. A sharper contrast and a little more tonal variation would really enhance the jagged shapes, but this is definite minimalism. Nice lines and a soothing light source that seems to be coming from the core. A mix of Weston and Caravaggio!

by mmoborg

Now, Danuta loves the photo below because it has very few elements, but the canvas, so to speak, is full. And she love the angle of the camera that takes the viewer on a journey :-)



On the other hand, JT - his own best critic - isn't so happy with it. He says, "This one is all about line and light; without either, this would be a pretty crappy photo." But for the next photo, he is lavish in his praise, "C'est fantastique! Anderson's shot is textbook minimalism. Love all the tonal variations and how the light and shadow keep bumping up against each other in a cool zig zag pattern that runs perpendicular with the same zig zag in the curtain."

by andersonfang

USING COLOR AND SHAPES

You can find a ton of great minimal photos in Robin's photo stream. This one is cool because the blue color field is so ordered, and the tile so chaotic and random, yet they come together nicely to make something that makes sense.

Same with the red one--a bunch of random pieces come together in the red negative space to make a cohesive and complete photo.



by Robem

As for the following one, JT thinks it's a modern day AbEx (Abstract Expressionism), of a sort. "It's not entirely focused on technique which makes it not true minimalism, but the crop makes good use of the undulation in the lines. I'm not sure if this is a detail or if it's been digitally altered to create this pattern, but either way, I dig it." Note that Read2Me has let us know that it is a detail, unaltered!

by Read2Me

And here is one of JT's personal favorites:



"The negative space blends with the orange bits, and I'm in love with the strong, almost conical, line. This is one of my true minimalist shots as it is all about technique--without composition, light, and line, there is nothing here; photography has been stripped down to its bare essentials."

However, one of Danuta's faves does pull interesting comments from JT: he's intrigued by this one because he says that this type of photograph usually doesn't work for minimalism.

by ullischa

He sez: Minimalism in nature. Hmmm. Normally, I don't think DoF works in minimal or simplistic photos because it automatically complicates it with photography tricks, but in this case, it's subtle enough to work. In fact, the DoF is almost incidental to the beautiful curves that go well with the frosty pink color.

As far as the next photo, Danuta says: I love this! I see it as solitude, not loneliness. I love the fact that there are essentially two fields of color, and the border between the two is the whole story: a moment of solitude in a chaotic and noisy world.



JT replies: "Danuta the optimist, JT the pessimist! I definitely see this as not just loneliness, but utter despair, as if the figure is stuck in their own blackness, with no end in sight."

On the other hand, Danuta's hands are thrown up in despair about this one:



She says, Dude. What were you thinking? In my not so humble opinion, the title is the best part of this photo: Area 51. That makes the photo interesting. I then associate the photo with spy satellite images of weird formations on Planet Earth, color contrasted to show the evidence better..... but honestly, my eye goes immediately to your next photo because for one, it's intriguing. Is it the eye of a penguin? Is it the bellybutton of an alien? Is it a mint candy pressed into smooth butter cream? I want to turn it upside down and see if I can figure it out! And on top of that, the shading contrasts so nicely with the sharp lines of the circles. So interesting!

JT sez: That green one of my color blocking photos is one that just went wrong. It's minimalist in composition, but the technique is definitely off--the lighting is too sickly, and in my attempts to correct in Photoshop, the image is a bit over processed. Ultimately, it's the poor lighting that I think makes this image fail.

The alien belly button, on the other hand, is more successful because of the lighting. It's still dramatic, but not overpowering, lending a cool mysterious mood to the blue one, and a quiet brooding in the green one that reminds me of the calm before a tornado or thunderstorm. These two shots stick to the essential photographic elements, resulting in successful minimalism.





FINAL CHAPTER
We're going to shift gears here, and provide some general commentary on photos that have very interesting minimalist tendencies, or fit in very well with the "Simplicity" part of the category, as described in The Pinnacle.

For example, the following shot relies on composition to make a scene as mundane as a man walking down the stairs into something graphic and interesting. It doesn't rely on some overused minimalist techniques, such as cropping objects in the corner, or objects that are out-of-scale with the negative space.

by Pedro Miguel Barreiros

However, all gloves are off with this one:

by beachwalker2008

JT sez: I think birds are dirty, evil, calculating things, and cropping them into the corner of the sky, lake or beach does not make it minimalism (or even simplicity). This photo is a rare exception; the bird has not been scaled to the point of being dwarfed by the backdrop, and it's presence is essential to the composition, whereas in a corner crop photo, any old object would do. The rock behind it keeps this bird grounded, and makes for a nice, simple shot.

Danuta is aghast. Birds are dirty? Evil? This one has its calculating eyes on your SONY, JT, and it thinks it can land a glob of guano just perfectly ----



Now, both of us love this next photo, although JT can describe "why" best:

by figurita

JT sez: Love the processing on this shot--it's very reminiscent of Edward Weston, who was a bit of a minimalist before the genre was actually defined. Here, the attention is drawn not to the fact that this is a human, but to the lines, curves, and lighting. It's weird to say that the viewer almost doesn't recognize this person's humanity in this shot, but it's exactly true--no matter what this subject matter is, these shapes and lighting technique would be very appealing.

Here is quintessential minimalism for Danuta....

by joiseyshowaa

While JT has a condition: Cut the ice house out of the corner and up the contrast to accent the line cutting through the snow, and then you have quintessential minimalism. As is, it makes for clear, simplistic imagery.

Now, read JT's thoughts on the next one.... Another variant of the snow trail theme--the wrinkle here is that the curve of the landscape adds another complementary shape to the composition in two separate places that I really like.

by sprengstoff72

While a simplistic composition requires all elements of the photo to work together to make a good image, below is a top-notch example of how sometimes lines compete and still make for good minimalism. The many color tones, seemingly directionless wandering lines and irregular pieces of these terracotta rooftops clash with one another, yet still come together in this composition to form an eye-pleasing photo.

fgc

And below is "digital impressionism"!

by williscreek

Scant suggestions of figures on a white background make for a pleasing simplicity, and makes one think of Hans Brinker. Here is what williscreek had to say about shooting his photo. "I was not thinking "minimal" when I conceived of and took that shot. My thought was to take an even more sparse shot of a single skater on a larger skating area (e.g., a lake) out of focus, without any sky (to maximize the ice surface) and convert it to B&W. But I ended up at a small outdoor rink that was quite busy with many people, so I took a different approach. As such, moving the camera during the exposure was an obvious technique for me to use here."

Now below, once again, the two heads butt: Danuta sees no contradiction with Steve's photo belonging to the simplicity camp, given the conversations above :-)

by stevensmith1

But JT sez: It's empty, but is it simplistic? I do like this shot quite a bit, but a lot of elements are competing here--the grooved sand, the austere, yet sharp sky, the sudden end to the sand dune, and the lens flare that cuts diagonally through the frame all say complicated to me.

And finally...

by Manny Flores

JT sez: Fantastic simplicity here...a single streak of light shooting through a dark landscape makes for a strong line that disturbs the surroundings just enough with out overdoing it. If you upped the contrast to create complete blackness, then you've got stellar minimalism, as well.

Next is a nice reminder that sometimes simplicity can emanate from the chaos. Though JT feels a little dizzy from the surroundings, amongst all that swirling is the same feeling of vast nothingness that he feels from some of the other simplicity examples.

by bryan olesen


And lookie here.... JT loves the "drab isolation" that Terry creates here. Talk about the pessimist!

By TPorter2006

He sez: Everything about Terry's photo is perfect; it has all the elements of a simplistic photo--a singular color scheme, layers that blend harmoniously with one another and don't compete for attention, a focal point that doesn't overwhelm the backdrop, and an aura of almost drab isolation. Instant fave.

Danuta sayz: This next one....if this was in high contrast, then it'd be a perfect minimalist for me, as there would be less details. As it stands, I really like the creamy tones and the cropping which focuses on so few elements, yet gives the idea of a huge building. And the way in which the dark arches plunk down on those corinthian/ionic whosie whatsit architectural doohickies make the photo a wonderful study of light and shadow.

by historygradguy

JT sez: I agree...with a bit more of a high contrast, this would be a fantastic minimalist photo. The cropping is just right, and upping the contrast would really show a nice range of lighting tones--the light creaminess of the doohickies on the columns to the mysterious shadow in the ceiling pattern that darken as you recess. The effect would be a presentation of something massive that overwhelms the viewer and separates them from the work. Even the artist feels like they are on the outside looking in, a major concept of minimalist art.

And coming close to the end....
by Leslie Vernon

Another good photo for simplicity, relying on detail and perspective over lighting and fancy tricks to create a quiet and powerful impression. Also, the various gradations of white are pretty sweet.


Finally, the last shot in our series quite simply says "goodbye". The last lines left in the sand by the high tide, a memory of summer.



We've enjoyed putting together this session, and hope it provides you with some perspective and insights about minimalist photography. And in keeping with the theme, we say simply

THE END.

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Copyright of all the photographs used in this session belong to the respective owners of the photographs.

Copyright of this session belong to the session authors. The Pinnacle group has right to use for non-commercial purposes.