27.08.2015

Minimalism to maximum effect!

27.08.2015

Minimalism to maximum effect!

For this final article, I wanted to talk about a style of photography I like a lot: minimalism. It’s a style of photography I discovered on Instagram.

photo 1

[ me, somewhere in Germany – taken by @kapstand at Lumia1020 – February 2014 ]

It’s not an easy style of photos to create despite what one might think. First, you need a healthy dose of creativity to be able to take an ordinary scene or an everyday object and create a beautiful minimalist photo that will transport you elsewhere. These photos are sometimes unreal, sometimes astonishing in their simplicity, and sometimes completely offbeat. That’s the beauty of minimalism. I love minimalist galleries because often they are very refined, and some inspire me and give me ideas I can pursue, even if they don’t reflect my personal style choices.

But first of all, what is minimalism?
Minimalism is the art of making beauty out of very little. It’s about making simple and sleek photos. The subject of the photo (an object, food, a person…) should be the sole and obvious element in the photo. It is the showpiece.
Minimalism is a style of photography I like because I don’t like when photographs are too busy, or when they present too much information. I love when the photo speaks to me right away.
There are several minimalist styles in photography. I’ll try to introduce some of them to you and give you some ideas and some techniques so you can create minimalist photos yourself if you feel so inclined! Now, I’m not an encyclopedia, so this is not the official definition of minimalism. Rather, it’s really my vision of what minimalism is!

– the minimal street shot : street photography stripped down… Highlight a perspective, a situation, a detail, a silhouette. You should always experiment with your surroundings. Lines, graphic detail. You need to look around yourself and gather your ideas.

photo 2

[ my friend Marlène in Montpellier – January 2015 ]

– minimalism in landscape photography: back lighting, a single tree, a sunset…there are different ways to create a minimalist effect with this type of photos. Simple and effective to highlight the beauty of nature.

photo 3

[ snowfall in Orcières – January 2015 ]

– minimalist situations: what I mean is that sometimes, I’m out somewhere and I see a place or some thing and an idea comes to me. When I’m taking the picture, I know in my mind what I want to achieve with it. So I frame the shot accordingly. And after the edit, I finalize my idea.

photo 4

[ a rider during the FISE in Montpellier – May 2015 ]

– minimalist architecture: some are really, really strong in this category! One of my pet categories! There, it’s all about the sense of detail! And framing is essential!

photo 5

[ a staircase in Paris – February 2015 ]

– blog-style minimalism (that’s how I call it): showcase a jewel or decorative detail or other sort in a very sleek style and with edits that are very pastel or the opposite, very colorful. I follow some of them, and I love the girly side even if it’s a style that I never work in myself.

– very white minimalism: that’s something I do and love it! In that case, it’s all in the editing!! I do all my editing with Snapseed. I experiment to get this result, and of course it won’t work with every photo … I just play with the light and the contrasts. That’s it. Sometimes, if there are spots or other things, I’ll correct them either with TouchRetouch or with Snapseed and the corrector point. I place the point on what I want to take out, I adjust the correction diameter accordingly, and I put brightness to the max! It can’t be beat! For minimalist effect, editing and color are very important. When I create this type of photos, generally, I visualize the picture edited in my head. I know what I want to do with it, and that determines the framing.

photo 6

[ a family in Biarritz – April 2015 ]

– offbeat minimalism: several months ago I discovered some really funny hashtags, especially #tired_portrait which I’ve already discussed. It’s very frequently used for minimalist photos in fact and it adapts perfectly to this style of photos.

photo 7

[ me at the maritime museum in Biarritz – April 2015 ]

– unreal minimalism: created with Photoshop in particular, some galleries in this style are really poetic invitations or dream escapes like @xs.fr and @in.ovo

I love taking minimalist shots even if I don’t do it that often! I would like to do more, but I don’t think it’s that easy. Besides, I like galleries that follow a common thread, because you need to work from ideas! It’s also important to have a sense of detail. So as usual, here are some of my favorite galleries in this category. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments section because Instagram is great for sharing galleries you’ve fallen in love with!
@tichacadabra @aurelycerise @muetc @l_adrien @justtigga @skyframes @veer74 @m_lloyd @oliviermorisse … It’s a long list!

photo 8

[ mountains are ideal for minimal photography – Orcières – January 2015 ]

There are also minimalist communities and hashtags… Without hesitation, I can tell you my favorite is @minimal_people #minimalpeople … the selections there are always great! Some others are: @rsa_minimal #rsa_minimal / @minimalism_world #minimalism_world / @ic_minimal #ic_minimal / @killerminimal #killerminimal.

photo 9

[ building at the BNF in Paris – August 2014 ]

The conclusion is that everything can be a subject to photograph… Your imagination is unlimited! Vary styles, try out techniques, and that will allow you to find your own special style.
Photography for me is a bridge between the real world and the dream world … Let yourself dream!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank ManfrottoImagineMore. I have really enjoyed sharing my favorite galleries, my views on Instagram, and talking about it with you. Thank you, dear readers, and dear Instagram friends, and thanks to all my followers for your support and kind words throughout this experience.

Sigrid

My name is Sigrid, alias @ettisi on Instagram! I live in Montpellier, in the South of France…But I often have the travel bug. As far back as I can remember, I have always loved to take pictures. I discovered Instagram in 2012, and it opened my eyes to a new way to view the world around me…details from daily life, finding poetry in things that are anything but poetic, recreating my own universe…Instagram lets me express all of that. I can post pictures of the things I perceive and feel. It’s especially great to share them with my followers! Welcome to my little world!

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