In this article on the art of creating simple photographs, we’re going to talk about simplicity and minimalism.
In the Shotkit article on compelling minimalist photography, you saw examples and tips for this specific artistic style.
Today, we’re not talking about minimalistic photos as a style but more about how to simplify our photography in order to better communicate our stories.
Simplicity focuses on making sure the image is legible, whether it’s a minimalistic photo or not.
Simplicity is an element of minimalist photography, but you don’t have to love the minimalist style to benefit from learning how to take a simple photo.
Taking a simple photo isn’t always simple, and it doesn’t mean it’s plain or boring.
After over 13 years as a professional photographer, I’ve learned that sometimes simple truly is best.
Simple photos help the viewer understand the photo while allowing their brain to process and connect.
In this article, I’ll talk about the elements of a simple photo as well as tips and examples for shooting one.
What is a Simple Photo?
A simple photo is an image that focuses on a single subject or a few key elements.
The idea is to minimize distractions and complexity within the frame.
The composition of a simple photo is clean and straightforward, with a clear subject that immediately draws the viewer’s eye.
What’s the Difference Between Simplicity in Photography and Minimalism?
Simplicity in photography and minimalism are often used interchangeably.
However, they do represent distinct concepts that can influence the composition and impact of a photo.
Simplicity focuses on stripping down the elements within a frame to highlight the subject.
It requires eliminating distractions, using clean backgrounds, and creating a clear focal point.
For clarity and impact, the viewer should easily understand the intent of the image.
Minimalism, on the other hand, is a more specific artistic style that embraces simplicity while also emphasizing the use of negative space, clean lines, and basic elements.
Minimalist photography often features stark compositions with very few elements.
The images create a sense of calm, balance, and contemplation.
Minimalism is about finding beauty in the bare essentials and often involves abstract or geometric shapes, monochromatic color schemes, and a focus on form over content.
Minimalism is a stylistic choice that conveys a certain mood or aesthetic, whereas simplicity in photography is about clarity and effective communication of the subject.
The 7 Main Elements of a Simple Photo
Let’s talk about the seven main elements of a simple photo.
From composition to color palette and lighting, we’ll talk about how to strip a photo down to the essential elements.
When deciding if a photo is simple enough, you can look for the following elements.
Later in the article, I’ll share examples of simple photos from various genres of photography.
A great exercise is to look at the images and determine how they could be simplified based on the following elements of a simple photo.
1. Plain Backgrounds
Using uncluttered or neutral backgrounds will help make your subject stand out.
2. Limited Color Palette
Restricting the colors in an image can help create harmony and reduce visual noise.
You might have your subject’s color pop against your background color.
3. Minimal Elements
Only essential elements should be included in the frame.
The trick is to avoid any unnecessary objects or details that don’t actually add to the story the image is trying to tell.
4. Strong Composition
Compositional techniques like the rule of thirds, leading lines, or symmetry help guide the viewer’s eye directly to the subject.
A strong composition can help simplify the photo, making the creation of a simple photo not so simple anymore!
5. Negative Space
Utilizing ample negative space around your subject will help emphasize your subject.
Ample space as opposed to clutter or distracting elements will help create a sense of balance and calm.
6. Single Subject Focus
Ensure your photo has one primary subject or focal point that dominates the frame, making it the clear center of attention.
You should be able to quickly identify the subject of the simple photo.
7. Lighting
Ideally, a simple photo will have soft, even lighting.
Avoid harsh shadows or overly complex light patterns as these can distract from the simplicity of the image.
Natural light often works well in simple photos.
5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Simple Photo
Based on the seven elements above, you probably can already guess at a few tips for creating the perfect simple photo.
In this section, we’ll talk about things like framing, composition, light, and color.
Then, we’ll go a little further and look at a few less obvious tips.
1. Frame Your Subject
Choose one main subject to highlight, ensuring it’s the clear focal point of the image.
Play around with your framing to eliminate any background elements or distractions that could compete for your attention.
2. Use Minimalistic Composition Techniques
Use negative space to frame the subject and create a sense of balance and clarity.
Try the rule of thirds, leading lines, or basic centered alignment to keep the image straightforward and visually appealing.
3. Pay Attention to Light and Color
Pay attention to the light and color of the scene and how it’s impacting your photo.
Used diffused natural light or soft artificial light to reduce any harsh shadows.
Limit your color palette or consider making your photo black and white in order to keep the colors from distracting from the message.
4. Ask What You Can Eliminate
As you look at your composition, see if there is anything else you can eliminate.
Are all the elements in your photo truly adding to the story?
Or are there things you can reduce?
5. Get Closer
Sometimes to simplify a scene, you need to get closer to your subject.
If everything is cluttered and distracting, move yourself around your subject until you reach an angle and perspective that works.
Sometimes you need to get low and shoot up.
The Psychology Behind the “Simple Photograph”
Minimalism and simplicity in both life and photography have multiple benefits for us as viewers.
Whether we’re looking at a photograph or our daily calendar, clutter can be distracting and overwhelming.
If our to-do list is cluttered with unimportant tasks, it’s hard for us to focus on the vital few.
Visual clutter makes our brains struggle to interpret the messages around us.
Conversely, simplicity can bring clarity and focus.
If we eliminate the unnecessary, it’s easier to quickly grasp the main subject.
The brain doesn’t need to process as much information, which can lead to a more effortless and satisfying experience.
When it comes to viewing simple photography, the viewer can concentrate on the main message.
They can have a deeper emotional connection and a more relaxed viewing.
This cognitive ease makes the image more memorable and engaging.
Simplicity often brings a sense of harmony and balance.
The brain appreciates orderly and aesthetically pleasing compositions.
The same reason you appreciate the clean and orderly home of a minimalist is why simple photographs are appealing.
Alternatively, imagine a cluttered space with all of the things around you begging for your attention – how are you to focus?
Examples of Simple Photographs Through the Genres
Below I’ll walk through some sample images I found online that feel like simple photographs.
The challenge I present to you is that you walk yourself through the criteria of a simple photo.
Is the background free from distractions?
Is there a limited color palette and minimal elements in the scene?
Is the composition strong, making it easy to read and showing a single subject?
Walk through these images and then look at some in your own gallery to determine how you could make an image more simple and easy to read.
Sometimes complex photos are nice, but it should be a choice, not a result of not knowing how to simplify our framing.
Black and White
Photo by Giulia Baptista: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ballet-dancer-in-dancing-pose-11483436/
In this simple black and white photo, the dancer is the subject and all distracting elements are removed so that all you see is the ballerina.
The lack of color also helps to eliminate any visual noise.
When deciding if a photo should be black and white, I often ask if the color adds anything to the photo.
If it doesn’t, eliminate the color and see if the image reads better.
Landscape
Photo by Tyler Lastovich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-white-mountain-633198/
This landscape photo has a clear subject: the mountain.
It utilizes negative space without any distractions and follows a rule of thirds composition.
While the light isn’t soft like I suggested with the elements of a simple photo, the contrast helps draw your eye. So, I think it works and still meets my vision of a simple photo.
One could argue that the mountain isn’t specific enough for a single subject, maybe there’s a specific snow path that could be a subject.
What do you think? Does it fit the elements of a simple photo?
Portrait
Photo by Royal Anwar: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-blue-blazer-and-white-dress-shirt-leaning-on-white-wall-450212/
Portraits are often simple because they have a single subject by design, but the simplest of the portraits is those on a solid backdrop.
The background isn’t distracting from the subject, but in this case, the viewer’s eye is also drawn to the belt or the jacket.
It could be made more simple by cropping tighter.
Street Photography
Photo by Uvesh Gogda: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-smiling-woman-in-a-headscarf-looking-out-the-window-26844138/
Stree photography is often hard to make simple because there is often a lot in the scene.
This is when it’s important to get close and isolate your subject.
The photographer could have shot wider so we could see what the subject is looking at, but that would introduce another subject.
The two colors in the color palette also help draw our eye and make the image very readable.
Wedding Photography
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/groom-text-on-table-60258/
A common technique to make photos more “simple” in wedding photography is to shoot at a shallow depth of field.
While there are other distractions in the scene such as wine glasses, you can see that the blur helps bring the eye to the subject of the photo, the pinecone name card.
What do you think? How could this image be made simpler, or what are the image elements that it does well?
FAQ’s About Simple Photographs
What makes a photo “simple”?
A photo is simple if it has a clear focus, clean composition, limited color palette, good use of negative space, simplified details, strong composition techniques, and clean lighting.
Essentially, a simple photo is easy to read and digest the meaning of.
What is the best lighting for simple photography?
The best lighting for simple photography is soft and even.
You want to reduce harsh shadows and minimize distractions so that your subject can stand out clearly.
Natural lighting, such as diffused sunlight from a window, is ideal for creating gentle, balanced illumination.
How is color used in simple photography?
In simple photography, color is often used sparingly to maintain a minimalist aesthetic.
A limited or monochromatic color palette helps to reduce visual clutter and keep the focus on the subject.
Harmonious or subdued colors can help achieve a clean cohesive look that enhances simplicity.
Final Words
Simple photos aren’t necessarily minimalistic photos, but learning how to simplify your photographs can help you master a variety of photography styles, including minimalism.
More importantly, sometimes simplicity is just about reducing clutter and distractions so that your viewer doesn’t have to work so hard.
Sometimes viewing photography is calming, relaxing, and peaceful, allowing the viewer to connect to the subject and the emotion of the scene.
Whether you’re a master of complicated techniques or new to photography, remembering to keep it simple can help you communicate better through your photography.
Happy simple shooting!
Credit : Source Post
